Pensacola, FL 1942

Shore Batteries On Santa Rosa Island, Fort Pickens (Pensacola) during WWII

WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Worth

Battery Worth

1898-1947 - Battery Worth's mortars could lob 700-pound projectiles in high arcs to penetrate ship's lightly armored decks.

By WWII these mortars were obsolete. Worth was modified in 1942 to become the Harbor Command Post for the joint Army-Navy defense of the Pensacola area.

Click on each small picture for a larger view.

Information from US Park Service

 WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Worth
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Worth WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Worth
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Worth WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Worth
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Langdon

Battery Langdon

1917-1947 - Two 12-inch rifles. Langdon was first built as two open firing platforms. (see diagram right)

During WWII, Langdon's 12-inch rifles were roofed with 17-foot thick concrete casements. But amphibious and missile warfare made harbor defense guns obsolete.

Click on each small picture for a larger view.

Information from US Park Service
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Langdon
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Langdon
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Langdon
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Langdon
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Langdon
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Cullum-Sevier

Battery
Cullum-Sevier

1898-1946 - Four 10" Disappearing Rifles Replaced by two 3" Rapid

WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery Cullum-Sevier

Fire Guns. Although first constructed for four 10-inch Disappearing Rifles, this battery ended up with Battery Truman's rapid fire guns during WWII. Many of the batteries were modified. Like a chess game, coastal defenses changed to counter the latest attack weapon technology.

Information from US Park Service
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery 234

Battery 234

WWII 6-Inch Shield Gun.

Like a turret, 4-inch thick cast steel wrapped around the 6" rifle to protect the crew from machine gun and light cannon fire. Each gun and shield weighed 80 tons.

They might be unable to see the targets but radar could help Battery 234 track vessels twelve miles away.

Click on each small picture for a larger view.

Information from US Park Service
 WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery 234
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery 234
 WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery 234
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery 234 WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Battery 234
WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Range Finder

Range Finder

Sightings from this WWII station (atop the tower) were intended to direct the gunfire from Battery 234.

The difficulty in accurately judging distances across water was solved by taking simultaneous sightings from two locations. The resulting plot took the form of a triangle - a configuration used to pinpoint a target's position.

WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens Range Finder

The complex and rapid calculations to determine these plots were made by hand with the aid of a plotting board.

Today, sightings are determined by laser beams and the plots are figured by computer.

Information from US Park Service

WWII Kilroy Was Here Shore Batteries Pensacola Bay Ft. Pickens

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