|
Several boards have been appointed by US presidents or Congress to evaluate the US defensive fortifications, primarily coastal defenses near strategically important harbors on the US shores, its territories, and its protectorates. ==Endicott Board== In 1885 US President Grover Cleveland appointed a joint Army, Navy and civilian board, headed by Secretary of War William Crowninshield Endicott, known as the Board of Fortifications (now usually referred to simply as the Endicott Board). The findings of the Board in its 1886 report〔Endicott, William C., "Report of the Board on Fortifications or Other Defenses Appointed by the President of the United States," in U.S. House of Representatives Ex. Doc No. 49, 49th Congress, 1st Session, Government Printing Office, Washington (), 1886. Reprinted for the Coast Defense Study Group by Thomson-Shore, Inc., Dexter, MI, 2007.〕 illustrated a grim picture of neglect of America's coast defenses and recommended a massive $127 million construction program for a series of new forts with breech-loading cannons, mortars, floating batteries, and submarine mines for some 29 locations on the US coast. Coast Artillery fortifications built between 1885 and 1905 are often referred to as Endicott Period fortifications. Prior efforts at harbor defense construction had ceased in the 1870s. Since that time the design and construction of heavy ordnance had advanced rapidly, including the development of superior breech-loading and longer-range cannon, making U.S. harbor defenses obsolete. In 1883, the Navy had begun a new construction program with an emphasis on offensive rather than defensive warships, and many foreign powers were building more heavily armored warships with larger guns. These factors combined to create a need for improved coastal defense systems. The Endicott Era Defenses were constructed, in large part, during the years of 1890-1910 and some remained in use until 1945. Endicott Era Forts ushered the transition from mortar to concrete as a building material in response to the massive technological discoveries in arms and ordinance brought on by the American Civil War. Masonry walls shrouding hordes of smooth-bore cannon could no longer serve as a primary coastal defense mechanism, thus the Endicott Era Defenses were born. Endicott Era Forts were constructed with concrete walls that concealed large, breech-loading rifled cannons mounted on "disappearing carriages". These disappearing carriages allowed the new, rifled cannons to be raised above the walls, aimed, and fired, and then quickly and easily move back underneath the walls, becoming invisible from the sea. the fact that these cannons were "breech loading" is also not to be overlooked as a significant technological advancement, as it allowed for a much more rapid, accurate, and safe manipulation of artillery by its crew. This became even more important as warships of the era (such as the Spanish battleship ''Pelayo'') were armored with steel plates, increasing the necessity of accurate, sustained fire in anti-ship warfare. For reference, the Springfield Model 1873 (in service with the United States Army from 1873-1892 with some use in the Spanish–American War) was the first breech-loading rifle adopted as standard-issue by the United States Army. These larger guns were complemented by a variety of other ordinance best explained by describing the armament of Fort Hancock, one of the vanguards of New York's Southern Harbor, part of which was the prototype by which all other Endicott Era forts were constructed. Fort Hancock's Endicott Era Defenses: Dynamite Gun Battery: (3) 15" dynamite guns and (1) 8" dynamite gun Battery Potter: (2) 12" disappearing guns. (This unique gun lift battery and the Mortar Battery were the first prototype concrete gun batteries of the Endicott System) Battery Granger: (2) 10" counterweight disappearing guns Nine-Gun Battery Consisted of Batteries: *Alexander: (2) 12" counterweight disappearing guns *Richardson: (2) 12" counterweight disappearing guns *Bloomfield: (2) 12" counterweight disappearing guns *Halleck: (3) 10" counterweight disappearing guns Mortar Battery Consisted of Batteries: *McCook: (8) 12" Mortars *Reynolds: (8) 12" Mortars Fort Hancock was also equipped with several batteries of rapid fire guns, tasked with protecting the underwater minefields from smaller, swifter-moving vehicles.The rapid-fire gun batteries were: Battery Engle: (1) 5" gun on pedestal mounts Battery Morris: (4) 3" guns on pedestal mounts Battery Urmston: (4) 15-pounders and (2) 3" guns on pedestal mounts Battery Peck: (2) 6" guns on pedestal mounts Battery Gunnison: (2) 6" counterweight disappearing guns In addition to submarine nets and searchlights, Fort Hancock, and other Forts of the Endicott System, also had a hidden, unseen weapon that harnessed the newfound power of the modern age: Underwater controlled minefield system that utilized a mine casemate on Sandy Hook from where underwater mines could be detonated at will via electrical cables to destroy warships. This marked the first instance of concrete and electricity being used together in defenses. An easily overlooked aspect of the Endicott Era Defenses, especially with the necessary highlighting of the breech-loading rifled artillery mounted on disappearing carriages, are the mortars. At Fort Hancock, Battery Potter's (2) 12" guns mounted on disappearing carriages and the Mortar Battery, together formed the model for other Endicott Era Forts. The reason is because the mortars were: 1) voluminous 2) before the establishment of the Coast Artillery Corps in 1907 (see below) they operated in the Abbot-Quad design, which very nicely complemented the capabilities of the larger, rifled guns. The Abbot-Quad design called for mortars to be fired in 4-16 gun salvos, in shotgun-like patterns designed to overcome the shortcomings of range-finding techniques of the time. This mode of fire resulted in clusters of mortar fire raining from above, with a much steeper arch than other artillery shells, which rained ½ ton mortar shells down onto the often poorly armored decks of enemy ships, which served to incite panic as well as material destruction. Perhaps most important to note, of the Endicott Era Defenses armaments, the mortars exceeded all but the 12" M1888 (disappearing carriage) guns in range and, while pursuant to the Abbot-Quad design they were not intended to operate as such, they did have a 360 degree field of fire providing a great versatility in their application.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Endicott Era Defenses )〕 In 1907 the Coast Artillery Corps was created from the heavy artillery units which previously manned the forts. This vastly increased garrisons and catalyzed the installation of electrical plants at various forts. Other technological improvements at all forts included meteorological stations and telephone communications. All of this served as the capstone of the Endicott Era defenses, soon to be further advanced by the actions of the Taft Era. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Board of Fortifications」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|