Battery Blair

Battery Blair. . You are standing at the site of the largest of six gun batteries built at Fort Williams. Named for Francis P. Blair, Jr., a veteran of the Mexican and Civil wars, Battery Blair was manned during World War I and the early years of World War II. Hidden from view at sea behind a concrete and earth berm, it contained two twelve-inch guns mounted on disappearing carriages.

A Seacoast Gun Battery , 1. Exterior Slope of Parapet , 2. Superior Slope of Parapet , 3. Interior Slope of Parapet , 4. Blast Slope or Apron , 5. Magazine Ventilator , 6. Interior Crest , 7. Traverse , 8. Interior Wall , 9. Traverse Wall , 10. Canopy , 11. Reserve Table , 12. Delivery Table , 13. Observing Station , 14. Gun Platform , 15. Loading Platform , 16. Platform Stairs , 17. Corridor , 18. Corridor Wall , 19. Latrine , 20. Parade Wall , 21. Approach , 22. To Oil and Tool Room , 23. To Shell Room , 24. To Magazine , 25. Battery Parade , 26. Office , 27. Gallery , 28. Crane , 29. Interior Slope of Parados , 30. Traverse Slope of ParadosVV Designed to protect Portland Harbor from enemy attacks by battleships and cruisers, the twelve-inch guns mounted at Battery Blair were the largest in use at the time. These guns firing a 12-inch diameter, 1,000 pound shell, had a range of 8 miles. The guns fired armor-piercing shells on a flat trajectory to breach the heavily protected hulls of battleships., The addition of anti-aircraft guns during World War I and radar during World War II reflected the ongoing modernization and technological advancement of defenses at Fort Williams., In addition to Battery Blair, five other batteries at Fort Williams were each named for deceased officers: Sullivan, DeHart, Hobart, Keyes, and Garesché.