Battery 213 in Beavertail State Park

Battery 213 is an abandoned World War II coastal gun battery located in Beavertail State Park in Jamestown, Rhode Island. Construction of the battery started on February 19, 1942, and was completed on June 30, 1943. The structure was then transferred to the Coast Artillery on December 23, 1943, for $239,623.00. It became part of Fort Burnside. It was designed and built as part of the plan to replace obsolete Endicott Period Batteries. 87 World War II batteries were planned, but only 45 were completed. Many didn’t finish until after the war. 

Battery 213 featured a 175 foot long reinforced concrete magazine which was home to shell rooms, powder rooms, meeting rooms, and general storage rooms. The magazine was used to supply the two 6-inch M1905 rapid-fire guns which were mounted at either end of the magazine. These guns were mounted on M1 Shielded Barbette Carriages and they had the ability to fire 105-pound armor-piercing projectiles over 15 miles.  Only six of the 6 inches M1905 rapid-fire guns still remain and are on display. One stands at Fort Columbia in Chinook, Washington – check it out HERE.

Battery 213 was abandoned following WW2 in 1948. The battery is easy to access as it stands just off the west side of Beavertail Road. The concrete gun pads remain on either end of the magazine and the magazine still stands under a pile of earth.