Water Battery

Water Battery (HM51E)

Location: Fort Washington, MD 20744 Prince George's County
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 42.663', W 77° 2.108'

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Inscription
Construction of this inverted V-shaped outerwork began in 1814. Traces of its shape are visible today. Surrounded by a dry ditch, the Water Battery mounted 24-pounder guns that provided an additional level of firepower to the fort.

The Water Battery underwent two major changes after 1872. The gatehouse and other buildings were removed and construction of earthworks to surround the fort began. Four platforms for 15-inch Rodman guns and three magazines were completed before the government interest and funding waned.

The Endicott System in the 1890s brought the construction of Battery White, the concrete structure that is visible now.

Ricochet Firing
Guns in the Water Battery could ricochet, or bounce, shot across the river surface and hit a ship near the waterline causing severe hull damage.
Details
HM NumberHM51E
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, September 1st, 2014 at 3:11pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 323051 N 4286678
Decimal Degrees38.71105000, -77.03513333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 42.663', W 77° 2.108'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 42' 39.78" N, 77° 2' 6.48" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)301, 240
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 971 Unnamed Road, Fort Washington MD 20744, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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