Model M1900 6" Rapid Fire Gun on Barbette Carriage M1900
Construction of the "East Battery", of two model 1900, 6 inch "Rapid
Fire" guns with a range of
16,550 yards was commenced on February 8, 1917:
Model 1900, S/N 26, on Model 1900 Barbette Carriage, S/N 18
Model 1900, S/N 44, on Model 1900 Barbette Carriage, S/N 19
These guns and carriages were built by the Watervliet Arsenal, in
Watervliet, NY. They were first installed at Battery Burke, at Fort
Hamilton in Brooklyn in 1903 and were moved to Rockaway in 1917.
The power plant building was constructed in 1917 and power units were
installed. The two guns were first proof-fired on May 14, 1917.
According to an official US Army history of the post written during
World War 2, "The guns were dismounted and sent to France in December
1917 and returned and remounted on June 12, 1919". It is unknown if
this an accurate statement, and additional research is required to
confirm or deny this unusual movement of these coast artillery weapons.
The Report of Completed Works (RCW) dated April 19, 1923 states; "These 2
guns are covered" by "portable housing built by Eng. personnel.
Emplacement of concrete block".
The battery was renamed Battery Fergusson in honor of the late Brigadier General Frank K. Fergusson USA, on December 1, 1939.
Battery 220 (never completed) was scheduled to replace Battery Fergusson.
What's left today?
No trace of Battery Fergusson exists today. Only some bits of
broken concrete around the dunes of Bay 16 remain in this area. This
concrete could also be the remains of the USLSS Station or other
abandoned structures in this area.
Plan of "East Battery"
(Location is SE corner of Fort Tilden, Atlantic Ocean is at top of plan.)
