Overgrown 10-inch disappearing gun emplacement at Battery Burbeck on Lovells Island, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Batteries Burbeck and Morrris are Endicott-era coastal batteries that were part of Fort Standish on Lovells Island, now part of Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The two appear to be one, four-gun artillery battery and in fact were built as one structure called Battery Burbeck. Construction began in 1901 and was completed in 1907. Two years later the battery was split in two for administrative purposes, with the two guns on the right retaining the name Burbeck and the two guns on the left being renamed Morris. The batteries served in World War I but were obsolete by the time World War II rolled around. They were deactivated in 1942, and the guns and carriages were salvaged.
Both batteries were armed with two 10-inch M1900 guns mounted on M1901 disappearing carriages, a combination commonly known as disappearing guns. The guns themselves were just regular artillery pieces; it was the carriage that created the disappearing effect. A carriage was lowered below the battery wall to be loaded, then raised up over the wall to be fired. The recoil from the blast sent it back down to the loading position. The following video demonstrates a disappearing gun at Battery Chamberlain in San Francisco. These are 6-inch guns, but the concept of operation is the same.
Batteries Burbeck and Morris are reached by hiking north on the main, paved road that runs through the island. When the road forks, take a right towards the picnic area. The batteries are located a tenth of a mile down the road on the right.
Lovells Island (click to enlarge)
Visitors are allowed to explore the exterior of the structures. I never saw doors on the battery, so I have no idea how to get inside. At ground level you can walk into the area where the guns were once located. The round pits, many of which are now filled in with trees, are where the disappearing carriages were mounted.
You can also climb some very scary and steep stairs that have no guard rails on them and walk around the top of the battery where you can get good views of the harbor. There is nothing on the top but earth, and unless you have a good sense of balance and don’t get woozy from heights, I don’t recommend climbing any stairs without railings.
Stairs to the top of Battery Burbeck on Lovells Island, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
View from the top of Battery Burbeck on Lovells Island, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
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Last updated on January 4, 2024
