Fort Saulsbury (Slaughter Beach and Milford, Delaware)
Slaughter Beach and Milford · Delaware · World War II
History & Significance
Fort Saulsbury represented a major evolution in American coastal defense strategy. Constructed as part of post-World War I modernization, its batteries—Hall and Haslet—each mounted two 12-inch guns on long-range barbette carriages, extending firing range from 18,400 yards to approximately 30,100 yards.
This allowed engagement of enemy vessels far south in the Delaware Bay, effectively replacing Forts Delaware, DuPont, and Mott, which guarded the river near Delaware City. From 1924 to 1943, Fort Saulsbury remained the primary heavy gun defense of the Harbor Defenses of the Delaware.
When Fort Miles was completed in 1941 with 16-inch guns at Cape Henlopen, two of Saulsbury's guns were relocated there in 1943 as Battery 519. The fort proved exceptional in its preservation: while most American long-range 12-inch batteries were casemated in protective concrete during World War II, Fort Saulsbury retained its open gun emplacements in their original state, making it the best-preserved example of this battery type.
During the war, the fort expanded with administrative buildings and housed German and Italian prisoners, who were assigned to local agricultural labor. The site was deactivated in 1946, its guns scrapped, and sold as surplus in 1948. It remains in private ownership with no public access.
Key Facts
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Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Saulsbury
- https://archives.delaware.gov/delaware-historical-markers/fort-saulsbury/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbor_Defenses_of_the_Delaware
- https://delawarecurrents.org/2025/09/29/wwii-defenses-delaware-bay/
- https://www.veteransstoryproject.com/aboutww2