Harbor Defenses of Boston

Harbor Defenses of Boston
Coat of arms
Active1895-1950[1]
Country United States
BranchUnited States Army Coast Artillery Corps
TypeCoast artillery
RoleHarbor Defense Command
Part of
Garrison/HQFort Banks, Winthrop, MA
Motto(s)"Prima Libertatis Acie" (In the First Line of Battle for Liberty)[2][3]
Mascot(s)Oozlefinch
Map of the Boston Harbor islands. Not shown to the north is the Nahant peninsula, site of Fort Ruckman and the East Point Military Reservation.
Castle William in 1773, by William Pierie.
Fort Independence as rebuilt in the mid-19th century.
Aerial view of Fort Warren.
Bicentennial memorial to the first Fort Independence, 6-inch disappearing emplacements at Fort Revere in background.

The Harbor Defenses of Boston was a United States Army Coast Artillery Corps harbor defense command.[1] It coordinated the coast defenses of Boston, Massachusetts from 1895 to 1950, beginning with the Endicott program. These included both coast artillery forts and underwater minefields. The command originated circa 1895 as the Boston Artillery District, was renamed Coast Defenses of Boston in 1913, and again renamed Harbor Defenses of Boston in 1925.[4][5][6][7]

  1. ^ a b Gaines, pp. 8-9
  2. ^ Berhow, p. 572
  3. ^ Coats of Arms, pp. 123-126
  4. ^ Stanton, pp. 455-481
  5. ^ Coast Artillery Organization: A Brief Overview at the Coast Defense Study Group website
  6. ^ Rinaldi, pp. 165-166
  7. ^ Berhow, p. 430-434