Fort Andrews
| Company type | Military installation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Coastal defense |
| Founded | 1897 |
| Fate | Decommissioned in 1946; now abandoned and managed by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation |
| Headquarters | Boston Harbor, Massachusetts , United States |
Fort Andrews was founded in 1897 as an integral component of the Coast Defenses of Boston in Massachusetts. Construction commenced in 1898 and reached near completion by 1904. The fort derives its name from Major General George Leonard Andrews, an engineer and Civil War leader associated with the nearby Fort Warren. Situated at the northeastern tip of Peddocks Island within Boston Harbor, the site was originally designated the Peddocks Island Military Reservation. It operated as a fully staffed Coast Artillery installation, housing hundreds of troops and outfitted with mortars and artillery pieces to secure Boston’s southern maritime access points and Quincy Bay. During the Second World War, Fort Andrews also served as a detention center for Italian prisoners of war, who provided labor following Italy’s capitulation in 1943. Presently, the fort stands abandoned and falls under the stewardship of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, incorporated within the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.
Armament
The weaponry at Fort Andrews comprised multiple gun and mortar batteries, detailed as follows:
| Battery Name | Quantity of Guns | Type of Gun | Mount Type | Operational Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cushing | 8 | 12-inch coast defense mortar M1890 | barbette M1896 | 1904–1942 |
| Whitman | 8 | 12-inch coast defense mortar M1890 | barbette M1896 | 1902–1942 |
| McCook | 2 | 6-inch gun M1900 | pedestal M1900 | 1904–1947 |
| Rice | 2 | 5-inch gun M1900 | pedestal M1903 | 1909–1917 |
| Bumpus | 2 | 3-inch gun M1902 | pedestal M1902 | 1905–1946 |
Fort Andrews was home to one of two 12-inch coast defense mortar installations in Boston Harbor, the other being at Fort Banks, both tasked with defending southern approaches to the harbor. Battery Whitman originally planned for four mortar pits arranged in an Abbott Quad formation (totaling 16 mortars) to deliver overlapping coverage alongside Fort Banks’ mortars over a seven-mile range that encompassed both northern and southern harbor channels.
In practice, only two north-south aligned pits were constructed for Battery Whitman (Pit A positioned southward, Pit B to the north), complemented by two east-west oriented pits comprising Battery Cushing nearby. Collectively, these batteries contained sixteen 12-inch mortars capable of launching shells exceeding 1,000 pounds toward targets approaching from the southern harbor routes. Of these, three mortar pits remain visible today; demolition efforts have partially filled in the fourth pit.
During testing in the 1920s, firing exercises reportedly inflicted damage on adjacent barracks structures and sparked brush fires on surrounding hillside vegetation near the mortar pits.
Additional defenses included two 6-inch guns installed at Battery McCook and a pair of 3-inch guns at Battery Bumpus, each mounted within concrete emplacements positioned on a bluff northeast of the main fort. These batteries commanded views over Nantasket Roads and Quincy Bay’s shipbuilding facilities. Until 1917, Battery Rice also featured two 5-inch guns. Although these gun mounts still exist, they are now in a state of disrepair and pose safety hazards.
Prior to construction of the Long Island causeway, naval vessels navigated through passages between Moon Island and Deer Island. During World War II, these waters were protected by anti-ship and anti-submarine barrier booms.
History
Fort Andrews was erected between 1898 and 1904 as part of the Endicott program, representing one of the seven initial coastal defenses established around Boston. Alongside Fort Strong on Long Island, it stood as one of two major Endicott-era fortifications within Boston Harbor. Following the demolition of Fort Strong’s wooden structures circa 2005, Fort Andrews remains the last extant example of its kind in Massachusetts.
In 1910, four M1890 mortars from Battery Whitman’s Pit A were removed and redeployed to arm Battery Geary at Fort Mills on Corregidor Island in the Philippines. By 1913, Pit A was reequipped with four M1908 mortars.
The onset of World War I brought additional armament adjustments: in 1917, Battery Rice’s pair of 5-inch guns were transferred to Fort Story at Cape Henry, Virginia, without replacement. Battery McCook’s two 6-inch guns were temporarily dismounted for possible deployment to the Western Front but were reinstalled by 1920. In early 1918, nearly half of the fort’s mortars were removed to enhance operational efficiency and support railway artillery production. This resulted in Battery Cushing being reduced to four mortars, Battery Whitman to six, while Pit A maintained its four M1908 mortars. By the 1920s, Fort Andrews consisted of approximately 30 buildings, including brick barracks housing over 100 troops each, officers’ quarters, a hospital with fifty beds, and an early Army radio transmitting facility.
After World War I, Fort Andrews was placed in caretaker status but was reactivated during World War II. By the 1930s, its mortar batteries had been supplanted by long-range artillery at Fort Ruckman and Fort Duvall. In 1942, the coast defense mortars were dismantled; however, the fort’s 6-inch and 3-inch guns continued to protect Boston Harbor’s southern entrances. Additionally, during the war, the site functioned as a prisoner-of-war camp for Italian captives who performed labor following Italy’s surrender in 1943.
Decommissioned in 1946, Fort Andrews along with Peddocks Island was acquired by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts during the 1970s. By 2010, most structures had fallen into significant disrepair, prompting a temporary closure of Peddocks Island. The island was reopened to visitors on July 8, 2011.
Fire Control Structures
Fort Andrews contains several fire control facilities developed to support the evolving Coast Artillery fire control system, constructed from 1904 through World War II.
The oldest among these is the East Side fire control building completed in 1904. Situated atop a hill northeast of the parade ground at an elevation of approximately 100 feet (), it commanded clear views over southern harbor channels and adjacent waters. This facility housed a vertical base end station for Battery McCook, observation equipment for the fort commander, and a plotting room.
Another east side installation is a 1925 blockhouse located on Battery Rice’s Gun #1 platform (), which contained a Barr and Stroud coincidence range finder (CRF). This compact structure measured roughly 13 feet square and accommodated a 9-foot CRF within limited space.
Also dating from 1925 is a pillbox near the northern bluffs (), which contained a second depression position finder (DPF) for Battery McCook. Positioned to overlook Ft. Warren and Boston’s harbor channels, it provided commanding observation capabilities.
On the western hillside above the parade ground stood two additional stations. In 1944, a single-story concrete bunker was constructed at an elevation of 128 feet () to house base end station #1 for Battery McCook equipped with a DPF. Originally unobstructed due to wartime controlled burns, this site has since become overgrown.
The final notable fire control structure is a collapsed two-bay wood-and-plaster building dating from 1907. Approximately 40 feet in length with dual observation platforms and plotting rooms serving mortar batteries Whitman and Cushing, it was built within a pit about 15 feet deep near the location of the 1944 bunker (). Today it is nearly invisible except when viewed closely. This ruin stands as one of the few remaining examples of early wood-and-plaster fire control buildings that were common across Boston Harbor defenses from roughly 1905 to 1925.
See also
- 9th Coast Artillery (United States)
- 241st Coast Artillery (United States)
- Seacoast defense in the United States
- United States Army Coast Artillery Corps
- List of military installations in Massachusetts
Bibliography
External links
- CoastDefense.com – Detailed information on Fort Andrews and coastal defenses in New England, including extensive photographic collections.
- Harbor Defenses of Boston at NorthAmericanForts.com