# Fort Getty > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fort_Getty > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fort_Getty.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Getty > Source revision: 1304111484 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox military installation | name = Fort Getty | ensign = | ensign_size = | native_name = | type = Fort | image = 12-inch-M1897-Firing.jpg | caption = 12-inch [disappearing gun](/source/disappearing_gun), similar to those formerly mounted at Fort Getty | image_map = | map_caption = Location in Rhode Island | pushpin_map = Rhode Island | pushpin_relief = | pushpin_map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|41|29|26|N|71|23|56|W|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_footnotes = | partof = | location = [Jamestown](/source/Jamestown%2C_Rhode_Island), [Newport](/source/Newport_County%2C_Rhode_Island), [Rhode Island](/source/Rhode_Island) | nearest_town = | country = [United States](/source/United_States) | ownership = | operator = | open_to_public = | site_area = | built = | used = | builder = | materials = | height = | length = | fate = | condition = | battles = | events = | garrison = | occupants = | website = | footnotes = }} thumb|right|300px|A US coast defense battery with two guns on disappearing carriages, similar to the 12-inch gun battery at Fort Getty. thumb|right|300px|6-inch gun M1900 on barbette (pedestal) carriage M1900, probably at Fort Getty. thumb|right|300px|3-inch M1903 mine defense gun, probably at Fort Getty. '''Fort Getty''' is a town park in [Jamestown, Rhode Island](/source/Jamestown%2C_Rhode_Island), on [Conanicut Island](/source/Conanicut_Island) in [Narragansett Bay](/source/Narragansett_Bay). From 1900 through [World War II](/source/World_War_II) it was a military fort. The Town of Jamestown later received the property and opened it as a park, primarily a campground.[http://www.jamestownri.gov/town-departments/parks-rec/fort-getty Fort Getty at town website]{{Cite web |url=http://www.jamestown-ri.info/jri_recreation.htm |title=Jamestown Park information |access-date=2009-01-12 |archive-date=2020-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214122853/http://www.jamestown-ri.info/jri_recreation.htm |url-status=dead }} ==History== Fort Getty's construction began in 1901 to defend the West Passage of Narragansett Bay as part of the [Coast Defenses of Narragansett Bay](/source/Coast_Defenses_of_Narragansett_Bay) (renamed Harbor Defenses in 1925). The fort was named for Colonel [George W. Getty](/source/George_W._Getty), who had a distinguished career in the [Mexican–American War](/source/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War), [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War), and afterward. The fort's three gun batteries were completed by 1905 but for some reason were not accepted until 1910. They were Battery Tousard with three [12-inch M1900 guns](/source/12-inch_gun_M1900) (305 mm) on [disappearing carriage](/source/disappearing_carriage)s, Battery House with two [6-inch M1900 guns](/source/6-inch_gun_M1900) (152 mm) on pedestal mounts, and Battery Whiting with two [3-inch M1903 guns](/source/3-inch_gun_M1903) (76 mm) on pedestal mounts. Battery Tousard was named for [Louis de Tousard](/source/Louis_de_Tousard), an engineer and artillery officer with much involvement in early American fortifications. Battery House was named for Major General James House, who commanded [Fort Wolcott](/source/Fort_Wolcott) in Newport in 1811. Battery Whiting was named for Levi Whiting, an artillery officer in the War of 1812.[http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Getty FortWiki article on Fort Getty]Berhow, p. 205 Fort Getty went into caretaker status soon after completion, but was garrisoned in [World War I](/source/World_War_I) as a sub-post of [Fort Greble](/source/Fort_Greble_(Rhode_Island)). Early in World War II the fort's location was largely superseded by new defenses centered on [Fort Church](/source/Fort_Church_(Rhode_Island)) and [Fort Greene](/source/Fort_Greene_(Narragansett%2C_Rhode_Island)). In 1942, the 12-inch guns were scrapped, Battery House's 6-inch guns were relocated to [Fort Varnum](/source/Fort_Varnum), and Battery Whiting's 3-inch guns were relocated to [Fort Burnside](/source/Fort_Burnside). The fort became a [prisoner-of-war camp](/source/prisoner-of-war_camp) for German prisoners. However, in 1943 a new Anti-[Motor Torpedo Boat](/source/Motor_Torpedo_Boat) Battery, AMTB 922 with four [90 mm guns](/source/90_mm_Gun_M1%2FM2%2FM3) arrived. Two of the guns were on fixed mounts and two were on towed mounts. In 1948, the fort was disestablished, as were essentially all US coast defenses. ==Visiting today== [Dutch Island](/source/Dutch_Island_(Rhode_Island)), the site of the former [Fort Greble](/source/Fort_Greble_(Rhode_Island)), lies near the fort and is a short boat ride from Fort Getty Park. The park also has facilities for [RVs](/source/RVs). As of 2015, there are 83 seasonal RV sites and 24 tent sites. The gun batteries have been partially buried but portions are still visible. The park has many amenities including a dock at the tip of Beaverhead and a pavilion which is popularly used for birthdays, graduations, and weddings. ==See also== * [Seacoast defense in the United States](/source/Seacoast_defense_in_the_United_States) * [United States Army Coast Artillery Corps](/source/United_States_Army_Coast_Artillery_Corps) ==References== {{reflist}} * {{cite book |editor-last=Berhow |editor-first=Mark A. | title = American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide |edition=Second | publisher = CDSG Press | year = 2004 | isbn = 0-9748167-0-1}} * {{cite book | last = Lewis | first = Emanuel Raymond | title = Seacoast Fortifications of the United States | publisher = Leeward Publications | year = 1979 | location = Annapolis | isbn = 978-0-929521-11-4 }} ==External links== * [http://www.jamestownri.gov/town-departments/parks-rec/fort-getty Fort Getty Contact information] * [http://cdsg.org/fort-and-battery-list/ List of all US coastal forts and batteries] at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website * [http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Wiki FortWiki, lists all CONUS and Canadian forts] {{Forts in Rhode Island}} Category:Installations of the United States Army Category:Parks in Rhode Island Getty Category:Buildings and structures in Newport County, Rhode Island Category:Protected areas of Newport County, Rhode Island Category:Buildings and structures in Jamestown, Rhode Island Category:World War II prisoner-of-war camps in the United States Category:Military installations closed in 1948 Category:Military installations established in 1910 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fort Getty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Getty) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Getty?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.