Talk:Fort Worden

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Current use of the state park section is very light; someone more knowledgeable than me might want to talk about the conference center, Centrum, and the officer's quarters. North Madison 00:51, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

The map is incorrect as it shows a map of Ohio and Fort Worden is in the state of Washington. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.88.164.245 (talk) 15:53, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

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Port Townsend in the context of preparation for war with Britain during the Spanish-American War.

....Constructed between 1898 and 1920, Fort Worden was the only post built according to the precepts of the Endicott Board on land that was already occupied by an older fortification, and it was one of the largest Endicott system forts to be built. It was also the only one within range of a potential (if unlikely) enemy fortification, a British military post on Vancouver Island in Canada.[4]

Not sure why Victoria is only a "British military post" rather than the site of a major Royal Navy base (Esquimalt, where the RN was until 1905 and remains the only major Canadian naval base on the West Coast). And "within range" is that meaning artillery? I'm not aware of the artillery distance, though I seem to recall San Juan Island is within artillery range of Victoria (and vice-versa) so I guess Port Townsend might be too. If not within artillery range of Esquimalt though maybe Foul Bay-Oak Bay (on Victoria's eastern/southeastern shores) is it within striking range of a landing by marines that's meant? Of Vancouver Island, I mean?

Though there were plenty of RN sailors in Victoria there were few Royal Marines. And if Port Townsend were to come under bombardment by the British, it would have been from Royal Navy warships, not artillery from Vancouver Island.

That 1898 date is notable, because I'm here to comment that I'd read in a book on sea monsters (!) that Port Townsend's fortification were built during the Spanish-American War in preparation for a possible war with Britain (over the Alaska Boundary as the pretext....there's a mural in the AMNH in NYC that says TE Roosevelt in whatever capacity he had during the dispute threatened to invade and annex British Columbia if the US didn't get its way).

Apparently in the year or two after the fortification was built, the men manning it were surprised and shocked to see a 100'+ long sea serpent offshore. It was in a big book in the Victoria Public Library, sorry I don't know the author or source... must be in the historical local papers I'd think.

The context of possible war with Britain is all over US fortifications along (what is now) the Canadian border since Fort Steilacoom in 1849 and others; ... though the border is largely undefended bases of both Canada and the US mostly line the border; there used to be CFB Chilliwack and CFB Jericho and others, now there's pretty much only CFBs Esquimalt and Comox.

I know this isn't the place for commentary, just noting the existence of a larger geopolitical context and also identifying that "unlikely" "British military fortication" within range", and querying what is meant by "unlikely" and also "within range" [using what? Artillery or marines and whose?).

And though its armaments were removed in the early '20s that's exactly when War Plan Red went on the books and started developing a plan to invade Canada and build troops along the border in preparation. Fort Drum in New York is the one featured in the documentaries on YouTube, but I'll be those training exercises mentioned in this article after the removal of its armaments had to do with War Plan Red preparations. I note that Fort Lewis was also established in the same area if not right by the border like Fort Drum is - but other than prepping for War Plan Red, given the lack of animosities with Japan at the time, or Russia, what other reason would the US have had to build a huge base with divisions full of marines if not to invade British Columbia when War Plan Red was activated? Manoeuvres and training at Fort Worden and other US fortifications around Puget Sound in the '20s and '30s would have all been in the context of prep for War Plan Red. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.55.69.14 (talk) 22:50, 15 July 2018 (UTC)