6.22.2004
A Japanese Submarine Shells Fort Stevens At The Mouth Of The Columbia River.
From Today in Military History
On the night of June 21, 1942, the Fort was the target of a Japanese submarine which fired 17 shells in the vicinity of the Fort. The shelling caused no damage and Fort Stevens did not return fire.
Named for General Isaac Stevens, the first governor of Washington Territory, the fort was one of three at the mouth of the Columbia River. Forts Canby and Columbia were on the Washington side.
They were built to protect the mouth of the Columbia River in case the British should join the Civil War on the Confederate side.
In 1897, the fort was included in a program to beef up coastal and harbor defenses nationwide, adding eight concrete gun batteries with mortars and long- and short-range guns. Shortly after World War II, Fort Stevens was deactivated as a military fort. By 1947, all of the guns were removed.
Fort Stevens is now an Oregon state park, with the state's largest campground
On the night of June 21, 1942, the Fort was the target of a Japanese submarine which fired 17 shells in the vicinity of the Fort. The shelling caused no damage and Fort Stevens did not return fire.
Named for General Isaac Stevens, the first governor of Washington Territory, the fort was one of three at the mouth of the Columbia River. Forts Canby and Columbia were on the Washington side.
They were built to protect the mouth of the Columbia River in case the British should join the Civil War on the Confederate side.
In 1897, the fort was included in a program to beef up coastal and harbor defenses nationwide, adding eight concrete gun batteries with mortars and long- and short-range guns. Shortly after World War II, Fort Stevens was deactivated as a military fort. By 1947, all of the guns were removed.
Fort Stevens is now an Oregon state park, with the state's largest campground
# posted by Frank_D @ 08:55 
