89-419: The Sea Pines Company was a real estate development group founded by General Joseph Bacon Fraser , Charles E. Fraser , and Joseph B. Fraser, Jr. In 1956. It developed Sea Pines Plantation , Amelia Island Plantation, Brandermill (Virginia), Kiawah Island , Palmas Del Mar (Puerto Rico), Hilton Head Plantation, Wintergreen Resort and more. It was successful in the 1960s but hit hard by 1972-1974 recession. It
178-588: A Royal Canadian Navy base). These assets made Bermuda's defense imperative to the British Empire and Commonwealth's, and later the Allies', global strategy, but British forces used for its defense were desperately needed elsewhere. Granting the neutral United States base rights and enabling the deployment of American ground forces resulted in the development of assets at American expense which would be used by British forces (notably Kindley Field air base which
267-562: A Board of Review that recommended an increase in strength, which resulted in 105 new CA companies in 1916–17, although these were initially undermanned. After the American entry into World War I , the Coast Artillery as a whole was ordered brought up to strength, and 71 new companies were organized by July 1917. In response to the rapid improvements in dreadnought battleships , approximately 14 two-gun batteries of 12-inch guns on
356-497: A common carriage, with outriggers and a rotating mount allowing all-around fire. This allowed the weapons to be used in coast defense against moving targets. The 8-inch guns and 12-inch mortars were retained on railway mountings after the war, while most of the 10-inch and 12-inch guns were returned to the coastal forts. The 7-inch railway guns most likely became fixed coast artillery, although some were eventually transferred to Brazil as railway guns in 1941. The official birthday of
445-805: A disappearing carriage at 15° elevation to 29,300 yd (26,800 m) at 35° elevation. Thirty guns were deployed in 16 batteries, including two one-gun batteries in the Philippines , all completed by 1924. These were the last guns added to the Philippine defenses until 1940, as the Washington Naval Treaty prohibited additional fortifications in the Pacific. In 1922 fifteen companies of Philippine Scouts coast artillery were established. These units were composed primarily of Filipino enlisted men and US officers, and garrisoned many of
534-514: A disappearing carriage), four 16-inch M1920 howitzers , and ten 16"/50 caliber Mark 2 guns (including some Mark 3 guns), the last taken from weapons produced for South Dakota -class battleships and Lexington -class battlecruisers cancelled by the Washington Naval Treaty. Twenty of about 70 of these weapons were initially given to the Army, but funding precluded deployment of more than ten until 1940. The remaining 50 or so weapons were retained by
623-564: A friendly harbor, but that was all they could accomplish. The Japanese invaded the Philippines shortly after Pearl Harbor, bringing the Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays into the war along with the other US and Filipino forces in the archipelago . The Japanese initially landed in northern Luzon , far from the defenses of Manila Bay. Although the Coast Artillery did their best, their weapons were poorly positioned against
712-657: A full colonel in June 1936, he was placed in command of the 108th Cavalry . Fraser was ordered to federal active duty as a colonel and sent to Australia in February 1942. He left Boston aboard the RMS Queen Mary , the largest passenger ship at the time, with 10,000 other men and overloaded equipment. Chaplain Lt. Clarence Letson was one of Fraser's Hinesville companions also on board the ship. Leston wrote in his diary that
801-541: A given location than those of the Endicott program. By the beginning of World War I, the United States had a coastal defense system that was equal to any other nation. The rapidity of technological advances and changing techniques increasingly separated coastal defenses (heavy) from field artillery (light). Officers were rarely qualified to command both, requiring specialization. As a result, in 1907, Congress split
890-470: A group of lumber associates to buy a total of 20,000 acres of pine forest on Hilton Head Island's southern end for an average of nearly $ 60 an acre. Gen. Joseph B. Fraser, Fred C. Hack, Olin T. McIntosh, and C.C. Stebbins formed the Hilton Head Company to handle the timber operation. In 1956, Fraser youngest son, Charles E., who had recently graduated from Yale law, bought his father interest in
979-540: A new M1917 long-range barbette carriage began construction in 1917, but none were completed until 1920. The Coast Artillery was designated to provide the personnel for all US-manned heavy artillery (155 mm gun and larger), almost all railway artillery , and later anti-aircraft artillery units. As with most US Army World War I equipment, these units were primarily equipped with French- and British-made weapons, with few American-made heavy weapons arriving in France before
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#17327942715881068-557: A sinking feeling." (Col. Fraser later told a group in Hinesville that he prayed another hour in his headquarters before leaving for the Jap-infested area). The battalion sailed unmolested through enemy waters, where they landed safely and fought off repeated air attacks by Japanese Zeros with 50-caliber machine guns over the next few months until the rest of MacArthur's forces returned. Fraser made his gunners frequently relocate
1157-761: A stockholder in the Hinesville Bank, a director in the Flemington, Hinesville & Western Railroad, and an owner of considerable real estate. Joseph B Fraser completed his preparatory studies at Napier Edinburgh in Hinesville. Afterwards, Fraser entered into the University of Georgia at Athens, where he played football, but did not letter, and was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. When World War I broke out, Joseph Bacon Fraser and his brother, Donald A. Fraser, enlisted as privates in
1246-538: The 12-inch mortars of Battery Way and Battery Geary were probably the most effective coast defense weapons in the Battle of Corregidor , but all but two of the mortars were knocked out before the Japanese landed on the island. The US and Filipino forces surrendered on 6 May 1942, after destroying their weapons. The Coast Artillery faced two priorities during the war: mobilization and modernization. The National Guard
1335-565: The 206th Coast Artillery Regiment lost seven during the battle in which the Japanese planes inflicted moderate damage to the base. For the latter, battery Russell was attacked with a deck gun from the Japanese submarine I-25 , but the fort's commander did not return fire, since his fire control equipment indicated the submarine was out of range, and for fear of revealing the battery's position. Other than some severed telephone cables, no significant damage to either side occurred. In late 1942,
1424-706: The Armistice . As with other American World War I units, the CAC units operated alongside French forces for the most part. The CAC units sent to France and Britain with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) were organized into a total of 11 brigades comprising 33 regiments of 24 guns each, plus a replacement regiment, nine trench mortar battalions and thirteen anti-aircraft battalions (a.k.a. sectors). Many Coast Artillery companies were withdrawn from stateside coast defenses to provide cadre for
1513-571: The Endicott Board was convened under the subsequent Grover Cleveland administration, chaired by Secretary of War William Crowninshield Endicott . This board recommended a large-scale program of harbor defenses at 29 ports, including guns , mortars , and mine fields . Most of their recommendations were implemented and new defenses were constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers between 1895 and 1905. As
1602-630: The Fall of France in June 1940 greatly accelerated US defense planning and funding. About this time a severe lack of design coordination resulted in the Iowa -class battleships being unable to use the Mark 2 and Mark 3 16-inch guns, and a new gun design was required for them. With war on the horizon, the Navy released the approximately 50 remaining guns, and on 27 July 1940 the Army's Harbor Defense Board recommended
1691-583: The Field Artillery and Coast Artillery into separate branches, creating a separate Coast Artillery Corps (CAC), and authorizing an increase in the Coast Artillery Corps to 170 numbered companies. National Guard coast artillery units were also formed by the states to attempt to bring the CAC up to strength in wartime. Confusingly, many of these units were designated Coast Artillery Corps of their respective state National Guards. In 1907
1780-667: The Organized Reserve , there was 14 harbor defense regiments, four railway regiments, three tractor-drawn regiments, and 42 anti-aircraft regiments in 8 AA brigades. However, many of the Reserve units had only small numbers of, or widely dispersed, personnel assigned, which hampered effective training. Many were demobilized before being initiated (activated) in the 1920s and 1930s or after U.S. entry into World War II, or served in that war under different designations. Mobilization in 1939-41 created more regiments. Almost all of
1869-641: The Philippines , as well as Hawaii and a few other sites. Defenses in Panama were authorized by the Spooner Act of 1902. Due to rapid development of the dreadnought battleship type, a new 14-inch (356 mm) gun was introduced in a few locations, including Los Angeles, the Philippines, Hawaii, and Panama. The Japanese were acquiring capital ships with guns of this caliber, beginning with Kongō in 1913. The Taft program fortifications differed slightly in battery construction and had fewer numbers of guns at
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#17327942715881958-779: The U.S. Army . Joseph was commissioned a second lieutenant in July, 1918 and promoted to first lieutenant in March 1919. He was released from federal service in May 1919, but continued his record of military activity in the National Guard. In September 1920, he was commissioned captain of Troop B. Georgia Cavalry where he served under Harry Truman . He was promoted to major in September 1927, and to lieutenant colonel in January, 1935. Becoming
2047-772: The United States Army Field Artillery School at Fort Monroe became the Coast Artillery School, which operated until 1946, and in 1908, the Chief of Artillery became the Chief of Coast Artillery in the rank of major general. As with the rest of the US Armed Forces, the Coast Artillery was undermanned and poorly equipped except for coastal artillery weapons when war broke out in Europe in 1914. The War Department formed
2136-479: The War Department decided that to free up more younger and physically fit troops for frontline duty, harbor defense and anti-aircraft units in the continental United States would be staffed primarily with "limited service" troops, who generally were not permitted to serve on the front lines due to age or disability. Since Coast Artillery units were allowed to exceed authorized personnel strength while making
2225-481: The Wayback Machine ashore organized as a " Submarine Mine Battery " within the installation command, "submarine" meaning "underwater" in this case. The larger vessels, called " mine planters ", were civilian crewed until the creation of the U.S. Army Mine Planter Service (AMPS) and Warrant Officer Corps in 1918 to provide officers and engineers for the ships designated as mine planters. The mine component
2314-461: The 1920s were all in open mounts, unprotected against air attack except for camouflage . Like the Endicott and Taft period emplacements, they were positioned to be hidden from observation from the sea, but were open to the air. This somewhat inexplicable situation was remedied by casemating most of the newer batteries early in World War II. The outbreak of war in Europe in September 1939 and
2403-817: The 1950s through early 1970s, the Anti-Aircraft Command and its successors operated the Nike-Ajax and Nike-Hercules missiles that, along with the United States Air Force 's BOMARC , were the successors to the Coast Artillery in defending the US continent and friendly countries. Today the Air Defense Artillery carries the Coast Artillery's lineage, including many regiment numbers and the Oozlefinch mascot. The Office of
2492-638: The 23rd anti-aircraft group there. On August 19–21, the 23rd AAA group protected the XV corps of General Patton's Third Army in making the first allied bridge crossing of the Seine River near Paris. Over two days, the 23rd shot down 43 Axis aircraft. Fraser was again released from federal service in December 1945. He returned to duty with the Georgia National Guard, and was promoted to
2581-649: The 30th Railway Artillery Brigade initially remained, along with six tractor-drawn regiments equipped with the 155 mm gun M1918 (6.1 inch), developed from the French Canon de 155mm GPF (Grand Puissance Filloux, or high-powered gun designed by Filloux ), a weapon these regiments used during the war. This weapon, drawn by heavy Holt tractors , introduced road and cross-country mobility to the Coast Artillery, and allowed mobile defense of areas not protected by fixed harbor defenses. Circular concrete platforms called " Panama mounts " were added to existing defenses to improve
2670-628: The 30th Separate Artillery Brigade (Railway), also designated as the Railway Artillery Reserve (RAR), which usually operated mingled with French units in an Allied RAR. The 40th Artillery Brigade of three regiments was also a railway artillery brigade of the RAR; however, it did not complete training before the Armistice. The US Navy manufactured and operated five 14"/50 caliber railway guns that were delivered in time to support
2759-462: The 48th Armored Division of Georgia and Florida Army National Guard. His military career spanned from World War I to the Korean War before retiring a lieutenant general in 1956. He was also a former mayor of Hinesville, a timber baron , and one of the first resort developers of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina , which his son, Charles E. Fraser, developed into Sea Pines Plantation . Fraser
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2848-615: The 58th Coast Artillery armed with the 8-inch howitzer M1917 , based on the British BL 8-inch howitzer Mk VI. Ninety-five 6-inch guns were withdrawn from coast defenses, with an additional 46 weapons supplied by the Navy and 30 ex-Navy weapons from arms dealer Francis Bannerman . Seventy-two of the Army 6-inch guns (possibly with a few additional Navy weapons) and 26 5-inch guns also removed from coast defenses were mounted on M1917 field carriages and equipped four artillery regiments in France, but none of these completed training before
2937-457: The 91 12-inch railway mortars were deployed at any one time. Due to the continued improvement of battleships until the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty halted their construction, the Coast Artillery acquired some new 16-inch (406 mm) and 14-inch (356 mm) weapons, although in minute quantities. Based on the Coast Artillery's experience operating heavy weapons in World War I, especially
3026-564: The Armistice. After the war, some of the 6-inch guns were returned to coast defenses, but the 5-inch guns were withdrawn from coast defense service. Most of the 6-inch guns were stored and were eventually deployed in World War II. No US railway guns existed when the US entered World War I in early 1917. Due to low production and shipping priorities, the Army's railway gun contribution on the Western Front consisted of four CA regiments operating French-made weapons. These were organized as
3115-698: The Army Warrant Officer Corps is 9 July 1918, when an Act of Congress established the Army Mine Planter Service as part of the Coast Artillery Corps, replacing previous civilian manning of mine planter vessels . Implementation of the Act by the Army was published in War Department Bulletin 43, dated 22 July 1918. After World War I all but ten of the wartime regiments were disbanded. The four regiments of
3204-578: The Assembly's Men's Council of the national church organization. In 1949, Fraser served as the chairman of the board of trustees for Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina . Joseph B. Fraser Jr. was general chairman of a bicentennial celebration of the founding of Midway Church and the Midway Society, which took place at Midway Church on April 24, 1954. U.S. Senator Richard B. Russell
3293-542: The Chief of Coast Artillery was established in the rank of major general 1 July 1908 until it was abolished 9 March 1942, with functions transferred to the Commanding General, Army Ground Forces , effective 9 March 1942, by Circular 59, War Department, 2 March 1942. In 1901, the regimental organization of the US Army artillery was abolished. More companies were added, and given numerical designations. In 1907
3382-509: The Chilean 12-inch guns were ready for shipment by the Armistice; the remaining three barrels were retained as spares. Ninety-one 12-inch railway mortars were ordered, with 45 complete by 7 April 1919 and all major components of the remainder also complete. It is unclear how many additional railway guns and mortars were completed, but all 47 8-inch weapons and probably the 91 12-inch mortars were. The 7-inch and 8-inch guns and 12-inch mortars used
3471-536: The Coast Artillery Corps was established and the Field Artillery was re-regimented The Corps constantly reorganized the numbered companies until 1924, but during World War I created 61 regiments and 16 brigade headquarters with many of the numbered companies as cadre , for service operating heavy and railway artillery with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front in France. 34 of these regiments and 11 brigade headquarters served in France;
3560-498: The Coast Artillery took responsibility for the installation and operation of the controlled mine fields from the Corps of Engineers; these were planted to be under observation, remotely detonated electrically, and protected by fixed guns. With that responsibility the Coast Artillery began to acquire the vessels required to plant and maintain the mine fields and cables connecting the mines to the mine casemate Archived 22 March 2016 at
3649-527: The French-made 400 mm (15.75-inch) Modèle 1916 railway howitzer , new barbette carriages were designed with an elevation of 65 degrees to allow plunging fire as enemy ships approached. Only 22 16-inch and four 14-inch M1920 railway guns were deployed in CONUS , Hawaii , and Panama by 1940. The 16-inch guns were one 16-inch gun M1895 on a disappearing carriage, seven 16-inch M1919 guns (one on
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3738-615: The Georgia National Guard on August 1, 1956. Fraser was president of the Fraser Lumber Company since 1929, and president of the Fraser Supply company since its organization in 1956. When he left for World War II, his son Joe Jr. ran the lumber company. Much of the timber operation at the time was based on cutting naturally seeded forests, rather than forest replanting operation in common practice today. In 1949, in efforts to seek out new properties to timber, he joined
3827-578: The Hilton Head Company and created the Sea Pines Company. Fraser served as the chairman of the board for the company. Robert Groover, author of Sweet Land of Liberty: a History of Liberty County, Georgia , writes, "No one person did more to promote the general welfare of his fellow citizens in Liberty County from 1930 to 1940 than did Joseph B. Fraser Jr. During the worst economic depression America had ever known, he worked tirelessly in
3916-477: The Junior suffix. United States Army Coast Artillery Corps The U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps ( CAC ) was an administrative corps responsible for coastal , harbor, and anti-aircraft defense of the United States and its possessions between 1901 and 1950. The CAC also operated heavy and railway artillery during World War I . As early as 1882 the need for heavy fixed artillery for seacoast defense
4005-574: The Kennebec River (Maine), Baltimore (Maryland), Potomac River (Maryland and Virginia), Cape Fear River (North Carolina), Savannah (Georgia), Tampa Bay (Florida), Mobile (Alabama), and the Mississippi River (Louisiana). The mine capability may have been retained in reserve at these defenses. Some of these installations were rearmed with "Panama mounts" for towed artillery early in World War II. The new 16-inch and 12-inch batteries of
4094-641: The Liberty County Chamber of Commerce and with various state and federal programs to help alleviate the suffering of the people of Liberty County." Fraser was very active in the Presbyterian Church . He was a communicant of the First Presbyterian Church of Hinesville, where he served as an elder. He was a member of the board of World Missions, Presbyterian Church of the United States, and is past president of
4183-630: The National Guard units above were mobilized during this period. Accelerated mobilization following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the American entry into World War II created the following regiments: In World War II more expansion and reorganization occurred. The Japanese invasion of the Philippines resulted in the surrender of US forces there on 9 April and 6 May 1942, including the 59th CA (HD), 60th CA (AA), 200th CA (AA), 515th CA (AA), 91st CA (HD) (PS), and 92nd CA (TD) (PS). The anti-aircraft regiments were broken up into battalions in 1943-44 and
4272-482: The Navy for use on future battleships; but in 1940 a near-fiasco in the design of the Iowa -class battleships precluded their use on that class, and the guns were released to the Army. A postwar weapon deployed in more reasonable quantities was the 12-inch gun M1895 on the long-range barbette carriage M1917. These were the same guns found in Endicott period installations, but on a high-angle carriage that increased their range from 18,400 yd (16,800 m) on
4361-437: The Pacific. Years later, when addressing a group honoring Fraser for his safe return to Hinesville, he said, "When I left Camp Stewart in February 1942, I requested the men under my command to be made up of Georgia men. A number of the men came from Liberty and Long counties. They were among the best in the country and I am indeed grateful in the manner in which they met the enemy on the battlefront and conducted themselves during
4450-466: The United States had been granted leases by the British Government, but with the intent of also allowing the neutral US to covertly reinforce the British Army 's Bermuda Garrison . Bermuda had been the headquarters and main base of the Royal Navy's North America and West Indies Squadron since the independence of the United States, and the location of its dockyard . The colony was a vital forming-up point for trans-Atlantic convoys in both world wars. There
4539-438: The anti-aircraft gun locations so that the Zeros had a hard time determining where to focus each new attack. The 101st played a role in holding what allied territory remained on New Guinea until the Battle of Coral Sea thwarted the Japanese 5-pronged plan of attack on Australia. Colonel Fraser was 'mentioned in despatches' in Canberra, Australia, on January 13, 1944. Ordered to the European theater in February 1944, he commanded
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#17327942715884628-401: The anti-aircraft regiments were broken up into battalions in 1943-44 and the harbor defense regiments were similarly broken up by late 1944. On 9 June 1925 the Coast Defense Commands were redesignated as Harbor Defense Commands via a War Department order. By the end of the 1920s, eight Harbor Defense Commands in less-threatened areas were completely disarmed. These included the defenses of
4717-454: The army weapons were shipped to France except three 8-inch guns and some 10-inch barrels (to be mounted in France), as few of any type were completed before the Armistice. Forty-seven 8-inch railway guns were ordered, with 18 completed by the Armistice and the remainder completed later. Eight 10-inch railway mounts of 54 ordered were completed by this time, and twelve 12-inch railway mounts were completed by 1 April 1919. Three railway mountings for
4806-452: The battalion sailed to Port Moresby, New Guinea reads, "This is it. The Japanese are moving in toward New Guinea.... Into combat. We've been preparing but didn't really believe it would happen. … We can't believe that we're playing for keeps. Col. Joe Fraser and I met and prayed to God last night for guidance and leadership to carry our men through the battles before them. He was crying; his men were going to die. All are willing to go, but what
4895-401: The coast defenses in the Philippines until the surrender of US forces there in 1942. Also in 1922, the Journal of the United States Artillery was renamed the Coast Artillery Journal . In 1923–1924, the Coast Artillery adopted a regimental system forcewide, which included the Regular Army, National Guard , and Organized Reserve components (see "Units" section below). This lasted until
4984-518: The construction of 27 (eventually 38) 16-inch two-gun batteries to protect strategic points along the US coastline, to be casemated against air attack. However, as the war's progress greatly reduced the threat from enemy surface vessels, only 21 of these were completed, and not all of them were armed. The 16-inch guns were only the top end of the World War II program, which eventually replaced almost all previous coast defense weapons with newer (or remounted) weapons. Generally, each harbor defense command
5073-564: The defenses were constructed, each harbor or river's installations were controlled by Artillery Districts, renamed Coast Defense Commands in 1913 and Harbor Defense Commands in 1925. With the 1913 renaming, Artillery Districts became regional commands, each including several coast defense commands. An extensive fire control system was developed and provided for the forts of each Artillery District. Army leaders realized that heavy fixed artillery required different training programs and tactics than mobile field artillery. Prior to 1901 each of
5162-407: The direction of enemy attacks and vulnerable to air and high-angle artillery attack. Eight 8-inch railway guns had been deployed to the Philippines in 1940, but six were destroyed by air attack while entrained in response to the initial landings, and the other two were placed in fixed mountings on Corregidor and Bataan , but lacked crews and ammunition. The 14-inch turret guns of Fort Drum and
5251-448: The final Allied offensives. With a view to getting numerous US-made weapons into the fight eventually, the Army also converted some of the many US coast artillery weapons to railway mounts. A total of 96 8-inch guns , 129 10-inch guns , 49 12-inch guns , and 150 12-inch mortars could be taken from fixed coast defense batteries or spares. Twelve 7-inch ex-Navy guns and six 12-inch guns being built for Chile were also available. None of
5340-409: The first seven regiments inherited the lineage of the original seven regiments of artillery. The Regular Army had 17 harbor defense regiments (one of Philippine Scouts ), four tractor-drawn regiments (one of Philippine Scouts), three railway regiments, and six anti-aircraft regiments. The National Guard had 10 harbor defense regiments, two tractor-drawn regiments, and nine anti-aircraft regiments. In
5429-400: The following designations: On 1 April 1945 the majority of the remaining coast artillery battalions (other than antiaircraft) were inactivated, with most personnel either transferred to their parent harbor defense commands or used to activate or fill out field artillery units. The design was used by the Coast Artillery School for many years but was never recorded by the War Department. It is
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#17327942715885518-514: The harbor defense regiments were similarly broken up in late 1944, as part of an Army-wide reorganization that left only the Infantry branch as regiments. The "coast artillery" nomenclature was dropped from the antiaircraft units' designations at this time. As a result of this reorganization (in most cases), 46 anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) brigades, 155 AAA groups, and 13 coast artillery groups were activated, probably controlling task-organized groups of battalions. Over 900 battalions were created with
5607-407: The initially projected new batteries complete and most naval threats neutralized or destroyed, work was stopped on the remaining new batteries. Except for some 6-inch pedestal guns and 3-inch guns, the Endicott- and Taft-period guns were scrapped and the Coast Artillery Corps drawn down in size. When the war ended it was decided that few (and soon no) gun defenses were needed, and by 1948 almost all of
5696-433: The interior to Brisbane . The following day, Gen. MacArthur arrived." With Fraser and Lt. Letson were men from Georgia and South Carolina; they composed the major portion of the 101st Coast Artillery Battalion (Anti-Aircraft) which Fraser commanded in the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps Pacific Theater of Operations from 1942 to 1943. The rest of the 10,000 men aboard the Queen Mary were dispersed throughout
5785-425: The leased baselands were withdrawn from Bermuda on the end of hostilities. The attack on Pearl Harbor showed that the Coast Artillery, despite the inclusion of the anti-aircraft mission, was ineffective against a mass air attack. Pre-war anti-aircraft planning had been very inadequate, with few weapons allocated, and the coast defense guns had become almost irrelevant. They were positioned to keep enemy ships out of
5874-468: The new artillery regiments. However, only 13 regiments saw action, while the remaining 20 regiments did not complete training before the Armistice, and up to 6 of these never received guns. A total of 61 regiments were organized; however, at least 23 of these were organized in the US shortly before the Armistice and were soon disbanded. The coast defense commands retained a company-based organization. Only one regiment saw action equipped with US-made guns,
5963-475: The new defenses completed, the numerous older weapons of the Endicott and Taft periods were scrapped, with their crews largely reassigned to field artillery units. Prior to the December, 1941, entry of the United States into the Second World War, the United States Army and the United States Marines Corps were permitted to deploy forces to Bermuda under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement , ostensibly to guard US Navy and US Army Air Forces air base sites to which
6052-758: The newer guns, only two batteries, each of two 6-inch guns , were in serviceable condition (at St. David's Battery and Warwick Camp , both manned by the Bermuda Militia Artillery ). Consequently, among the first American units deployed to Bermuda were batteries of artillery at Cooper's Island , Fort Albert and Fort Victoria on St. George's Island , Fort Langton at Prospect Camp , Warwick Camp , Tudor Hill, and also Scaur Hill Fort on Somerset Island . Subunits included "B" Battery, 57th Regiment, United States Army Coast Artillery Corps, deployed to Ackermann's Hill at Warwick Camp in 1941 with two 155 mm GPF artillery guns on wheeled carriages, which were placed on " Panama mounts " by October 1941. All US Army defenses outside
6141-510: The perilous trip overseas." After receiving General MacArthur's Orders in Sydney, Fraser and the 101st Battalion were the first American combat ground troops to go into New Guinea during the New Guinea Campaign in 1942. With the Japanese rapidly overtaking New Guinea and MacArthur's forces regrouping in Australia, MacArthur told Fraser that they would have little chances of surviving but to hold off Japanese forces as long as they could. A diary entry by Lt. Lester on March 30, 1942, shortly before
6230-452: The rank of brigadier general on February 3, 1947, and placed in command of the 108th Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Georgia National Guard, with headquarters at Savannah, Georgia . Called back into federal service in August, 1950, Fraser was promoted to the rank of major general and commanded the 48th Infantry Division, composed of Georgia and Florida National Guard units. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general when he retired from
6319-495: The remainder stayed in the United States. Most of these were disbanded immediately after the war. Also during World War I, the antiaircraft branch was born, with thirteen AA battalions (also called sectors) and six AA machine gun battalions. This mission was formally assigned to the Coast Artillery Corps in 1920. In 1924 the Coast Artillery Corps returned to the regimental system, and the numbered companies were returned to letter designations. In order to promote esprit-de-corps ,
6408-429: The seacoast defenses had been scrapped. With only the anti-aircraft mission left, the Coast Artillery was disestablished and the anti-aircraft and field artillery branches were merged in 1950. Some of the mine planter vessels were transferred to the Navy and designated Auxiliary Minelayers (ACM, later MMA) . The anti-aircraft and field artillery branches were later separated again and regiments eventually re-appeared. In
6497-679: The seven Regular Army artillery regiments contained both heavy and light artillery batteries. In February 1901 the Artillery Corps was divided into two types: field artillery and coast artillery. The previous seven artillery regiments were dissolved, and 30 numbered companies of field artillery (commonly called batteries) and 126 numbered companies of coast artillery (CA) were authorized. 82 existing heavy artillery batteries were designated as coast artillery companies, and 44 new CA companies were created by splitting existing units and filling their ranks with recruits. The company-based organization
6586-591: The ship sailed first to Key West, Florida , then to Rio de Janeiro . They spent two days there, blockaded by an axis submarine but escaped over a shallow bar at high tide. "A zigzag course was then taken to Cape Town, South Africa , during which the ship caught fire three times — all caused, the captain felt, because of the overload on the wiring. They entered the Tasmanian Sea and stopped in Perth, Australia , then disembarked at Sydney and caught trains up through
6675-469: The transition, understrength batteries were brought up to their authorized manning levels for the duration of the war. Reassigned former Coast Artillery troops usually went to field artillery or anti-aircraft units. The regiments were broken up into battalions in 1943–44, in line with an Army-wide policy for all units except infantry, and a number of former Coast Artillery units were converted into heavy field artillery units. In 1944, with about two-thirds of
6764-678: The utility of these guns. Budget reductions resulted in the disbandment of all but three of the tractor-drawn regiments and all but one railway regiment by late 1921. The anti-aircraft mission continued with three battalions in the Contiguous United States ( CONUS ), one battalion in the Philippines , and a regiment in Hawaii . The railway artillery mission became a permanent role of the CA, but railway guns were not widely deployed. All 47 8-inch railway guns were deployed, but only 16 of
6853-540: Was a member of the higher bodies of the Scottish Rite. At Cobbtown Georgia, on November 14, 1923, Joseph B. Fraser married Pearl Collins, daughter of Elbert and Margaret Elizabeth (Davis) Collins. Mr. and Mrs. Fraser had two children, both of whom were born in Hinesville. Joseph Bacon, Jr. , born January 27, 1926, and Charles Elbert , born June 13, 1929. General Fraser was himself born a junior, but dropped it when his father died and subsequently gave his oldest son
6942-493: Was also Royal Air Force Bermuda on Darrell's Island which was vital to trans-Atlantic aviation, a Fleet Air Arm air station on Boaz Island , cable and radio facilities important to trans-Atlantic navigation and communication, and other strategic assets (which would be joined by the US Army air base, the US Naval Operating Base (for flying boats and ships), a US Navy submarine base on Ordnance Island , and
7031-500: Was born to the Honorable Joseph Bacon Fraser, Sr. and Maria Boulineau Fraser on July 15, 1895. He was preceded by brother Charles W, born October 29, 1886, Sister Mary B., born August 31, 1888, Donald A, born January 10, 1890, Addie W, born October 30, 1891, and Harry B, born September 4, 1893. He had one younger brother, Thomas Layton, born March 16, 1899. His father was a mayor of Hinesville in 1913 and 1915,
7120-713: Was considered to be among the principal armament of coastal defense works. In 1905, after the experiences of the Spanish–American War , President Theodore Roosevelt appointed a new board on fortifications, under Secretary of War William Howard Taft . They updated some standards and reviewed the progress of the Endicott board's program. Most of the changes recommended by this board were technical; such as adding more searchlights , electrification (lighting, communications, and projectile handling), and more sophisticated optical aiming techniques. The board also recommended fortifications in territories acquired from Spain: Cuba and
7209-464: Was for flexibility, as each harbor defense command was differently equipped and a task-based organization was needed. The Coast Artillery would alternate between small unit and regimental organization several times over its history. The head of the Artillery Corps became the Chief of Artillery in the rank of brigadier general with jurisdiction over both types of artillery. c. 1901
7298-406: Was mobilized in 1940 and the Reserve units were mobilized in 1942. Most of the reserve regiments not designated as anti-aircraft in 1925 appear to have been disbanded by World War II. Besides new construction at most harbor defenses, the standard anti-aircraft gun was upgraded from the 3-inch gun M3 to the 90 mm gun M1 . Except for the early-war fighting in the Philippines, the anti-aircraft branch
7387-515: Was noted in Chester A. Arthur 's Second Annual Message to Congress where he noted: "I call your attention to the recommendation of the Secretary and the board that authority be given to construct two more cruisers of smaller dimensions and one fleet dispatch vessel , and that appropriations be made for high-power rifled cannon for the torpedo service and for other harbor defenses." In 1885
7476-512: Was sold in 1983. In 1955, at age 26, Charles drafts a land-use plan for a low-density development on timberland at the southern end of Hilton Head Island on which his family held an interest. The following year, Charles E. Fraser, bought his father's interest in The Hilton Head Company and began developing it into Sea Pines Plantation. Joseph Bacon Fraser Joseph Bacon Fraser (July 15, 1895 – March 1, 1971) commanded
7565-476: Was the Coast Artillery's only contribution on the front lines of World War II; almost all mobile heavy artillery overseas was operated by the Field Artillery . Two times a post-1895 military base in the continental United States came under attack were the bombardments of Dutch Harbor , Alaska and Fort Stevens , Oregon by the Imperial Japanese Navy in June 1942. For the former, members of
7654-874: Was the council president from 1948 to 1949 prior to his service in the Korean War. In 1980, a donation was made in memoriam Joseph B Fraser to the Boy Scouts that enabled them to build the Coastal Empire Council Headquarters in Savannah, Georgia. His memberships included the Lions Club of Hinesville, of which he was a charter member; the Oglethorpe Club of Savannah; and the Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons . In Masonry, he
7743-475: Was the principal speaker. A pageant titled "A Charge to Keep," written by Josephine Martin and produced by Corrie McDowell Martin, was presented on the lawn in front of the church in the afternoon. Fraser, like his father, served as Mayor of Hinesville in 1932. He took an active interest in the program of the Boy Scouts of America and was a member of the national council and vice president of region six. He
7832-556: Was to be used jointly by the US Army and the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy ), as well as enabling British forces to be redeployed overseas as there was a tacit agreement the American forces would defend the entire British colony, and not just the US bases. Coastal artillery was a critical requirement at the start of the war. Although Bermuda had been heavily fortified over the previous centuries, and hundreds of artillery pieces had been emplaced, most were hopelessly obsolete. Of
7921-576: Was to have two or three 16-inch or 12-inch long-range batteries, plus 6-inch guns on new mountings with protected magazines, and 90 mm Anti Motor Torpedo Boat (AMTB) guns . Activation of the National Guard and expansion of regular harbor defense regiments to wartime strength resulted in 45,000 troops assigned to this function by fall 1941. Including field artillery units deployed in coast defense, harbor defense forces peaked at 70,000 troops from spring 1942 until mid-1943. In 1943–44, with most of
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