Guardians

Well, crap. Going through my older posts, I realized that the one post I truly wanted to make after our vacation to Long Beach, WA, back in April was still sitting there in my Post List marked Draft.

In this case, it was probably because I was

1. Enjoying researching the subject too much (I've done that before),
2. Agonizing about what to leave, and what to cut,
   
3. Over-polishing.
   

Well, since it's not like I'm getting paid by the word, I'll go ahead and finish it up for now, and see about posting more on the topic later. (I'll try not to bore, though...)

***

"Tell me again why we're going here?"

I must admit Mrs. Drang's question threw me for a loop. I mean, it's not like she could have been in any doubt that I'm a history geek, and she certainly can't have forgotten that little (20 year) stint I did in the Army, so I simply ass-you-me'd that there would be little question as to why I would want to visit old Coastal Defense installations...

In my earlier post Guiding Lights I made mention of "river mouth defense building projects".

The Coastal Defence Study Group has this to say about "Harbor Defenses of the United States of America"

"It has been a basic military policy of most nations to secure their borders against possible attack through the construction of defensive fortifications. Except for an attack from Canada or Mexico, all American adversaries would have to come from overseas. The United States sought security against an attack through fortification of her maritime frontiers. Fortifications were viewed both by the U.S. Congress and the American public as a way to avoid foreign entanglements and war. This thinking had a strong influence on American national defense policy and during certain periods fortification construction was nearly a substitute for any other form of military policy.

"Seacoast fortification was attractive to the United States government. Few military principles were as enduring as that of the superiority of guns ashore over those afloat. The United States had a long shoreline, a weak navy (at least until the early 20th Century), and a concern about foreign attack. The use of seacoast fortifications also complied with another long standing American military tradition--militia forces. Seacoast fortifications, once constructed, could be maintained by a caretaker force."

Wikipedia says

"Seacoast defense was a major concern for the United States from its independence until World War II. Before airplanes, America's enemies could only reach her from the sea, making coastal forts an economical alternative to standing armies or a large navy. After the 1940s it was recognized that fixed fortifications were obsolete and ineffective against aircraft and missiles. However, in prior eras foreign fleets were a realistic threat, and substantial fortifications were built at key locations, especially protecting major harbors.

The defenses heavily depended on fortifications but also included minefields, nets and booms, ships, and airplanes. Therefore, all of the armed forces participated in seacoast defense, but the US Army Corps of Engineers played the central role."

The mouth of the Columbia, as difficult to navigate as it is, was seen as a major strategic point, and was (eventually) the site of three separate installations: Fort Stevens in Oregon, and Forts Canby and Columbia in Washington. Fort Canby was located on Cape Disappointment, while Fort Columbia was a few miles inland in Chinook, Washington. The CDSG posts the following map:

(Much reduced in size from the original on this web page: Explore the Harbor Defenses of the Columbia River

(In fact, that page is so great I'm going to skip right back to vacation.)

(Would that it were so easy! Kona, here we come!)

So originally, when Mrs. Drang told me we were going to to the Long Beach Peninsula, I thought she said we were going to Longview, which I'm sure is a very nice town, at least when there is work cutting down trees and sawing them into toothpicks or whatever, but not a lot of vacation potential. (It's 'waaaay up river--to the east, or right--on that map above.)

Mind you, a week off from work and with Mrs. Drang was hardly something I was dreading, but I wasn't sure what there would be to do besides read, watch DVDs, and whatever. Well, OK, there's always sales-tax-free shopping in Oregon, unless the state of Washington catches you. Anyway, when I realized we were not anywhere near where I thought we'd be, it was a bit of a relief.

Now, as a history geek, and a military history geek at that, I always found the art and science of fortifications fascinating. Plus, as a career NCO in the US Army, I had learned that the Coastal Artillery Corps had pioneered many of the customs and policies that we take for granted today.

For instance, until after WWII, enlisted rank "belonged" to the unit Commanding Officer. You enlisted in a regiment, you trained in that regiment, you served in that regiment for the duration, and your rank depended on the CO's good will. (That sentence sums up many of the problems that hero Robert E. Lee Prewit had in James Jones' From Here to Eternity.) If you requested a transfer from California to the Philippines, for example, when you left the unit you'd go back to Private, even if you had been a Sergeant with ten years in service.

Coastal Artillery, recognizing that their assignments were unique--units of a hundred or so men at isolated outposts--established a "swap" system, so that an NCO could transfer from (say) the Panama Canal Zone to Fort Columbia in grade.

Too, recognizing the advanced technical skills the coastal artillery corps required of its' enlisted troops, it was the first to push for an opportunity for an enlisted man to continue to advance beyond the enlisted ranks, by establishing the Warrant Officer ranks.

Finally, it's artillery and who doesn't like a big bang?

Alas, none of the Columbia Rivermouth forts have representative 10" guns on disappearing mounts. Fort Casey on Whidbey Island does, but when we were there in--2004?--they were working on it (having just brought it over from old coastal defense installations in the Philippines, and being in the process of installing it) and I was not able to get close. (The original guns and mounts were scrapped during "dubya dubya two.")

A shame, because those disappearing mounts are cool!

Here's a short video that gives the idea (a scale model at Fort Stevens):

And here is a (longer) Washington State Parks Department video (in two parts) about Fort Columbia:

I took a few (!) photographs myself. First, Fort Canby, up on Cape Disappointment:
Rear view of the casement. Just visible in the upper right hand corner is the Lewis and Clark Museum, which is what I thought I was going to go see. This is when I realized I was really, really going to enjoy the week...
Distinctive Unit Insignia ("unit crest") of the 249th Coastal Artillery Company.

The following were taken at Fort Columbia, which is actually up river a few miles:
Six inch quick-firing gun in barbette mount. (Not a "turret", as it's open in the rear.)(I'll probably write another post with a glossary, in which I will correct myself several times...)
Detail of mount system.
Diagram of 10" gun in disappearing mount.

A key weapon in these installations was large-bore mortars. Here is a 12" mortar shell, on display at the museum at Cape Disappointment:
During WWII, the process began to convert Coastal Artillery units over to what is now called Air Defense Artillery, and many extant ADA units trace their lineage back to a coastal artillery battery somewhere.