Barrett Point
Encyclopedia
Barrett Point coastal fort is located at the foot of Mount Hayes
at the entrance to Prince Rupert Harbour at 54°14′28"N 130°20′02"W
and was strategically important to the defence of Alaska and West Coast of Canada
. Barrett point battery was the key component of the defences of Prince Rupert in World War II
. In 1938 Major Treatt of the Canada War Department, inspected the West Coast of Canada and determined suitable locations for Coastal defences. http://www.navalandmilitarymuseum.org/resource_pages/coastal_defence/coastal_defence_intro.html Barrett Point became the focal point of the defences that included gun batteries at Fredrick Pt, Casey Pt, Fairview Pt and Dundas Pt.
The fort had 3 gun positions which were first equipped with Mk 12 6” anti-aircraft guns on Mk 7 mounts, later replaced by 3x 6” Mk 24 guns two on Mk5 mounts and one on a Mk5 mount. In addition a 6 pounder Hotchkiss
quick firing gun was mounted, as well as 2x 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns. The guns of this fort and the others were controlled by a director station behind and above the centre gun position. Ammunition
was stored in an underground magazine
accessed by an electrical hoist
for each gun. Behind the main battery protected by the hill was hardened generator room and other support buildings. Two searchlight
towers front the fort along the shoreline. Bearings from these lights would be fed to the director for fire control. An observation post was established above the fort on top of Mt Hayes.
The guns were manned by the Northern British Columbia heavy battery, Royal Canadian Artillery, later designated the 102nd Coast Battery of the 17th North British Columbia Coast Regiment. It’s unclear as to when the battery ceased operations, as war progressed and the threat of attacked diminished, the soldiers manning the defences were drawn down to serve elsewhere. It would appear the guns were removed some time between Sept 1945 and the end of 1946. The last Coastal defences along the West Coast of Canada at Fort Rodd hill http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/bc/fortroddhill/index.aspx were disbanded in 1958.
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Casey Point (2x25pdr)
Fairview Point (2x 8" railway guns)
"A late and important addition to Prince Rupert's coast defences was the joint Canadian-US enterprise at Fairview Point, a mile south of the city limits. The establishment of an American Sub-Port of Embarkation with extensive docking facilities at Price Rupert, and a large staging camp at Port Edward, on the mainland ten miles by road and rail from the city, intensified Washington's concern about the security of the area, particularly having in mind the limited range of the "Interim" counter-bombardment 6-inch battery at Fort Barrett. Early in 1942 the United States
made available, to supplement the Barrett battery, two more 8-inch railway guns, similar to those already installed at Christopher Point. On arrival at Prince Rupert the guns were run out to Fairview Point on spurs hurriedly built from the main CNR line, and were solidily braced on positions under which vast quantities of rock had been sunk into the muskeg. Much of the work of constructing roads, bridges and railway spurs in preparation for the big guns was done by members o the 9th Heavy Battery RCA, who had been manning mobile 8-inch howitzers at Porter's Lake near Halifax. Arriving at Fairview on 26 March 1942, they took up temporary residence in refitted railway cars near their new home, and by 9 April they reported the guns capable of firing in an emergency. When the Japanese attacked the Aleutians on 3 June, both guns wwere still in the process of being settled in their new posiitons. Late next day, however, No 2 gun was ready for action." From: Gunners of Canada Vol 2 pgs 469 & 476 via Tanknet
CDSG Journal May 2000 has an article on "Prince Rupert Defenses 1938-45" by David Morgan with following info on these guns pp18–19 via Tanknet:
the Canadian Army received(so operated by them, if not clear already)
"Fairview Battery: counter bombardment. Two US 8-inch M1888
railway guns with associated ammunition and fire control cars, became operational in early June 1942. One 20mm LAA and 2 40mm LAA guns. The battery was built on a rail spur off the CNR mainline. The guns were left mounted on the railway cars and had 360 deg arcs of fire. Both guns were ready for action in early June 1942. Digby Island to the west masked the battery's view of the open water to Chatham Sound, so Fairview was not fitted with search lights, being designated a 'day fort'. It had two horizontal base lines of 5,000 yards each and employed a Whistler-Hearn plotting board. The battery was removed from an operational role April 28, 1945. The author has been unable to locate any trace of this battery or any photos associated with it."
Bella Bella
Two 75mm guns and an anti-aircraft to protect the seaplane base
Dundas Pt
Seal Cove (Seaplane base)
Watson Island (Ammunition Depot)
Hospital
Ocean Dock (Stores Warehouse)
Command post
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Yorke Island coastal defence fort
50°26′57"N 125°58′35"W
Fort Rodd Hill http://www.fortroddhill.com/
Alberthead
Mary Hill
Duntze Head
McCaulay Point
48°25′05"N 123°24′33"W
3 gun fort dating back to 1895
Pt Grey http://www.petrowilliamus.co.uk/pointgrey/war.htm 49°16′10"N 123°15′35"W
3 6" guns and Director tower, now the Museum
of Anthropology
, although one gun position and tunnel
entrances remain.
Stanley Park
, Ferguson Point 49°18′03"N 123°09′28"W
First Narrows Gantry 49°19′06"N 123°08′11"W
Two 12pdr QF guns. Demolished in the 70's nothing remaining
Steveston
One 18pdr field gun, later replaced by two 25pdr field guns Ordnance QF 25 pounder
Mount Hayes
Mount Hayes is the highest mountain in the eastern Alaska Range. Despite not being a fourteener, it is one of the largest peaks in the United States in terms of rise above local terrain. For example, the Northeast Face rises 8,000 feet in approximately 2 miles...
at the entrance to Prince Rupert Harbour at 54°14′28"N 130°20′02"W
History
The city of Prince Rupert was the nearest railhead to the AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and was strategically important to the defence of Alaska and West Coast of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Barrett point battery was the key component of the defences of Prince Rupert in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1938 Major Treatt of the Canada War Department, inspected the West Coast of Canada and determined suitable locations for Coastal defences. http://www.navalandmilitarymuseum.org/resource_pages/coastal_defence/coastal_defence_intro.html Barrett Point became the focal point of the defences that included gun batteries at Fredrick Pt, Casey Pt, Fairview Pt and Dundas Pt.
The fort had 3 gun positions which were first equipped with Mk 12 6” anti-aircraft guns on Mk 7 mounts, later replaced by 3x 6” Mk 24 guns two on Mk5 mounts and one on a Mk5 mount. In addition a 6 pounder Hotchkiss
QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss
The QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss was a light 57 mm naval gun and coast defence gun of the late 19th century used by many countries, and was adapted for use in the early British tanks in World War I.- Canada History :...
quick firing gun was mounted, as well as 2x 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns. The guns of this fort and the others were controlled by a director station behind and above the centre gun position. Ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
was stored in an underground magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
accessed by an electrical hoist
Hoist
Hoist may refer to:*Hoist , a machine for lifting loads*hoist controller, a machine for raising and lowering goods or personnel by means of a cable*Hydraulic hooklift hoist, another machine* Hoist , another machine...
for each gun. Behind the main battery protected by the hill was hardened generator room and other support buildings. Two searchlight
Searchlight
A searchlight is an apparatus that combines a bright light source with some form of curved reflector or other optics to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about.-Military use:The Royal Navy used...
towers front the fort along the shoreline. Bearings from these lights would be fed to the director for fire control. An observation post was established above the fort on top of Mt Hayes.
The guns were manned by the Northern British Columbia heavy battery, Royal Canadian Artillery, later designated the 102nd Coast Battery of the 17th North British Columbia Coast Regiment. It’s unclear as to when the battery ceased operations, as war progressed and the threat of attacked diminished, the soldiers manning the defences were drawn down to serve elsewhere. It would appear the guns were removed some time between Sept 1945 and the end of 1946. The last Coastal defences along the West Coast of Canada at Fort Rodd hill http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/bc/fortroddhill/index.aspx were disbanded in 1958.
Today
Much of the Battery fortifications are overgrown but can be seen on foot. Caution is advised as there are unmarked openings and entering the bunker should only be done with the proper equipment.----
Other major military installations in Prince Rupert
Fredrick Point (twin QF 12pdr)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QF_12_pounder_12_cwt_naval_gunCasey Point (2x25pdr)
Fairview Point (2x 8" railway guns)
"A late and important addition to Prince Rupert's coast defences was the joint Canadian-US enterprise at Fairview Point, a mile south of the city limits. The establishment of an American Sub-Port of Embarkation with extensive docking facilities at Price Rupert, and a large staging camp at Port Edward, on the mainland ten miles by road and rail from the city, intensified Washington's concern about the security of the area, particularly having in mind the limited range of the "Interim" counter-bombardment 6-inch battery at Fort Barrett. Early in 1942 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
made available, to supplement the Barrett battery, two more 8-inch railway guns, similar to those already installed at Christopher Point. On arrival at Prince Rupert the guns were run out to Fairview Point on spurs hurriedly built from the main CNR line, and were solidily braced on positions under which vast quantities of rock had been sunk into the muskeg. Much of the work of constructing roads, bridges and railway spurs in preparation for the big guns was done by members o the 9th Heavy Battery RCA, who had been manning mobile 8-inch howitzers at Porter's Lake near Halifax. Arriving at Fairview on 26 March 1942, they took up temporary residence in refitted railway cars near their new home, and by 9 April they reported the guns capable of firing in an emergency. When the Japanese attacked the Aleutians on 3 June, both guns wwere still in the process of being settled in their new posiitons. Late next day, however, No 2 gun was ready for action." From: Gunners of Canada Vol 2 pgs 469 & 476 via Tanknet
CDSG Journal May 2000 has an article on "Prince Rupert Defenses 1938-45" by David Morgan with following info on these guns pp18–19 via Tanknet:
the Canadian Army received(so operated by them, if not clear already)
"Fairview Battery: counter bombardment. Two US 8-inch M1888
8-inch M1888
The 8-inch Gun M1888MIA1 Barbette carriage M1918 on railway car M1918MI was a U.S. Army coast artillery gun, used during World War I, and World War II.-History:...
railway guns with associated ammunition and fire control cars, became operational in early June 1942. One 20mm LAA and 2 40mm LAA guns. The battery was built on a rail spur off the CNR mainline. The guns were left mounted on the railway cars and had 360 deg arcs of fire. Both guns were ready for action in early June 1942. Digby Island to the west masked the battery's view of the open water to Chatham Sound, so Fairview was not fitted with search lights, being designated a 'day fort'. It had two horizontal base lines of 5,000 yards each and employed a Whistler-Hearn plotting board. The battery was removed from an operational role April 28, 1945. The author has been unable to locate any trace of this battery or any photos associated with it."
Bella Bella
Two 75mm guns and an anti-aircraft to protect the seaplane base
Dundas Pt
Seal Cove (Seaplane base)
Watson Island (Ammunition Depot)
Hospital
Ocean Dock (Stores Warehouse)
Command post
----
Other Coastal defence forts on the West Coast
http://www.northamericanforts.com/Canada/bc.htmlYorke Island coastal defence fort
Yorke island coastal fort
- Geography :Yorke Island is located off of the North end of in the south end of Johnstone Strait. Located in the Inside Passage, it occupies a choke point at the split of Johnstone Strait and Sunderland Channel which all vessels traveling between the Mainland and Vancouver Island would have to pass...
50°26′57"N 125°58′35"W
Fort Rodd Hill http://www.fortroddhill.com/
Alberthead
Mary Hill
Duntze Head
McCaulay Point
Macaulay Point Battery
Mcaulay Point Battery- History :Three rifled muzzle-loading guns were located here in 1878–1893. They were replaced with three 6-inch MK6 guns on MK4 disappearing carriages, two of which were removed in 1924 and replaced with two 6-inch quick-firing MK2 naval barbette guns...
48°25′05"N 123°24′33"W
3 gun fort dating back to 1895
Pt Grey http://www.petrowilliamus.co.uk/pointgrey/war.htm 49°16′10"N 123°15′35"W
3 6" guns and Director tower, now the Museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
of Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, although one gun position and tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
entrances remain.
Stanley Park
Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a 404.9 hectare urban park bordering downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was opened in 1888 by David Oppenheimer in the name of Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor-General of Canada....
, Ferguson Point 49°18′03"N 123°09′28"W
First Narrows Gantry 49°19′06"N 123°08′11"W
Two 12pdr QF guns. Demolished in the 70's nothing remaining
Steveston
One 18pdr field gun, later replaced by two 25pdr field guns Ordnance QF 25 pounder
Ordnance QF 25 pounder
The Ordnance QF 25 pounder, or more simply, 25-pounder or 25-pdr, was introduced into service just before World War II, during which it served as the major British field gun/howitzer. It was considered by many to be the best field artillery piece of the war, combining high rates of fire with a...