Fort Tilden

Fort Tilden: 1917-1974, Queens County, Rockaway Peninsula. A 317 acre Coastal Defense Post established in 1917. Initial WW1 installations included a Mortar Battery of 4- 12 inch mortars, an East Battery named Battery Fergusson with two 6 inch rapid fire guns, and West Battery named Battery Kessler with two 6 inch rapid fire guns. In 1921-49 Battery Harris with two 16 inch guns were added. Later paired with the Navesink Battery on Sandy Hook, NJ, with similar guns. World War 2 also saw the installation of a twin 90 mm Anti Motor Torpedo Boat (AMTB) gun emplacement, installation of coincidence range finders and plotting rooms at the batteries, and a Harbor Entrance Command Post. 1955-1958 Nike-Ajax Site (NY-49), upgraded in 1958-74 as Nike-Hercules. All now part of Gateway National Recreation Area. Remains of some IFC and Launcher areas, gun emplacements and bunkers. These areas are closed to the public for safety reasons.

For more information see www.geocities.com/fort_tilden/,
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_nra/ny/fort_til.htm, and
alpha.fdu.edu/~bender/NY49.html (links opens new windows)

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