Battery Russell

Oregon State Parks: Fort Stevens Guide to Military Sites

EXPLORING BATTERY RUSSELL

Built in 1904, Battery Russell was a later addition to the large military installation at Fort Stevens. It was built south of the other batteries, facing the ocean, to expand the fort’s network of artillery. Each of Battery Russel’s two 10-inch riffles was manned by a team of 35 men. A well-trained gun crew could fire a 617-pound shell up to 8 miles away, once per minute.

Fire Control Hill and Squirrelville

The dunes south of Battery Russell marked the highest point at Fort Stevens, with a clear view of the ocean and the river. Thus, this was the perfect location to scan the battlefield for enemy vessels. Called Fire Control Hill, this is where orders were coordinated for all guns at Fort Stevens as well as Washington’s Fort Canby and Fort Columbia.

Throughout the 1930s, Battery Russell was the practice battery for the 249th Coast Artillery Regiment with the Oregon National Guard. Only after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 was Battery Russell manned on a regular basis. Because it was about a mile from the main fort, primitive housing was hastily constructed for the gun crews in the wooded area behind the dune. This area was known as “Squirrelville” to the soldiers who were rotated in and out every two weeks.

Attack!

At about 11:30 p.m. on the night of June 21, 1942, an Imperial Japanese Navy submarine surfaced just south of Fort Stevens and began firing shells in the direction of the fort.

Soldiers scrambled out of bed and raced to their posts. They located the submarine by its gun flashes, but were told to hold fire. It’s unclear why the order was given—we can only speculate. Perhaps those on Fire Control Hill thought the sub was beyond the reach of the guns, or the harbor defense commander may have wanted to avoid revealing the precise location of the fort and the extent of its arsenal.

Fortunately, most of the I-25’s shells landed harmlessly in isolated swamp and beach areas, although several did hit near Battery Russell. A regional newspaper at the time said that the sub “peppered the Fort Stevens area… for approximately sixteen minutes” before it ceased firing, submerged, and retreated beneath the waves.

Aftermath

All told, approximately nine shells were fired at Fort Stevens. A monument now marks the site where one of the shells landed along DeLaura Beach Lane, creating a 5-foot crater. Although there were no casualties, and the shelling caused minimal damage to property, it alarmed local residents about the possibility of further attacks or even an invasion.

The attack marked the only wartime action at Fort Stevens. The incident also took on heightened historical significance: it became the first U.S. mainland military base to be fired upon by a foreign power since the War of 1812. It still holds that distinction.

Battery Russell Today

After 40 years of protecting the harbor, Battery Russell fired its last shells on December 1944 in a closing ceremony as it was replaced by the more modern Battery 245 to the northeast. That shot also marked the last time that type of rifle was fired in the U.S.

Today Battery Russell is home to the Pacific Rim Peace Memorial, which is dedicated to the American and Japanese soldiers who were involved in the shelling of Fort Stevens and which calls for an everlasting peace between their two countries.

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