Coastal artillery

19th century coastal artillery guns preserved in Suomenlinna fortress in Helsinki

Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications.

History

Coastal artillery appeared in Europe almost as soon as the introduction of cannons during the 16th century; when a colonial power took over an overseas territory, one of their first tasks was to build a coastal fortress, both to deter rival naval powers and to subjugate the natives. During the 19th century China also built hundreds of coastal fortresses in an attempt to counter Western naval threats.

Coastal artillery could be part of the Navy (as in Scandinavian countries, war-time Germany, and the Soviet Union), or part of the Army (as in Anglophone countries). In the United Kingdom, coastal artillery was the responsibility of the Royal Garrison Artillery.

In the United States, coastal artillery was established in 1794 as a branch of the Army and a series of construction programs of coastal defenses began: the "First System" in 1794, the "Second System" in 1804, the "Third System" or "Permanent System" in 1816, and the "Endicott System" in 1890 (with disappearing guns mounted in batteries). During World War II the role of the U.S. coastal artillery was shifted from anti-ship to anti-aircraft with the advent of the airplane and airpower.

It has been held as a general rule of thumb, that one shore based gun equaled three naval guns of the same caliber.

After World War II the advent of jet aircraft and guided missiles reduced the role of coastal artillery in defending a country against air and sea attacks while also rendering fixed artillery emplacements vulnerable to enemy strikes. In countries where coastal artillery has not been disbanded, these forces have acquired amphibious capabilities akin to that of the Marine Corps. In constricted waters, such mobile coastal artillery armed with surface-to-surface missiles still can be used to deny the use of sea lanes from a modern opponent.

• 
  Schematic of a coastal fortification with a rotating gun turret.
• 
  Coastal fortification with fixed guns.
• Disappearing gun carriage model 1896 used in many US coastal emplacements. Shown in up position for firing.
  Disappearing gun carriage model 1896 used in many US coastal emplacements. Shown in up position for firing.

Examples

In the UK

• Admiralty Pier Turret
• Tyne Turrets
• Cross-Channel guns
• Palmerston Forts

British coastal guns outside the UK

• Fort Siloso
• Fort Queenscliff
• Hobart coastal defences
• Coastal fortifications of New Zealand

United States of America

• Seacoast Defense
• Wake Island

Asia

• Manila and Subic Bays
• Fort Mills

Nazi Germany

• Atlantic Wall
• Hanstholm fortress
• Cross-Channel guns

South America

• Callao
• Valdivian fort system

Other

• Swedish coastal artillery
• Russian Empire: Peter the Great's Naval Fortress, part of the fortification line protecting Saint Petersburg

See also

• Artillery
• Disappearing gun
• Oozlefinch
• Railway gun
• searchlight

External links

• http://www.cdsg.org/ coast artillery study group
• Glossary
• A brief history of the coast artillery corps
• Harbor Defenses of the United States of America
• Defenses along the Pacific Coast of the United States
• Coast defence, 1911 Britannica
• Fort Adams
• Fort Carroll
• Photographs of the Bermuda Garrison.
• Bunker Pictures - Pictures, locations, information about bunkers from WW2, The Atlantikwall and the Cold War