Fort Michie (Southold, New York)

Southold · New York · World War I, World War II

Quick BriefFort Michie, named for First Lieutenant Dennis M. Michie who was killed in Cuba on 1 July 1898 during the Spanish-American War, was a U.S. Army coast artillery post located on Great Gull Island, New York, from 1897 to 1948. It defended the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound as part of the Harbor Defenses of Long Island Sound, protecting Connecticut's ports and the north shore of Long Island, as well as the back entrance to New York City's East River.

Endicott SystemCoastal defense

History & Significance

Fort Michie was built as part of the large-scale Endicott Program, which recommended a comprehensive replacement of existing coast defenses. Construction of the first two Endicott Period gun batteries at Fort Michie began in 1897, with Battery North and Battery Palmer accepted for service on 12 May 1900.

A second set of three batteries was begun in 1902-03 and turned over for service in 1905-08: Battery Benjamin, Battery Maitland, and Battery Pasco. During World War I, the new 16-inch gun M1919, at the time the most powerful weapon in the United States' arsenal, was deployed at Fort Michie on a unique version of the Buffington-Crozier disappearing carriage, with the elevation increased to 30 degrees and a rare all-around-fire emplacement.

Initially, Fort Michie housed a small thirty-man unit but was expanded by World War I to house approximately 135 men. During World War II, numerous temporary buildings were constructed in early 1941 due to the need for a garrison of almost 500 men.

In 1946 Fort Michie was disarmed and all its guns scrapped; it was abandoned in 1948. The American Museum of Natural History is the current owner, using the island as an educational research facility and a bird sanctuary to investigate the common and roseate tern population.