Fort Standish was a coastal

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

completed in 1907 and located on

Lovell's Island Lovells Island, or Lovell's Island, is a island in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, in Massachusetts. The island is across The Narrows from Georges Island and some offshore of downtown Boston. It is named after Captain Wil ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. Named after

Myles Standish Myles Standish (c. 1584 – October 3, 1656) was an English military officer and colonizer. He was hired as military adviser for Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, United States by the Pilgrims. Standish accompanied the Pilgrims on ...

, the fort would serve to host up to 7

batteries Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

until it was disarmed and deactivated in 1947. It was also named Lovell's Island Military Reservation during the early part of its existence. It was part of the Coast (later Harbor) Defenses of Boston. Along with Fort Warren,

Fort Andrews Fort Andrews was created in 1897 as part of the Coast Defenses of Boston, Coast (later Harbor) Defenses of Boston, Massachusetts. Construction began in 1898 and the fort was substantially complete by 1904. The fort was named after Major G ...

, Fort Banks,

Fort Strong Fort Strong is a former U.S. Army Coast Artillery fort that occupied the northern third of Long Island in Boston Harbor. The island had a training camp during the American Civil War, and a gun battery was built there in the 1870s. The fort was ...

, and others, it was among the first modern defenses of

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History ...

. The fort was de-activated in 1947 and in 1962 became part of the

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area The Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area is a national recreation area situated among the islands of Boston Harbor of Boston, Massachusetts. The area is made up of a collection of islands, together with a former island and a penins ...

History

Construction and armament

Fort Standish was built 1899-1907. The gun batteries over its history through 1947 included:Berhow, p. 205 Batteries Burbeck and Morris were originally combined as Battery Burbeck, but were administratively separated in 1909. The 10-inch guns were the fort's main armament against enemy battleships; the 6-inch guns could fire more rapidly against cruisers. The 3-inch rapid fire guns were intended to defend an underwater mine field against

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s. One source states the fort was first garrisoned in 1909, and at that time the 10-inch guns had not yet been mounted and Battery Williams' guns were not on site. Batt Williams

World War I through World War II

After the

American entry into World War I American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

in early 1917, the fort was expanded to include temporary structures such as quarters and additional storehouses. The 10-inch guns of Batteries Burbeck and Morris were earmarked for potential use as

railway artillery A railway gun, also called a railroad gun, is a large artillery piece, often surplus naval artillery, mounted on, transported by, and fired from a specially designed railway wagon. Many countries have built railway guns, but the best-known are ...

but never left the fort. Battery Whipple's two 6-inch guns were removed from the fort in September 1917 for potential use on field carriages, but apparently were not sent overseas and were returned to the fort in April 1919. An

antiaircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

battery of two guns was on the island 1917-1923. After the war the fort's support buildings were reduced to three "permanent" buildings. In 1920 Battery Vincent was disarmed as part of a general removal from service of its 3-inch M1898

Driggs-Seabury Driggs-Seabury Ordnance Company was founded in 1897 by William H. Driggs and Samuel Seabury, both US Navy officers, in partnership with William's brother Louis Labadie "L. L." Driggs, originally to produce guns for the US Army and US Navy desig ...

guns. Official plans of the fort indicate that Battery Williams was also armed with this type of gun, but the battery was not removed from service until 1946. Both batteries are listed with "BP" (balanced pillar) carriages; this was a retractable carriage used for 5-inch guns that was functionally identical to the "masking parapet" carriages that were Driggs-Seabury's patent.Berhow, pp. 70-71, 88-89 In 1926 Battery Weir was disarmed and abandoned due to

beach erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...

; it is possible that Battery Williams was disarmed in 1920 and rearmed with Battery Weir's guns, or rearmed from some other source. In 1925 two of Battery Vincent's vacant positions were converted for an antiaircraft battery of two 3-inch M1917 antiaircraft guns; a third gun was added in 1938. Prior to the American entry into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in December 1941, the fort also included many new temporary structures as it had previously in World War I. In addition, the fort's complement increased to around 800 men, including 14 officers and 4 NCOs. In 1942 the fort's 10-inch guns were scrapped; they were superseded by the long-range guns of

Fort Duvall Fort Duvall was a Coast Artillery fort, part of the Harbor Defenses of Boston, in Massachusetts. What was then called Spinnaker Island (Massachusetts), Hog Island in Hull, Massachusetts was acquired by the U.S. government in 1917, and the fort was ...

and

Fort Ruckman Fort Ruckman was a U.S. Coast Artillery fort located in Nahant, Massachusetts. Originally called the Nahant Military Reservation, the fort was laid out in 1904-1907 and covered an area of about 45 acres just northwest of Bass Point, on the southw ...

, soon to be augmented by Battery Murphy at the East Point Military Reservation. Battery Terrill's 6-inch disappearing guns followed in 1943, leaving only Batteries Whipple and Williams active. That year Anti- Motor Torpedo Boat Battery (AMTB) 943 was built, with two fixed and two towed 90 mm guns. Fort Standish's guns were scrapped and the fort abandoned in 1946-1947. The island was transferred to the state in 1958 and became part of the

in 1962.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* *

External links

List of all US coastal forts and batteries
at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website
FortWiki, lists most CONUS and Canadian forts
{{Authority control Standish Buildings and structures in Boston Boston Harbor Military in Boston