Battery Commander’s Station
After the two 5-inch guns were removed in 1917, an observation station was built over one of the original gun emplacements. This structure, the battery commander’s station for Battery Arnold, was made of reinforced concrete at a cost of $850.00. It was partially concealed by the parapet wall. Power was supplied from the power plant and data transmission was done by telephone.
Second Marker:
Because technologies such as radar and aerial reconnaissance did not exist when Fort Mott was functional, observation stations, like this one and its counterpart at Battery Gregg, were the only means by which the movements of enemy vessels could be observed. The coordinates of a vessel would constantly be relayed from the observation stations to the plotting rooms. In the plotting rooms mathematical calculations were made so the large guns could be accurately aimed before firing. Because an enemy vessel may be within the firing range of all three forts but visible to only one at a given time, observation stations at the forts provided a system network.
Marker can be reached from Fort Mott Road, on the right when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
