19th century coastal artillery guns preserved in Suomenlinna fortress in Helsinki

Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating mobile anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x750, 587 KB) Russian coastal artillery gun, displayed in Suomenlinna fortress, Helsinki. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x750, 587 KB) Russian coastal artillery gun, displayed in Suomenlinna fortress, Helsinki. ... Suomenlinna or Viapori (Finnish), or Sveaborg (Swedish), is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands, today within Helsinki, the capital of Finland. ... Location of Helsinki in Northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Province Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Charter 1550 Capital city 1812 Government  - Mayor Jussi Pajunen Area  - Total 187. ... Alternate cover US 1979 and 2002 reissue cover, also known as paint spatter cover For the military meaning, see Armed forces. ... For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ... Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ...

History

Coastal artillery appeared in Europe almost as soon as the introduction of cannons during the 16th century; when a colonial power took over an overseas territory, one of their first tasks was to build a coastal fortress, both to deter rival naval powers and to subjugate the natives. During the 19th century China also built hundreds of coastal fortresses in an attempt to counter Western naval threats. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Cannon (disambiguation). ...

Coastal artillery could be part of the Navy (as in Scandinavian countries), or part of the Army (as in Anglophone countries). In the United Kingdom, coastal artillery was the responsibility of the Royal Garrison Artillery. For other uses, see Scandinavia (disambiguation). ... Look up Anglophone in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Tactical Recognition Flash of the Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, generally known as the Royal Artillery (RA), is, despite its name, a corps of the British Army. ...

In the United States, coastal artillery was established in 1794 as a branch of the Army and a series of construction programs of coastal defenses began: the "First System" in 1794, the "Second System" in 1804, the "Third System" or "Permanent System" in 1816, and the "Endicott System" in 1890 (with disappearing guns mounted in batteries). During World War II the role of the U.S. coastal artillery was shifted from anti-ship to anti-aircraft with the advent of the airplane and airpower. The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... The Endicott Board of Fortifications was a body convened by Secretary of War William Crowninshield Endicott in 1886 to address coastal defense needs of the United States in light of rapid advances in naval ship design and weaponry. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Airplane and Aeroplane redirect here. ...

It has been held as a general rule of thumb, that one shore based gun equaled three naval guns of the same caliber.^{[citation needed]}

After World War II the advent of jet aircraft and guided missiles reduced the role of coastal artillery in defending a country against air and sea attacks while also rendering fixed artillery emplacements vulnerable to enemy strikes. In countries where coastal artillery has not been disbanded, these forces have acquired amphibious capabilities akin to that of the Marine Corps. In constricted waters, such mobile coastal artillery armed with surface-to-surface missiles still can be used to deny the use of sea lanes from a modern opponent. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Jet aircraft are aircrafts with jet engines. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Missile. ... The UKs Royal Marines in a Rigid Raider assault watercraft A marine corps (from French corps de marine) is a branch of a nations armed forces incorporating Marines, intended to be capable of mounting amphibious assaults using infantry, armour, aircraft, and watercraft. ... A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) is a guided projectile launched from a hand-held, vehicle mounted, trailer mounted or fixed installation or from a ship. ...

Schematic of a coastal fortification with a rotating gun turret. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (915x474, 263 KB) Description: Schematic of a coastal fortification with a rotating gun turret. ...

Coastal fortification with fixed guns. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (980x502, 259 KB) Description: Schematic of a coastal fortification with fixed guns. ...

Examples

In the UK

• Admiralty Pier Turret
• Tyne Turrets
• Cross-Channel guns
• Palmerston Forts

Dover Turret, also known as the Admiralty Pier Turret, is an enclosed armoured turret built in 1882 on the western breakwater of Dover harbour. ... The Tyne Turrets are 2 12 guns from HMS Illustrious sited in WWI batteries at Hartley, near Seaton Sluice north of the Tyne, and Marsden near Lizard Point south of the river. ... During the Second World War, cross-Channel guns were long-range coastal artillery pieces placed on the English Channel coasts of Kent, England and the Pas-de-Calais, France, at the point at which England was closest to continental Europe, with which to bombard enemy shipping in the Channel and... The Palmerston forts are a group of forts built during the Victorian period at the recommendations of the 1860 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, in response to perceived French invasion threat. ...

British coastal guns outside the UK

• Fort Siloso
• Fort Queenscliff

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Fort Queenscliff in Victoria, Australia, dates from the Crimean War of 1853–1856, when Great Britain and her allies (including the various British colonies in yet-to-be-federated Australia) were at war with Russia. ...

United States of America

Mainland

• Seacoast Defense
• Wake Island

Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor typifies an early seacoast defense system prior to the War of 1812, with low earthworks. ...

Asia

• Manila and Subic Bays
• Fort Mills

The Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays (formerly, Coast Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays) were part of the US Armys Philippine Department, prior to, and during, World War II. In July 1941, these units were commanded by Major General George F. Moore, whose Philippine Coast Artillery Command... Fort Mills (Corregidor, the Philippines) was the location of US Major General George F. Moores headquarters for the Philippine Departments Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays. ...

Nazi Germany

• Atlantic Wall
• Cross-Channel guns

German coastal artillery in the Pas-de-Calais area, with laborers at work on casemate. ... During the Second World War, cross-Channel guns were long-range coastal artillery pieces placed on the English Channel coasts of Kent, England and the Pas-de-Calais, France, at the point at which England was closest to continental Europe, with which to bombard enemy shipping in the Channel and...

South America

• Callao
• Valdivian fort system

Combatants Spain Peru and allies Commanders Casto Méndez Núñez Mariano Ignacio Prado; various commanders Strength 14 ships several ships, infantry, cavalry, townspeople Casualties around 50 dead, 83 wounded around 200 The Battle of Callao (in Spanish, sometimes called el Combate del Dos de Mayo) occurred on May 2... Niebla Forts former headquarter (now a museum), during a representation of the capture of Valdivia The main fort in Corral The Valdivian fort system was a series of fortification in Corral Bay, Valdivia and Cruces River made to protect the city of Valdivia, Chile. ...

Other

• Swedish coastal artillery

This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

See also

• Artillery
• Disappearing gun

For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ... The disappearing gun of the South Battery, at North Head in Devonport, New Zealand. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Coastal artillery

• Glossary
• A brief history of the coast artillery corps
• Harbor Defenses of the United States of America
• Defenses along the Pacific Coast of the United States
• Fort Adams
• Fort Carroll
• Photographs of the Bermuda Garrison.
• Bunker Pictures - Pictures, locations, information about bunkers from WW2, The Atlantikwall and the Cold War