Battery Worth at the Fort Pickens unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore
See the Military Forts and Batteries web page for an interactive location map.
Battery Worth is located on a side road just west of the Fort Pickens Campground at Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida. The battery is on the left about halfway down the road. Restrooms are located at the Battery Worth Picnic Area at the end of the road. Plan to spend fifteen minutes for your visit.
Named for Brevet Major General William J. Worth, who first planted the U. S. flag on the Rio Grande River in 1847, Battery Worth became operational in 1899 as part of the Endicott System of coastal defenses. This fourth generation of military defenses built between 1895 and 1905 came about to address the newest artillery technology: rifled artillery that could blast through the walls of masonry forts like Fort Pickens. The new batteries were essentially concrete bunkers that housed the latest anti-ship weapons. Unlike the earlier forts that might have hundreds of cannon, the bunkers only needed to be armed with a few of the newer artillery pieces. Battery Worth had eight 12″ mortars housed in two gun pits. These could lob 700-pound projectiles high into the air so that they came down onto the deck of a ship as if dropped from above. Four of the mortars were in use up until 1942.
12″ mortars in action at Battery Worth
During World War II, a two-story tower was added and used as the Harbor Entrance Control Post and the Harbor Defense Command Post. These served as the main command centers for coordinating harbor defenses between the U. S. Army and Navy. It was at this time that the mortars were removed and the battery served only as a command center.
Observation tower at Battery Worth, Gulf Islands National Seashore
Visitors are welcome to climb the tower for a good view of the surrounding area. Per my estimation, this gives you the highest view available at the Fort Pickens unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore.
View of the Gulf of Mexico from Battery Worth, Gulf Islands National Seashore
View of the Gulf of Mexico from Battery Worth, Gulf Islands National Seashore
View of Pensacola Bay from the top of Battery Worth, Gulf Islands National Seashore
It is also possible to walk around the exterior of the fort, but all interior rooms are shut, other than those in the tower. From the ground you can explore the mortar pits. Because the mortars were aimed skyward, they could be located far below the top of the fort and still shoot their projectiles so they cleared the fort walls. This also made them nearly impossible to hit from ships at sea.
One of the two Battery Worth mortar pits, Gulf Islands National Seashore
Ground level view of a mortar pit at Battery Worth in Fort Pickens
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Last updated on April 25, 2022
