The Anti-Motor-Torpedo-Boat (AMTB) 90mm gun M1 on mount M3 was developed
in 1941 to provide a weapon that was effective against fast torpedo
boats, aircraft, and land targets. It could be
controlled manually or automatically through a remote control system. A
protective shield was installed around the gun and allowed crew access
and gun loading through the rear. Many AMTB
batteries were installed in American harbors
The AMTB Battery at Rockaway Point, also known as Breezy Point, was not
located inside Fort Tilden, but at the tip of the Rockaway peninsula.
This gun battery protected the entrance to
Jamaica Bay. Battery #20, consisting of two 3-inch guns Model 1902
mounted on barbette carriages Model 1905 was also located in this
vicinity.
Aerial photographs from the 1980s show some structures in this area
which are believed to be the remains of this battery. These structures
may still exist today, and are located along the bay side of the Breezy
Point Jetty, west of Beach 222nd Street. An investigative trip to this
site to measure and photograph the gun positions and magazines is needed
and may be conducted in the Winter of 2000. The paved road ends at
Beach 222nd Street and no 4-Wheel-Drive vehicles or persons are
permitted in this area. Please check with the Park Rangers at Building 1
in Fort Tilden if you have any questions on this protected natural
area.
90mm AMTB Gun Data
Traverse: 360 degrees. Elevation: -8 to 80 degrees. Range: 8,000 yards. Crew: 15 men total, 9 men in the gun squad and 6 men in the ammunition squad. Foundation: Typically 14' diameter concrete platform,
5' 9" tall, supported by 12 underpinning pilings. AMTB Gun Batteries at the New York Harbor
(Twin 90mm Guns - 1943 to 1946)
Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, NJ (AMTB #7)
Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, NJ (AMTB #8)
Miller Field, Staten Island, NY (AMTB #11)
Swinburne Island, NY (adjacent to Hoffman Island in the Narrows)(AMTB #12)
Norton Point (Western tip of Coney Island, Brooklyn)(AMTB #19)
Rockaway Point, (Breezy Point) NY (AMTB #21) References and Further Reading:
Modern American Seacoast Defenses by Mark Berhow (See the on-line version
at the CDSG web
site).
Coast Artillery Training Bulletin, Vol 2 No 16, 90mm Gun, Fixed Mount,
Service of the Piece
(Tentative FM 4-91), Coast Artillery School, Fort Monroe, VA.
Technical Manual TM 9-2300, War Department.
Technical Manual TM 9-373, 90mm Gun M1 and 90mm Gun Mount T3, War
Department.
Field Manual FM 4-126, Antiaircraft Artillery, Service of the Piece, 90mm
Antiaircraft Gun, War
Department.
