The 11th Coast Artillery was a

coast artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...

regiment in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, first constituted in the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...

on 27 February 1924. It primarily served as the Regular Army component of the

Harbor Defenses of Long Island Sound The Harbor Defenses of Long Island Sound was a United States Army Coast Artillery Corps harbor defense command. It coordinated the coast defenses of Long Island Sound and Connecticut from 1895 to 1950, beginning with the Endicott program. These ...

(HD Long Island Sound), New York from 1924 through 1944, when it was relieved and disbanded as part of an Army-wide reorganization.Stanton, p. 456

Lineage

Constituted 27 February 1924 as the 11th Artillery (CAC) and organized 1 July 1924 at

Fort H.G. Wright Fort H. G. Wright was a United States military installation on Fishers Island in the town of Southold, New York, just two miles off the coast of southeastern Connecticut, but technically in New York. It was part of the Harbor Defenses of Long Isla ...

Fishers Island Fishers Island (Pequot: ''Munnawtawkit'') is an island that is part of Southold, New York, United States at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, off the southeastern coast of Connecticut across Fishers Island Sound. About long and wide, it i ...

, New York from the following companies:Gaines, p. 9 * HHB from 133rd Company (activated) * A Battery from 135th Company * B Battery from 141st Company * C Battery from 148th Company * D Battery from 157th Company * E Battery from 161st Company * F Battery from 175th Company * G Battery from 100th Company (activated) * H battery from 131st Company (activated) * I battery from 132nd Company (activated) * K Battery from 146th Company (activated) The regiment was posted at Fort H.G. Wright and provided caretaking detachments for

Fort Terry Fort Terry was a coastal fortification on Plum Island, a small island just off Orient Point, New York, United States. This strategic position afforded it a commanding view over the Atlantic entrance to the commercially vital Long Island Sound. ...

and

Fort Michie Fort Michie was a United States Army coastal defense site on Great Gull Island, New York. Along with Fort H. G. Wright, Fort Terry, and Camp Hero, it defended the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound as part of the Harbor Defenses of Long Isla ...

, both on islands in the

. The 242nd Coast Artillery was the

Connecticut National Guard The Connecticut Military Department is a state agency of the government of Connecticut. Its primary components are the Connecticut Army National Guard, the Connecticut Air National Guard, and four companies of the state militia. The Military Depa ...

component of those defenses. Live fire practice with heavy guns for other coast artillery units in and near New England was carried out at Fort H.G. Wright, hence the relatively large number of batteries active in peacetime. On 1 September 1935 the regiment was reorganized from Type A to Type B. Batteries G, H, I, and K were deactivated and personnel transferred to HHB 1st Battalion and A, B, and C batteries. * 2nd Battalion HHB and batteries D and E activated 1 July 1939 at Fort H.G. Wright. * Battery F activated 1 August 1940. * Battery G activated as searchlight battery 10 February 1941. Regimental assets absorbed by HD Long Island Sound and HHB assigned to XXII Corps 23 February 1944. HHB transferred to

Fort Leonard Wood Fort Leonard Wood is a U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of The City of St. Robert. The post was created in December 1940 and named in honor of General Leonard Woo ...

14 March 1944, inactivated 7 April 1944; regiment disbanded 14 June 1944. Personnel were reassigned to three field artillery battalions. * Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 11th Coast Artillery, reconstituted 28 June 1950 in the Regular Army; concurrently consolidated with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 11th Antiaircraft Artillery Group (active), and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 11th Antiaircraft Artillery Group. (see 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade for further lineage.)Lineage of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Dept of the Army
/ref>

Distinctive unit insignia

* Description A Gold color metal and enamel device in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Gules a bend cottised Or between in sinister chief a triangle voided point up Argent and in dexter base a fleur-de-lis of the second. Attached above the shield on a wreath Or and Gules an osprey’s head of the third. Attached below and to the sides of the shield a Gold scroll inscribed "AUDAX ET VIGILANS" in Black letters. * Symbolism The shield is that of the old 56th Artillery, C.A.C., of which three batteries of the 11th Coast Artillery were a part; Headquarters, A, and C Batteries. The silver triangle was the insignia for the 56th Artillery in France. The fleur-delis was taken from the coat of arms of the old Province of Ile de France, where the regiment first went into action. The crest is taken from the old Coast Defenses of Long Island Sound. The motto translates to "Daring and Vigilant" and is applicable to a Coast Artillery Regiment and is quite symbolic of the fish hawk or

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

, which is a very daring and vigilant bird. * Background The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 11th Coast Artillery Regiment on 11 November 1924. It was redesignated for the 11th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion on 8 August 1951. The insignia was redesignated for the 11th Antiaircraft Artillery Missile Battalion on 31 August 1956.

Coat of arms

Blazon

* Shield Gules a bend cottised Or between in sinister chief a triangle voided point up Argent and in dexter base a fleur-de-lis of the second. * Crest On a wreath of the colors Or and Gules, an osprey’s head erased Proper. Motto: AUDAX ET VIGILANS (Daring and Vigilant).

Symbolism

* Shield The shield is that of the old 56th Artillery, C.A.C., of which three batteries of the 11th Coast Artillery were a part, Headquarters A and C Batteries. The silver triangle was the insignia for the 56th Artillery in France. The fleur-delis was taken from the coat of arms of the old Province of Ile de France, where the regiment first went into action. * Crest The crest is taken from the old Coast Defenses of Long Island Sound. The motto is applicable to a Coast Artillery Regiment and is quite symbolic of the fish hawk or

, which is a very daring and vigilant bird.

Background

The coat of arms was originally approved for the 11th Coast Artillery Regiment on 1 November 1924. It was redesignated for the 11th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion on 8 August 1951. The insignia was redesignated for the 11th Antiaircraft Artillery Missile Battalion on 31 August 1956.

References

*
''Coast Artillery Journal'', February 1927, pp. 165-166

Gaines, William C., Coast Artillery Organizational History, 1917-1950, ''Coast Defense Journal'', vol. 23, issue 2 (Regular Army regiments)

Gaines, William C., Historical Sketches Coast Artillery Regiments 1917-1950, National Guard Army Regiments 197-265
* * (dead link 14 September 2017)

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:011

011 The following is a list of different international call prefixes that need to be dialled when placing an international telephone call from different countries. Countries by international prefix Countries using optional carrier selection cod ...

Military units and formations in New York (state) Long Island Sound Military units and formations established in 1924 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944