Fort Randolph in
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
was a
Coast Artillery Corps
The U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC) was an Corps#Administrative corps, administrative corps responsible for coastal defence and fortification, coastal, harbor, and anti-aircraft Seacoast defense in the United States, defense of the United S ...
fort built to defend the northern end of the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
in conjunction with
Fort Sherman
Fort Sherman is a former United States Army base in Panama, located on Toro Point at the Caribbean (northern) end of the Panama Canal, on the western bank of the Canal directly opposite Colón (which is on the eastern bank). It was the primary d ...
.
History
Fort Randolph was built on Margarita Island which had been connected to the mainland by a railway causeway, so that the eastern breakwater of
Limon Bay
Limon Bay (''Bahía Limón'' in the original Spanish) is a natural harbor located at the north end of the Panama Canal, west of the cities of Cristóbal and Colón. Ships waiting to enter the canal stay here, protected from storms by breakwaters
...
could be built. Like most of the Panama forts, construction began in 1913 and the breakwater was complete in 1916. The fort itself was completed on 9 April 1920 and named after Major General
Wallace F. Randolph. After
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, emplacements were added for the M1920 railway guns. These emplacements were located east of Battery Tidball.
Fort Randolph
'czimages.com''
Batteries
The following batteries were built on the fort.
* Tidball, four - 12-inch mortars, ( John C. Tidball)
* Zalinski, four - 12-inch mortars
* Webb, two 14-inch Disappearing gun
A disappearing gun, a gun mounted on a ''disappearing carriage'', is an obsolete type of artillery which enabled a gun to hide from direct fire and observation. The overwhelming majority of carriage designs enabled the gun to rotate back ...
* Weed, two 6-inch Disappearing gun
A disappearing gun, a gun mounted on a ''disappearing carriage'', is an obsolete type of artillery which enabled a gun to hide from direct fire and observation. The overwhelming majority of carriage designs enabled the gun to rotate back ...
* four 75-mm guns
* four 155-mm guns
* Two emplacements for the 14-inch M1920 railway guns
See also
* Coastal 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 ...
* List of United States Army installations in Panama
This is a list of United States military installations in Panama, all of which fall within the former Canal zone. The U.S. military installations in Panama were turned over to local authorities by 1999.
Transition phases
In 1903, the Hay–Bunau ...
* Coco Solo
Coco Solo was a United States Navy submarine base and naval air station, active from 1918 to the 1960s.
History
The submarine base at Coco Solo was established May 6, 1918. The site corresponds with modern-day Cativá in Panama. It was on the ...
* Panama Canal Railway
The Panama Canal Railway ( es, Ferrocarril de Panamá) is a railway line linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America. The route stretches across the Isthmus of Panama from Colón (Atlantic) to Balboa (Pacific, near P ...
* Naval Base Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone map
A schematic of the Panama Canal, illustrating the sequence of locks and passages
Naval Base Panama Canal Zone refers to a number of United States Navy bases used during World War II to both protect the Panama Canal and ...
References
External links
Wikimapia map of Fort Randolph
"Gun Train Guards Ends of Panama Canal -- Rolling Fort Crosses Isthmus in Two Hours" ''Popular Mechanics'', December 1934 pp.844-845
excellent drawings in article on the 14-inch M1920 railway gun
{{coord, 9, 23, 4, N, 79, 53, 16, W, display=title, name=Fort Randolph
Closed installations of the United States Army
Military installations of the United States in Panama
Panama Canal