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MILITARY RAILROADS
OF THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN AREA:

FORT HANCOCK
Sandy Hook, NJ

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History

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   Fort Hancock was located at the northern most point of Sandy Hook peninsula, New Jersey.

   While this Fort was not truly located in the State of New York, Fort Hancock worked in conjunction with Fort Tilden (Queens), Fort Hamilton (Brooklyn) and Fort Wadsworth (Staten Island) in the protection and defense of the New York Harbor entrance. Therefore, I have included it with other New York Military Railroads.

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   Fort Hancock was first established in 1874 along the north end of the Hook, as a testing facility for new and modified artilliery pieces. The firing range extended 3,000 yards south along the beach, and was known at that time as Sandy Hook Proving Grounds.

   Because of the importance of New York Harbor, Sandy Hook was chosen as the site for America's first concrete gun batteries. Here the Army constructed its first, and only, steam-powered "lift gun battery." This battery, named "Battery Potter", was so named to honor Civil War General Joseph Potter. This emplacement was completed in 1895. On October 30, 1895, the United States War Department designated the fortifications at Sandy Hook, "Fort Hancock"

    In 1898, the formidable coast defenses at Fort Hancock were under construction during the Spanish-American War, with the World War I looming on the horizon, were expanded as well.

   With World War I came the introduction of airplanes and aerial bombing, and therefore the U.S. Army added anti-aircraft guns  (mainly 155 millimeter but other calibers as well) to the existing gun emplacements to protect its coast artillery fortifications from enemy air attack.

   Upon the conclusion of World War II, and the advent of new rocket weaponry; the concept of defending harbors with heavy artillery was obsolete. World War II changed twenty years of military strategy, and with it, Fort Hancock evolved from coastal defense battery to anti-aircraft emplacement.

   Then again in 1954, military weaponry evolved once again, and the Army replaced the anti aircraft artillery with "Nike" ground-to-air defense missiles. Nike Missiles were designed to intercept and destroy fast moving jet aircraft at high altitude, before they reached the metropolitan area. Nike "Hercules" air defense missles were equipped with both conventional or small yield (20 kiloton) nuclear (fission type) warheads to increase effective destruction area and to increase the probability of disabling a majority of a aircraft squadron, as opposed to a single aircraft.

   The introduction of Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM's) totally invalidated the Nike air defense system and in 1972, Fort Hancock was decommissioned and transferred to the National Park Service, where it is now administered to as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.

52nd Railway Artillery Battalion

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   As with the other Forts in this website, very little is known about the specifics of the railroad, but unlike other Forts in the New York Area, it is understood that Fort Hancock was connected to the standard gauge trunkline rail network.

   Internet research has provided information that Fort Hancock was also home to specific elements of the 52nd Railway Artillery Battalion. 

   The following excerpted information comes from www.fortmile.org:

   The 52nd Railway Artillery, Second Battalion; and Third Battalion, Battery E; were relocated to Fort Hancock in 1931. The batteries sent to Fort Hancock would conduct practice operations at Cape May during the Depression era, but would use light poweder charges to prevent the breaking of windows as funding was not available to replace broken windows..

    After 1938, the 52nd Railway Artillery would conduct practice at Camp Henlopen, which was more remote and equipped with a rail network and was remotely located, thereby eliminating the risk of window damage. In October, the units of the 52nd RA at Fort Monroe were deactivated and remaining elements of this unit was reorganized at Fort Hancock, including the 1st Battalion which was inactive since 1922.  

   By May 1943, the headquarters battery of 52nd (stationed at Fort Hancock) was deactivated and personnel absorbed into coast artillery regiments.

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May 27, 1937 - Fort Hancock, NJ
52nd Coast Artillery, Battery C - 12" Railway Mortar
unknown photographer
courtesy of National Park Service
Gateway National Recreation Area Museum Collection

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May 27, 1937 - Fort Hancock, NJ
52nd Coast Artillery, Battery C - 12" Railway Mortar being loaded
unknown photographer
courtesy of National Park Service
Gateway National Recreation Area Museum Collection

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May 27, 1937 - Fort Hancock, NJ
52nd Coast Artillery, Battery C - Battery Commander Station
unknown photographer
courtesy of National Park Service
Gateway National Recreation Area Museum Collection

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May 27, 1937? - Fort Hancock, NJ
52nd Coast Artillery, Battery C - Soldiers in transit to gun emplacements
unknown photographer
courtesy of National Park Service
Gateway National Recreation Area Museum Collection

   A great deal of information about the specifics of the artillery operation at Fort Hancock, can be read in an 1981 interview of Albin Zwiazek conducted by employees of the National Park Service:

Al Zwiazek, 52nd Coast Artillery, (Railway Guns)
Topic: Working on Railway Guns

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Railroad & Locomotives

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   Not much is known as to the extent of the rail network servicing Fort Hancock. Locomotive builders records show locomoitves for both 36 inch and standard gauges.

   The unusual entry on the list below, is the standard gauge 4-6-2 formerly from the Erie Railroad. This locomotive, with the listed size wheel diameter and wheel arrangement was a fast passenger engine. Why it would appear to be used at Fort Hancock, raises several questions.

   But, from viewing images above, it appears that the equipment in those images is standard gauge.

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Fort Hancock Locomotive Roster

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