Fort Casey was one of three coastal forts built in the late 1890s to defend the entrance to Puget Sound and the United States Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, after coastal communities around Puget Sound and much of the western coast had long been left vulnerable to invasion by foreign warships. Like most coastal forts built in the United States, it never fired its guns in warfare, but from 1901 to 1919 it was at the height of its military importance, with hundreds of troops needed to man its gun batteries and fire control stations. As warship and airplane technology advanced, its fixed guns became obsolete for coastal defense, though it continued to serve as a military training site during World War I and World War II. In 1950 the United States Army disbanded the Coastal Artillery Corps, and in 1956 the site was acquired by Washington State Parks. In a December 9, 1917 letter home, Private-First Class Glenn Rauley recalled a gun commander shouting "Number 1 Fire!" before a blinding flash, deafening roar, and the sight of water rising near the target in the straits after the projectile struck.

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Coupeville, Washington · USA