Some Views of Historic Fort Adams
Fort Adams was built to protect Narragansett Bay and Newport, Rhode Island from attack. While the fortifications never had to fend off a naval and/or land assault, Fort Adams was part of the United States’s defense through World War II and shortly thereafter. In addition to defending Narragansett Bay and Newport from attack and serving as a command post or headquarters for the area’s defenses, troops trained at Fort Adams before going off to war. It could be argued that Fort Adams would have presented an enemy with a significant challenge given that the fort’s weaponry advanced as weapons technology advanced. When the fort first entered service, the artillery was the muzzle-loading artillery of the period. In time, the fort’s garrison would man breech-loading artillery pieces that could fire a massive, explosive shell over twenty miles and anti-aircraft artillery that could down airplanes high over the heads of the defenders.
Below is a link to a comprehensive history of Fort Adams and some photos that I took during my recent Newport vacation. Perhaps next time I will take one or more of the guided tours of the fort such as the tour that takes place in the tunnels beneath the fort.
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