Battery Schenck (1899-1923)

Battery Schenck (1899-1923). . , Battery Schenck, named for First Lieutenant William Schenck who was killed in action during the Philippine Insurrection, was the second rapid fire battery constructed at Fort Morgan. Completed on June 4, 1900, the battery would sit without guns for three years before finally receiving its armament of two Model 1898, 15-pounder Rapid Fire guns in September of 1903. A third position was added to the battery in 1904 with its Model 1902, 15 pounder Rapid-Fire gun being mounted in December of 1906. , Facing West, Battery Schenk’s guns were capable of firing ten rounds a minute and provided defensive coverage of the mine field in the shipping channel of the bay. Gun crews for the guns were members of the 170th Coast Artillery Company. As the mine company responsible for the mine operations at Fort Morgan, the bulk of its men were available to man the battery once the mines were in place. In 1920, the U.S. Army declared all Model 1898 15-pounder Rapid-Fire Guns obsolete. During June and July of that year, the Army removed both of these guns from Battery Schenck and scrapped them. The battery’s Model 1902, was removed and transferred to Fort Pickens, Florida.