Middletown Township near Highlands in Monmouth County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Mortar Battery
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
1. Mortar Battery Marker
Four mortars occupied a single pit. With twelve other mortars in nearby pits, they were designed to fire simultaneously, lobbing 12-inch, 800-pound shells in high arcs, to penetrate ships’ lightly-armored decks. Built in the early 1890’s, this was the first battery of its kind in the United States.
Batteries or Forts?
Although masonry forts looked intimidating, bristling with cannon, they were no match for the new battleships with their increased mobility and firepower.
Gun batteries were a solution – separate gun emplacements of reinforced concrete protected by tons of earth and sand. Camouflaged by dunes and bushes, batteries made smaller, concealed targets, and provided space to mount a variety of weapons. Coastal batteries were also a less costly defense system than old-style forts.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Military.
Location. 40° 27.674′ N, 74° 0.099′ W. Marker is near Highlands, New Jersey, in Monmouth County. It is in Middletown Township. Marker can be reached from Hudson Drive, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located in the Fort Hancock area in the Sandy Hook
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Keeping the Light (within shouting distance of this marker); Sarah Patterson Johnson (within shouting distance of this marker); Lights Out! (within shouting distance of this marker); Fire House Number 2 (within shouting distance of this marker); Climate Crisis (within shouting distance of this marker); Lighting the Way (within shouting distance of this marker); Sandy Hook (within shouting distance of this marker); Sandy Hook Light (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Highlands.
More about this marker. Two pictures of mortars appear on the marker, along with an illustration of the trajectory of shells fired from the battery to a target in the water.
Also see . . . Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Proving Ground National Historic Landmark. National Park Service website entry (Submitted on September 15, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
2. Marker in Fort Hancock
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
3. Mortar Battery
The Mortar Battery is located across the street from the Sandy Hook Lighthouse.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
4. Sandy Hook Lighthouse from the Mortar Battery
This photo was taken from the marker in Mortar Battery.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
5. Inside the Mortar Battery
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
6. Inside Mortar Battery
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,016 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on September 22, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
