Base-End Stations, or fire-control towers, were used from 1900 to the end of WWII. They were used to watch for enemy ships and towers, adjust the aim for coastal batteries and watch when the batteries fired and call in corrections to the plotting room. By the end of WWII, base-end stations were becoming obsolete due to advances in radar.
Built in April of 1944, the Appledore Island Base-End Station (location 141 site 1A) was a seven story square reinforced concrete building that stood over fifty feet tall. The fifth story was used for Battery Barry at Fort Dearborn (station designation B3/1 S3/1), the sixth story was going to be used for Battery Curtis at Fort Foster (station designation B2/6 S2/6), the seventh story was used for Battery Seaman at Fort Dearborn (station designation B7/2 S7/2) and the roof was used for anti aircraft purposes (station designation AAIS OP 6). The 7th story also had a depression rangefinder and the roof had a SCR-296A fire-control radar. The tower still exists but is on private property and there is no public admittance. Also built on Appledore Island were Army barracks (location 141 site 1B), a Navy Magnetic Indicator Loop Station, two searchlights (positions 6 and 7) and, built in 1943, an Army Crib Wharf and Pier. Magnetic Loop Indicators were cables laid on the ocean floor to detect submarines passing. The cables were laid from Sisters Point, Kittery, Maine, to Appledore Island, Kittery, Maine to Rye Ledge, Rye, NH. The Crib Wharf and Pier was destroyed in 1947 in a storm. No other buildings still exist. Tours of Appledore Island are available through UNH Marine Docents. Tour information is available on their site.
Finished in April of 1944 the Bald Head Cliff Base-End Station (location 152) consisted of a three story square reinforced concrete tower and an attached two story wooden cottage. The tower was used for Battery Seaman at Fort Dearborn (station designation B12/2 S 12/2) and the roof was used for anti-aircraft purposes (station designation AAIS OP 11). There was one searchlight (position 19) located here as well. The tower was destroyed in 1964 and there are no remains.
Built in September of 1943 the Cape Neddick Base-End Station (location 151) was a two story square reinforced concrete tower with an attached wooden cottage that served as barracks. The first floor was for Battery Seaman at Fort Dearborn (station designation B11/2 S11/2), the second floor was going to be used for Battery Curtis at Fort Foster (station designation B6/6 S6/6) and the roof was used for anti-aircraft purposes (station designation AAIS OP 10). There was also a wooden building built to look like a garage that was a fire control switch board building. Two searchlights (positions 17 and 18) were located on-site. Also on site was a wooden US Coast Guard Watch tower on concrete footings to watch for enemies trying to beach. The watchtower was built in 1941 and was deactivated in 1945. The concrete footings for the watchtower still exist and the base-end station has been turned into a house but is private property and there is no public admittance.
Finished in January of 1944 the Castle Hill Base-End Station (location 137) was a two story wooden cottage with a reinforced concrete tower built inside the center of it to hide the purpose of the building on the Crane Estate. The tower served both Portsmouth Harbor Defense Command and Boston Harbor Defense Command and featured a side-by-side observation deck that was used for Battery Murphy at Fort Ruckman (station designation B10/16 S10/16) and Battery Seaman at Fort Dearborn (station designation B2/2 S2/2) and featured a depression range-finder. The roof was used for anti-aircraft purposes (station designation AAIS OP1). The tower and building were demolished right after the war by the owner of the property and no remains still exist.
Finished in September of 1943, Gelaspus Point Base-End Station (location 154) was a five story square reinforced concrete tower with a steeple on top and attached barracks. The top level was used for Battery Seaman at Fort Dearborn (station designation B14/2 S14/2) and the roof was used for anti-aircraft purposes (station designation AAIS OP 13). The top level had a depression rangefinder as well. The station was intended to be six stories and also to be used for Battery 101 at Fort Williams, which was under the Portland Harbor Defense. Battery 101 was never built and the tower design was modified before it was built. The tower was destroyed around 1950 by the owners.
Completed in April of 1943, Great Boars Head Base-End Station (location 138) was a six story square reinforced concrete tower attached to a wooden residence. The fifth story was used for Battery Seaman at Fort Dearborn (station designation B5/2 S5/2), the sixth story was used for Battery Barry at Fort Dearborn (station designation B1/1 S1/1) and the roof was used for anti-aircraft purposes (station designation AAIS OP 4). There was a depression rangefinder located on the sixth story. In August of 1952 an SCR-784 experimental fire-control radar was installed on the roof of the tower and remained there until 1960. There was one searchlight (position 1) located on-site. The tower still exists and is now a private residence. There is no public admittance.
Built in 1944, the Halibut Point Base-End Station (location 136) was a five story reinforced square concrete tower with a steeple on top and wooden barracks attached. It was a combined base-end station for Portsmouth Harbor Defense Command and Boston Harbor Defense Command. The third floor was used for Battery Seaman at Fort Dearborn (station designation B1/2 S1/2), the fourth floor was used for Boston Harbor Command (station designation C2 OP4) and Boston Harbor Gun Group 2 and had a depression range-finder, the fifth floor was used for Battery Murphy at Fort Ruckman (station designation B9/16 S9/16) and the roof was used for anti-aircraft purposes (station designation AAIS OP 18). The steeple on the roof was replaced with a SCR-548 harbor defense radar. After the war the site was used in the 1950s for government radar testing. Also on site were two searchlights (Boston positions 29 and 30). The tower and barracks still stand and are now the visitors center and park headquarters for Halibut State Park and are open for public admittance.
Built in September of 1943 the Moody Point Base-End Station (location 153) was a three story square reinforced concrete tower with a two story wooden cottage attached. The third floor was used for Battery Seaman at Fort Dearborn (station designation B13/2 S13/2) and the roof was used for anti-aircraft purposes (station designation AAIS OP 12). There was also a searchlight (position 20) on site. The wooden cottage has been destroyed the tower still exists and has been turned into a real estate office. It is private property and there is no public admittance.
Finished in October of 1943, the Plum Island Base-End Station (location 137A) was a one level 14 foot high square reinforced concrete building. It was used for Battery Seaman at Fort Dearborn (station designation B3/2 S3/2) and for anti-aircraft purposes (station designation AAIS OP2). The building no longer exists. It was blown up in the 1950s by the Massachusettes National Guard. Pieces of the building still litter the beach.
See the page for Fort Dearborn.
Completed in July of 1943, Rye Ledge Base-End Station (location 139) was a three floor square reinforced concrete tower with a two story wooden house attached. The bottom level was used for Battery Barry at Fort Dearborn (station designation B2/1 S2/1), the middle level was used for Battery Seaman at Fort Dearborn (station designation B6/2 S6/2) and the top was going to be used for Battery Curtis at Fort Foster (station designation B1/6 S1/6). The roof was used for anti-aircraft purposes (station designation AAIS OP 5). There were also two searchlights (positions 2 and 3) located on-site. The tower and house were turned into a private residence and was destroyed in 2007.
In May of 1942 a temporary intallation was set up consisting of four 155mm rapid-fire M1918M1 guns with 240" barrels on M1918M1 tractor drawn mobile carriages that were installed on concrete Panama mounts (location 137B site 1B) and were under the control of Boston Harbor Command. A nearby church steeple was used as the observation post for the 155mm battery. The guns were removed in 1943. Finished in October of 1943 Salisbury Beach Base-End Station (location 137B site 1A) was a three story square reinforced concrete tower with a two and one-half story wooden cottage. The tower was used for Battery Seaman at Fort Dearborn (station designation B4/2 S4/2) and had a fire-control switchboard room. The roof was used for anti-aircraft purposes (station designation AAIS OP 3). There were also barracks, a mess hall, headquarters, a latrine, a battery commander's station and two portable searchlights at the installation. The tower was destroyed by a hurricane in 1958 and the last remains to be seen were the concrete panama mounts, which all appear to buried in the sand now.
Built in 1943, Seal Head Base-End Station (location 150) was a three story square reinforced concrete tower with a two story wooden cottage. The bottom level was used for Battery Seaman at Fort Dearborn (station designation B10/2 S10/2), the middle level was to be used for Battery Curtis at Fort Foster (station designation B5/6 S5/6) and the top level was used for Battery Barry at Fort Dearborn (station designation B6/1 S6/1). The roof was used for anti-aircraft purposes (station designation AAIS OP 9). There were also two searchlights (positions 15 and 16) located here. The tower was destroyed around 1980.
In 1937, the SCR-268 radar had been developed by the Signal Corps which did well in tests and was implemented as a fire-control, searchlight positioning and early warning radar. By the end of WWII advancing technology in radar was removing the need for base-end stations for fire-control and spotting.
Built in June of 1943 the Concord Point Radar station consisted of an SCR-296 fire-control radar (location 139B) in a wood enclosure on top of a 100 foot steel tower. An existing cottage at the site was turned into a combined use building used as a radar operating room and as barracks for the site. The tower is gone but the cottage still exists today. The cottage is on private property and there is no public admittance.
The site consisted of an SCR-271 AA fire control and early warning radar, an AA spotting station, barracks that were built in 1942 and other supply buildings. In 1918 a wooden U.S. Forest Service fire spotting tower was built. In 1934 the wooden tower was replaced with a 50 foot steel fire spotting tower. In 1945 a fire destroyed the entire compound. All that remains are the concrete footings for the radar tower.
The Ragged Neck Point Radar Station featured a mobile SCR-268 searchlight, AA fire control and early warning radar (location 139A) and two 60" searchlights on portable steel towers (postions 4 and 5). A stone breakwater was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1939. The breakwater still exists but no other remains exist at the present day.
Watchtowers were used by the U.S. Coast Guard to watch for enemy spies or soldiers coming ashore. The watchtowers were manned twenty four hours a day by armed men.
Built in 1941 a wooden watchtower on concrete footings which was used by the U.S. Coast Guard to watch for enemies coming ashore. The tower was deactivated in 1945 and there are no remains of it.