Fort Hancock’s Nine-Gun Battery at Sandy Hook in Gateway National Recreation Area
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The Nine-Gun Battery at Fort Hancock is located in the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. It began as a seven-gun battery officially called Battery Halleck, named after Major General Henry Halleck, the third general-in-chief of the U. S. Army during the Civil War. Construction began in 1896 and finished in 1899. It was expanded to a nine-gun battery between 1902 and 1904, and at this time the battery was subdivided for naming purposes. Battery Alexander is the name given to the two guns on the far left side (the two that angle off from the rest of the battery). The next three guns are Battery Halleck, and the two after that, Battery Bloomfield. This is where the battery ended when originally built. The two guns on the far right were added in 1902 and named Battery Richardson.
Layout of the Nine-Gun Battery at Fort Hancock
Battery Halleck was outfitted with 10-inch M1888 guns while the other batteries had 12-inch M1888 guns. All were mounted on Buffington-Crozier disappearing carriages. These allowed the guns to be loaded while hidden behind a defensive wall of the battery, then raised above the wall when ready to fire. The recoil from the blast sent the carriages back down to the loading position. All of this was done by a counterweight system provided by the carriage. With this type of system the guns could fire two rounds per minute.
The following video demonstrates a disappearing gun at Battery Chamberlain in San Francisco that uses the counterweight system. These are 6-inch guns, but the concept of operation is the same.
During World War I, guns from American batteries were often removed and sent to France for mounting on rail cars. This was the fate of one gun from Battery Halleck, which had one more gun than the other batteries to begin with. All guns of the Nine-Gun Battery were removed and scrapped between 1942 and 1944. More modern batteries had been built at Fort Hancock by this time.
Fort Hancock’s Nine-Gun Battery in the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area
If you would like to see the Nine-Gun Battery, park at Lot M. There is no charge to park in this lot. The battery is closed to the public due to its deteriorating condition, but you can get a look from outside the fence.
Fort Hancock’s Nine-Gun Battery in the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area
Fort Hancock’s Nine-Gun Battery in the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area
Fort Hancock’s Nine-Gun Battery in the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area
Fort Hancock’s Nine-Gun Battery at Sandy Hook, Gateway National Recreation Area
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Last updated on December 27, 2024
