155 MM Cannon*

During World War II, two large 6-inch cannons were placed atop two nearby dunes as a temporary coastal gun battery with two 155mm M1918 rapid-fire guns mounted on M1917 Mobile Carriages on circular Panama mounts. These 155mm guns replaced a temporary 105mm howitzer field artillery battery that had been emplaced on 11 April 1942. Construction of the larger cannons began on 26 November 1942 and was completed on 13 December 1942, and the battery was transferred to the Coastal Artillery for use on 11 November 1943 at a cost of $24,726.42. The two Panama mounts were placed on dunes stabilized with gunite, raising the gun trunnion elevation to 37 feet 6 inches, and both mounts allowed 360-degree positioning with ramps for moving the guns into place. Five splinter proof magazines and a 23-foot by 17-foot plotting room were also provided. As the war turned and German submarines left the Gulf, the Temporary Harbor Defense of Aransas Pass was deactivated on 1 July 1944; the guns were removed on 3 July 1944, and the troops departed on 4 July 1944. The Panama mounts still remain atop the dunes.

Port Aransas, Texas · United States