Fort Wool's Endicott Batteries and World War I-- Part 6

ENDICOTT BATTERIES

In 1885, the Endicott board met and determined that the coastal defenses of the U.S. needed to be updated.  As a result, all but a small part of Fort Wool's  western end of the fort were demolished to make room for what eventually became five batteries.  

As funding became available they were constructed starting in 1905  Fort Wool's armament was of relatively smaller-caliber, rapid-firing guns because Fort Monroe  had the bigger guns.  The three-inch guns were primarily emplaced to protect underwater mine fields from minesweepers.  Some of the mines, still called torpedoes at the time were stored at Fort Wool.

WORLD WAR I

In 1917 and 1918, all but two of the six-inch guns at Fort Wool  were removed to potentially be sent to the Western front in Europe.  The remaining guns were shifted to Battery Gates.

During both wars, submarine nets  were stretched across the harbor from Fort Monroe to Fort Wool.

--Old Secesh