SANDY HOOK MILITARY SITES MAP

Sandy Hook Unit Home Page

Before becoming part of Gateway National Recreation Area in 1974, much of the Sandy Hook peninsula was home to Fort Hancock, the Sandy Hook Proving Ground, and an assortment of concrete artillery batteries. See the following web pages for detailed information on each military attraction at Sandy Hook.

FORT HANCOCK

Fort Hancock was a coastal defense fort located at the northern tip of Sandy Hook that protected New York Harbor from 1895 until it was closed in 1974. There are over one hundred buildings on the property that were used for housing, offices, hospitals, and mess halls. There is even a lighthouse that you can climb for a great view of the base.

Fort Hancock

Fort Hancock Walking Tour

SANDY HOOK PROVING GROUND

The Sandy Hook Proving Ground was used to test new weapons between 1874—which predates Fort Hancock—and 1919.

Sandy Hook Proving Ground

NIKE MISSILE SITE

Sandy Hook served as a Nike Missile Site from 1954 up until Fort Hancock closed in 1974.

Nike Missile Control and Launch Sites

ARTILLERY BATTERIES

With the development of rifled artillery shells, masonry forts of the early- to mid-1800s became obsolete. Brick had no problem stopping a typical cannonball, for these didn’t travel with much velocity, nor were they very accurate, so the chance of punching a hole in a masonry fort wall by hitting the same spot over and over again was slim. However, rifled artillery shells, which were developed during the Civil War, looked like large bullets and spun like footballs when fired. This allowed them to travel faster and with more accuracy, and they could blast through a masonry wall in no time.

After the Civil War, the United States military was tasked with replacing all of its masonry forts, though the post-war economy made this impossible. It wasn’t until 1885 that President Grover Cleveland formed a military commission under Secretary of War William Endicott to come up with ideas for a new system of coastal defense upgrades. Known as the Endicott System of Coastal Defenses, the idea was to build what are called batteries: massive concrete and rebar structures capable of withstanding the impact of modern artillery shells. Construction began in 1890, prompted by possible war with Spain, and lasted until 1910. Endicott batteries remained in use until after World War II, when air power made stationary forts obsolete for defensive purposes.

Sixteen batteries were built on the Sandy Hook peninsula, a few of them predating Fort Hancock. Some of these still stand today, though nearly all are closed to the public. Some have been completely destroyed and only remnants remain—these are not publicized by the National Park Service, so you must know where to look in order to find the ruins.

The following is a list of batteries at Fort Hancock. I visited most of those still standing and have provided photos and information about them. Click the web page link to read more.

Battery Potter
1894-1907

Mortar Battery
1894-1920

Battery Granger
1898-1943

Battery Gunnison
1905-1946

Nine-Gun Battery
Halleck (1899-1942)
Bloomfield (1899-1943)
Richardson (1904-1943)
Alexander (1899-1943)

Battery Arrowsmith
1909-1920

Battery Peck
1903-1943

Battery Kingman
1921-1946

Battery Mills
1921-1946

Battery Engle
1898-1917
Completely covered in brush, no way to get to it other than Lewis and Clarking It™

Battery Morris
1904-1946
Inside U. S. Coast Guard Station property—closed to the public

Battery Urmston
1903-1946
Inside U. S. Coast Guard Station property—closed to the public

Dynamite Gun Battery
1891-1902
Inside U. S. Coast Guard Station property—closed to the public

There are other military sites at Gateway National Recreation Area in the Staten Island and Jamaica Bay units of the park. See the Military Sites at Gateway National Recreation Area for a listing of sites.

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