Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!cbnews!military
From: philj%tekig5.pen.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET (Phil Jansen)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Seacoast Mortars and Nukes
Message-ID: <8892@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 9 Aug 89 03:58:10 GMT
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From: Phil Jansen 



Fort Stevens lost the crew in the pit for its first rifle firing.  The rifles
were on counterweights to raise and lower the gun; the recoil pushed the gun
back down for reloading.

The problem was that the pit originally had a concrete cover (to protect the
crew from shells[!]).  the cover confined the concussion in the pit, which
killed the crew.  After that, the Army removed the covers.

---- History --------

Fort Stevens was built during the Civil War to guard the mouth of the Columbia
River from the Confederate navy (and other navies).  The original mortars were
replaced by rifles (BIG ones) in WWII in a general US coastal defense upgrade.

Fort Stevens was the only US target (not territory) to be shelled by
enemies in WWII.  A Japanese submarine surfaced one night and took some
potshots at the Fort.  The Fort did not return fire, as that would only give
their position away (and the sub was only hitting a sand spit).

The only thing left standing at the Fort now is the hardened concrete
buildings.  Still, it's an interesting picnic spot, and a nice beach.

Phil Jansen
-- 
                          If you repeat things often enough, they become true.
Phil Jansen               If you repeat things often enough, they become true.
philj@tekig5.pen.tek.com  If you repeat things often enough, they become true.