The Decades of derussy: 1910-1920
The initial construction of Battery Randolph finished in 1911, but it took until the summer of 1913 to finish connecting all the electrical and water systems. The below blueprint shows the electrical and water systems for the newly completed battery.
Battery Dudley would finish two years later in 1913. Both batteries received names in honor of recently deceased Army officers. Major Benjamin Randolph was an Artillery officer during the Spanish-American War and Brigadier General Edgar Dudley was a veteran of the American Civil War.
Together both batteries were elemental to the “Ring of Steel” that encircled Oahu. In July 1911, General Macomb explained, “Oahu is to be encircled with a ring of steel, with mortar batteries at Diamond Head, big guns at Waikiki and Pearl Harbor, and a series of redoubts from Koko Head around the island to Waianae.”
The two M1907 14-inch guns and their carriages arrived by ship from Watervliet Arsenal, New York, and Watertown Arsenal, Massachusetts, respectively. Placing the large guns was no easy feat. At 53 tons each, engineers used a floating crane, barges, and once on the beach, various inclines and skids to eventually get the guns in place.
This image shows the floating crane working with barges during the guns transport to Fort DeRussy. USAMH 3553
By 1913, the Battery was ready - complete with two 14’ disappearing gun carriages capable of firing over 10 miles off the coast. The first test firing occurred in November of 1914 under the command of Major Blakely and the 10th Company of the Coast Artillery Corps. Despite warning the local populace, many reported minor damage from the successive concussions. – the worst occurring on Fort DeRussy itself – razing an adjacent military house!
In July 1916, the 10th Coast Artillery Company participated in firing practice with the 14” disappearing carriage guns at Battery Randolph. USAMH 8458
By 1916, the US government acquired nearly all of Fort DeRussy’s 73-acre footprint. In addition to the prominent coastal battery functions, the post’s support infrastructure began taking shape throughout the 1910s. In response, engineers constructed multiple officer and NCO quarters, barracks, and a headquarters building. The headquarters building pictured below, also housed a store and theater to serve the increase of soldiers.
Above is the image of the newly built Headquarters building and post exchange in 1910. USAMH 1557
As construction boomed on post, efforts were also made to increase the recreational opportunities for soldiers.
This diving platform was one example of the efforts made to create more recreational activities for soldiers attached to the various Coastal Artillery batteries. USAMH 1561