New England Defenses

Moody Point MR: Difference between revisions

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This reservation included a FC Station and a searchlight near the tower.
Loc. 153 Moody Point was a WWII Fire Control site in Wells ME.[[File:Moody Beach MR 01.jpg|left|frameless]]
[[File:Loc. 153 Moody Point RCW plan.jpg|right|frameless|323x323px]]
A three-story Fire Control Station disguised as a beach cottage was completed in 1943 for $13,230 on a leased .32-acre tract of land. It had one observation post for Battery 103/Seaman at [[Fort Dearborn]] in Rye NH. Optical instruments included two Azimuth Instruments, one on a steel column and the other on a tripod. A false copula was built on the roof for AAIS-OP 12. A wooden building with quarters for the observation crew and searchlight operators was built around the lower two floors of the tower to aid in camouflage. Electric service was provided by the Central Maine Power Co., and a septic tank was built for sewage. Heat was provided by space heaters.  


== FC Station ==
 
This station constructed in late 1943 was originally to be used for Battery 102 at [[Fort Williams]] but the battery was never built so it was used for Battery 103 at [[Fort Dearborn]] in Rye NH. The station was built on a .32 acre tract of land leased by the government and was originally disguised as a beach cottage like many FC Stations. In the 1960s the station was purchased by Garnsey bros. rentals who added the current structure to the tower and decorated it as a lighthouse. The building has been their office since 1965. As of 2022 the station is closed to the public but can be photographed from the outside.<gallery>
In 1965 the station was bought by a real estate firm who demolished the original wooden cottage and modified the concrete tower to appear as a lighthouse. The building still operates as a vacation rental office and there is no public access to the tower. It can be photographed from the road.
File:Moody Beach MR 01.jpg|Moody Beach Station
 
File:Moody Beach MR 12.jpg|Station today
=== SOURCES and REFERENCES ===
File:Moody Beach MR 02.jpg|Rear of Tower
1943 Report of Completed Works
File:Moody Beach MR 07.jpg|Side of Tower
 
File:Moody Beach MR 10.jpg|Observation level
HD Portsmouth Annex 1945
File:Moody Beach Observation Slot.jpg|Original Observation Window 1943
 
</gallery>
[https://cdsg.org Coast Defense Study Group]
 
[https://www.northamericanforts.com/East/New_Hampshire/Towers/Moody_Point.html American Forts Network]
[https://garnsey.com/about-us/ Garnsey Vacation Rentals]
[[Category:Harbor Defenses of Portsmouth]]
[[Category:Harbor Defenses of Portsmouth]]
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