Fort Hancock, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Fort Hancock is a former United States Army
fort at Sandy Hook
, located in Middletown Township
in Monmouth County
, along the Atlantic coast
of eastern New Jersey
in the United States
. This coastal artillery
base played an important part in the defense of New York Harbor
and played a role in the history of New Jersey
. Between 1874 and 1919, Fort Hancock was operated in conjunction with the Army's Sandy Hook Proving Ground
.
In 1893, Fort Hancock installed Battery Potter
, the nation's first disappearing gun
battery. It also was important for the defense of the vital New York Harbor
throughout World War II
, preventing the entrance of German submarines into the harbor. In the late 1950s Project Nike
antiaircaft missiles were based there. Fort Hancock was decommissioned in 1974.
The fort and its small museum are managed as part of the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area
, and is part of National Parks of New York Harbor
unit of the National Park System.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
fort at Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit along the Atlantic coast of New JerseySandy Hook may also refer to:-Places:United States* Sandy Hook , a village in the town of Newtown, Connecticut* Sandy Hook, Kentucky, a city in Elliott County...
, located in Middletown Township
Middletown Township, New Jersey
Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 66,522...
in Monmouth County
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
, along the Atlantic coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
of eastern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This coastal artillery
Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications....
base played an important part in the defense of New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
and played a role in the history of New Jersey
History of New Jersey
The history of New Jersey began at the end of the Younger Dryas climate, about 10 millennia ago. Native Americans moved into New Jersey soon after the reversal of the Younger Dryas, which had made the area uninhabitable and, during the preceding ice age, unreachable.European contact began with the...
. Between 1874 and 1919, Fort Hancock was operated in conjunction with the Army's Sandy Hook Proving Ground
Sandy Hook Proving Ground
The Sandy Hook Proving Ground was a military facility, established by the Secretary of War on August 7, 1874, to serve as the United States Army's first proving ground for the testing of ordnance and materiel...
.
Battery Potter
Battery Potter or "Gun Lift Battery No.1" built in 1892 at Fort Hancock, New Jersey was the world's only disappearing gun battery that used hydraulic elevators to move the guns above a protective parapet wall...
, the nation's first disappearing gun
Disappearing gun
A disappearing gun is a type of heavy artillery for which the gun carriage enabled the gun to rotate backwards and down into a pit protected by a wall or a bunker after it was fired...
battery. It also was important for the defense of the vital New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
throughout 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...
, preventing the entrance of German submarines into the harbor. In the late 1950s Project Nike
Project Nike
Project Nike was a U.S. Army project, proposed in May 1945 by Bell Laboratories, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. The project delivered the United States' first operational anti-aircraft missile system, the Nike Ajax, in 1953...
antiaircaft missiles were based there. Fort Hancock was decommissioned in 1974.
The fort and its small museum are managed as part of the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area
Gateway National Recreation Area
Gateway National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area in the Port of New York and New Jersey. Scattered over Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, New York and Monmouth County, New Jersey, it provides recreational opportunities that are rare for a dense urban environment, including ocean...
, and is part of National Parks of New York Harbor
National Parks of New York Harbor
National Parks of New York Harbor is the name of an office of the National Park Service that coordinates administration of ten NPS sites that include 23 unique destinations located in the Port of New York and New Jersey...
unit of the National Park System.