Southwest Battery

During the late 19th century, the Southwest Battery at Fort Adams served as an advanced position for directing fire against enemy warships. Giant Rodman cannons there hurled massive 15-inch projectiles weighing over 300 pounds to a range of two and one-half miles. Fort Adams was armed with eleven fifteen-inch Rodman guns during the late 19th century, with two mounted on this southwest bastion, and in the event of an attack these guns would have been the fort’s main batteries, concentrating fire on the larger enemy ships. The site also preserves remnants of Fort Adams’ role during World War II, when the entire coastal defense of southeastern New England was commanded from the fort. An anti-submarine net was stretched from Fort Adams to Jamestown to prevent the entry of Axis submarines, and two observation posts on the west wall commanded views of Narragansett Bay. The first net in the continental United States was laid in the fall of 1941 and closed the east passage at Fort Wetherill. Made in two sections, with one end of each anchored to the shore and the other held by net-tending ships stationed in the channel, the barrier could be opened and closed like a giant bi-fold door. These nets formed part of an intricate system of underwater listening devices, minefields, and anti-submarine ships.

Newport, Rhode Island · United States