The 248th Coast Artillery Regiment was a
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 ...
regiment in the
Washington National Guard
The Washington National Guard is one of the four elements of the State of Washington's Washington Military Department and a component of the National Guard of the United States. It is headquartered at Camp Murray, Washington and is defined by ...
. Including its predecessor battalion, it garrisoned the
Harbor Defenses of Puget Sound
A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...
(HD Puget Sound), Washington 1924–1944.
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]
History
The 248th Coast Artillery was organized as a battalion 1 May 1924 as the Washington National Guard component of the Harbor Defenses of Puget Sound
A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...
(HD Puget Sound), Washington. The 14th Coast Artillery was the Regular Army
A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following:
* a standin ...
component of those defenses.[Gaines Regular Army, p. 11] The 248th's primary armory was in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Pa ...
. In May 1944 the regiment was inactivated.[
Organized as a battalion 1 May 1924 by redesignating the 1st Battalion, 248th Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps, Washington National Guard as the 1st Battalion, 248th Coast Artillery (Harbor Defense) (HD). Redesignated as the 248th Coast Artillery (HD) Battalion 1 October 1933. Expanded to a regiment and redesignated as the 248th Coast Artillery (HD) Regiment 1 September 1935.][
On 16 September 1940 the regiment was inducted into federal service at Tacoma, Washington and moved to ]Fort Worden
Fort Worden Historical State Park is located in Port Townsend, Washington, on originally known as Fort Worden, a United States Army Coast Artillery Corps base constructed to protect Puget Sound from invasion by sea. Fort Worden was named after U ...
in HD Puget Sound 23 September 1940.[ On induction the unit was filled out by redesignating Washington National Guard elements of the ]148th Field Artillery Regiment
The 148th Field Artillery Regiment is a Field Artillery Branch regiment of the Army National Guard.
History
World War I
The 148th Field Artillery was organized on 29 September 1917 by General Order 2, Headquarters 41st Division at Greene, Nor ...
, which made up over half of the 248th.Camp Barkeley
Camp Barkeley was a large United States Army training installation during World War II. The base was located southwest of Abilene, Texas near what is now Dyess Air Force Base. The base was named after David B. Barkley, a Medal of Honor recipient ...
, Texas where inactivated 8 May 1944.[Stanton, p. 471]
See also
* Seacoast defense in the United States
Seacoast defense was a major concern for the United States from its independence until World War II. Before airplanes, many of America's enemies could only reach it from the sea, making coastal forts an economical alternative to standing armies o ...
* 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 ...
* Harbor Defense Command A Harbor Defense Command was a military organization of the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps designated in 1925 from predecessor organizations dating from circa 1895. It consisted of the forts, controlled underwater minefields, and other c ...
References
Bibliography
*
Gaines, William C., Historical Sketches Coast Artillery Regiments 1917-1950, National Guard Army Regiments 197-265
Gaines, William C., Coast Artillery Organizational History, 1917-1950, ''Coast Defense Journal'', vol. 23, issue 2 (Regular Army regiments)
*
*
External links
Historical sketches of 205th CA (AA) and 248th CA (HD) at Washington Military Dept website
Map of Harbor Defenses of Puget Sound at FortWiki.com
Harbor Defenses of Puget Sound at the Coast Defense Study Group website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:248
Coast artillery regiments of the United States Army
Military units and formations in Washington (state)
Military units and formations established in 1924
Military units and formations disestablished in 1944
1924 establishments in Washington (state)
1944 disestablishments in Texas