Battery Langdon - Pensacola, FL
N 30° 19.100 W 087° 15.726
16R E 474802 N 3354089
Battery Langdon was a World War I concrete coastal gun battery built to defend Pensacola Bay.
Waymark Code: WMVKP8
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 04/30/2017
Views: 1
Battery Langdon was a reinforced concrete, World War I 12 inch coastal gun battery on Fort Pickens, Escambia County, Florida. The battery was named in G.O. 13, 27 Mar 1922 after Brigadier General Loomis L. Langdon who served in the Third Seminole War and the U.S. Civil War.
Originally built as a World War I concrete coastal gun battery with two 12" M1895MI-A4 guns mounted on M1917-A2 carriages. This was a single story battery with the guns located on open concrete gun pads on the same level as the common magazine and support structure between them. The common magazine and support structure was an earth covered reinforced concrete building that contained shell rooms, powder rooms, a power plant, plotting rooms and personnel facilities. Shells were moved from the magazine to the gun loading platform by shot carts. No shell or powder hoists were provided or needed.
At the beginning of World War II a decision to casemate most of the 12" open pad Barbette mounted batteries was taken to protect the guns and crews from long range ship and aircraft bombardment. Battery Langdon was selected to be casemated and work was begun 1 Nov 1942. The casemates and supporting magazine structure were massive reinforced concrete structures with 10' thick walls and 17' thick overhead concrete ceilings. The central structure between the two casemates housed shell and powder rooms as well as plotting rooms and fire control infrastructure. The casemates were completed on 31 July 1943 and accepted for service on 21 Jun 1943. The Harbor Defenses of Pensacola were declared surplus in May 1947 and the guns and carriages of Battery Langdon were scrapped during June and July 1947.
The year the "Fort" was constructed or started.: 1917
Name of "Country" or "Nation" that constructed this "Fort": USA
Was this "Fort" involved in any armed conflicts?: Yes it was
What was the primary purpose of this "Historic Fort"?: For protecting a travel or shipping route
Current condition: Preserved by the National Park Service
This site is administered by ----: National Park Service
If admission is charged -: 8.00 (listed in local currency)
Open to the public?: Restricted hours -Admission charged
Link to web-site that best describes this "Historic Fort": [Web Link]
Official or advertised web-page: Not listed
Link if this "Fort" is registered on your Countries/ State "Registry of Historical Sites or Buildi: Not listed
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