Fort Casey - Whidbey Island, WA
Posted by: Hikenutty
N 48° 09.409 W 122° 40.705
10U E 523915 N 5333780
Fort Casey is one portion of the "triangle of fire" - three forts that protected the entrance to the Puget Sound from Japanese submarines during WWII.
Waymark Code: WM3RCG
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 05/10/2008
Views: 86
Early on it became obvious that the entrance to the Puget Sound would be an important location to protect. Not far from the entrance is the Bremerton Naval Shipyard, and further down, Seattle and Tacoma. So in the late 1800's Fort Casey, Fort Worden and Fort Flagler were built. Together they formed a triangle of protection at the Sound's entrance. After WWI the guns in Fort Casey's batteries were dismantled, but during WWII the batteries were re-equipped with torpedoes along with anti-aircraft guns. The two 10" seacoast artillery guns on disappearing carriages that you see on Battery William Worth now were salvaged in the mid-1960's from their final active duty location in Subic Bay. They bear the scars of Japanese bombings in the Philippines at the opening of World War II.
The fort was in use through WWII but in the 1950's was decommissioned. The barracks, officer's housing and other buildings were sold to Seattle Pacific University for use as a conference center. The batteries, parade grounds and forested acreage, 467-acres total, was sold to the state and later turned into a state park. In 1980 the fort was incorporated into Ebey's Landing National Historic Reserve.
On the park property you'll find the historic Admiralty Head Lighthouse. The original lighthouse, built in 1858 was torn down when the fort was built and this one was built in its place in 1903.
Within the state park you will find a small beachfront campground, the lighthouse and batteries, 68 picnic tables, 1.3 miles of trail and 10,810 feet of saltwater shoreline on Puget Sound. The park also includes Keystone Spit, a two-mile-plus stretch of land separating Admiralty Inlet and Crockett Lake.
Be sure to open the photo gallery to view all of the photographs.
Related Website: [Web Link]
Admission Fee: 0
Opening Days/Times: Daylight hours
Supplementary Related Website: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Posting a picture(s) of the location would be nice although not required.