Editing Fort Hughes

{{Short description|WW2-era fort in the Philippines}}
{{about|the coastal fort in the Philippines|other locations|Fort Hughes (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox military installation
|name=Fort Hughes
|native_name=Caballo Island, [[Philippines]] 
|image=Map of Corregidor 1941.jpg
|image_size=260px
|caption=Manila Bay forts in WWII (inset)
|partof = [[Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays]]
|location =
|type=
|built=completed 1914
|builder=[[United States Army Corps of Engineers]]
|materials=
|used=
|controlledby=United States
|garrison=*[[59th Coast Artillery (United States)|59th Coast Artillery]]
*[[91st Coast Artillery (United States)|91st Coast Artillery]]
*[[92nd Coast Artillery (United States)|92nd Coast Artillery]]

|commanders=
|battles=*[[Philippines campaign (1941–1942)]]
*[[Philippines Campaign (1944–1945)]]
}}

'''Fort Hughes''' was built by the [[Philippine Department]] of the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] on [[Caballo Island]] in the [[Philippines]] in the early 1900s.<ref name=AFN1>{{cite web|url=http://www.northamericanforts.com/West/pi.html |title=Forts in the Philippines at American Forts Network|website=www.northamericanforts.com|accessdate=13 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdsg.org/the-harbor-defenses-of-manila-and-subic-bays-the-philippines/|title= Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays at the Coast Defense Study Group|website=www.cdsg.org|date= 24 May 2016|accessdate=13 March 2022}}</ref> The fort, which part of the [[Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays]], was named for Major General [[Robert Patterson Hughes]], a veteran of the American Civil War, Spanish–American War, and the Philippine–American War.<ref name=CorrNames1>[http://corregidor.org/btty_histories/control/names_text.htm Fort and Battery Names in the Philippines at Corregidor.org]</ref>

==History==
===Spanish–American War===
A Spanish battery of three [[BL 6 inch gun Mk II – VI|{{convert|6|in|0|adj=on}} naval guns]] from the Spanish navy cruiser ''[[Spanish cruiser Velasco|Velasco]]'' was on the eastern end of the island in 1898, but was not engaged in the Battle of Manila Bay.<ref name=AFN1/>

===Construction===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-12860, San Diego, Küstenverteidigungsgeschütz.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Fort Hughes was armed with {{convert|14|in|0|adj=on}} [[14-inch gun M1907|M1910 guns]] like these shown firing at [[Fort MacArthur]], San Pedro, California in 1931.<ref>''Coast Defense Journal'', Vol. 31, Issue 2, May 2017</ref>]]
[[File:Fort Greble, R.I. (4515412788).jpg|thumb|260px|right|The fort had several {{convert|12|in|0|adj=on}} [[12-inch coast defense mortar|mortars]] sited at Battery Craighill]]
The initial construction on Fort Hughes was largely complete by 1914 except the mortar battery, completed in 1919. The initial gun batteries were:<ref>Berhow 2015, p. 222</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
!Name
!No. of guns
!Gun type
!Carriage type
!Years active 
|-
|Gillespie||1||[[14-inch gun M1910|{{convert|14|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1910]]||[[disappearing gun|disappearing]] M1907||1914-1942
|-
|Woodruff||1||{{convert|14|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1910||disappearing M1907||1914-1942
|-
|Craighill||4||[[12-inch coast defense mortar|{{convert|12|in|0|adj=on}} mortar]] M1912||[[barbette]] M1896MIII||1919-1942
|-
|Leach||2||[[6-inch gun M1908|{{convert|6|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1908]]||disappearing M1905||1914-1942
|-
|Fuger||2||[[3-inch gun M1903|{{convert|3|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1903]]||pedestal M1903||1914-1942
|-
|}

Circa 1940 an [[antiaircraft]] battery of four [[3-inch Gun M1918|{{convert|3|in|0|adj=on}} guns]] on mobile mounts was added on the eastern end of the island, known as Battery Idaho.<ref name=Idaho1>[http://corregidor.org/btty_histories/control/idaho_text.htm Battery Idaho at Corregidor.org]</ref> During 1941 Battery Williams was built, with three [[155 mm gun M1918|{{convert|155|mm|1|abbr=on}} mobile guns]] on concrete "[[Panama mount]]s".<ref>[http://corregidor.org/btty_histories/control/william_text.htm Battery William at Corregidor.org]</ref><ref name=CorrNames1/> At some time after the commencement of hostilities in December 1941, one of these guns was detached as Battery Hooker.<ref>[http://corregidor.org/btty_histories/control/hooker_text.htm Battery Hooker at Corregidor.org]</ref>

Battery Gillespie was named for Major General [[George Lewis Gillespie Jr.]], [[Chief of Engineers]] 1901–1903. Battery Woodruff was named for Brigadier General [[Carle Augustus Woodruff]], a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.
Battery Craighill was named for Brigadier General [[William Price Craighill]], Chief of Engineers 1895–1897. Battery Leach was named for Colonel Smith Stallard Leach, an engineer officer.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Heitman | first1 = Francis B. | title = Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, 1789-1903, Vol. 1 | page = 621 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iIUiAAAAMAAJ&q=5th%20coast%20artillery | location = Washington, DC | publisher = Government Printing Office | year = 1903 }}</ref> Battery Fuger was named for Lt. Col. [[Frederick Füger]], a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient. Battery Williams was named for 1st. Lt. George R. Williams, a Philippine Scouts officer killed at Abucay, Bataan in January 1942.<ref name=CorrNames1/> Battery Idaho was named for the state of Idaho; the anti-aircraft batteries had US place names corresponding to which battery was manning them, in this case Battery I of the 59th Coast Artillery.<ref name=Idaho1/><ref>Morton, p. 480</ref>

===World War II===
Fort Hughes was occupied by Japanese forces after their [[Philippines campaign (1941–1942)|conquest of the Philippines]]. The fort was surrendered along with Corregidor and all other US and Filipino forces in the islands on 6 May 1942. The fort's garrison executed destruction procedures on their guns prior to their surrender and the Japanese occupation. The Japanese were able to salvage the 3-inch guns of Battery Fuger and redeploy them at the [[Malinta Tunnel]] on [[Corregidor]]. Also, Battery Idaho's four AA guns were redeployed to [[Clark Field]].<ref name=AFN1/>

American forces retook the fort from the Japanese during the [[Philippines Campaign (1944–1945)|liberation of the Philippines in 1945]], beginning on 27 March 1945. The 2nd Battalion, [[151st Infantry Regiment (United States)|151st Infantry Regiment]] and other elements of the [[38th Infantry Division (United States)|38th Infantry Division]] amphibiously assaulted the island, following a brief but intense air and naval bombardment. Additional fire support came from the 163rd [[Field Artillery]] Battalion ([[105 mm Howitzer M2|105 mm howitzers]]) on [[Corregidor]].<ref name=RockForce1>{{Cite web |url=http://rockforce.org/rock_force/rf_contents.html |title=List of Rock Force units at Rockforce.org |access-date=2018-03-25 |archive-date=2016-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126235450/http://rockforce.org/rock_force/rf_contents.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Japanese had prepared positions around the batteries and were able to shelter in the tunnels. Initial assaults were unsuccessful; the terrain was such that tanks could not bring their guns to bear on the Japanese positions. On 31 March an attempt was made to burn out the defenders by pouring diesel fuel down the only vent shaft accessible to the Americans. However, this did not work, as the diesel fuel could not be delivered up the sides of the battery fast enough. The commander of the 113th Engineer Battalion devised a solution using two diesel-filled [[Float (nautical)|pontoon]] cubes from the naval forces and a pump and flex hose from the air forces. On 5 April over {{convert|2500|gal|L}} of diesel fuel were pumped down the vent shaft and ignited using [[White phosphorus munitions|white phosphorus]] mortar rounds. This was repeated twice more on 6 and 7 April, followed by two demolition charges. The next few days were occupied with probing infantry attacks and attempts to persuade the surviving Japanese to surrender. On 13 April the last defender was killed and the fort was reclaimed.<ref>Smith, pp. 352-354</ref>

==Present==
Both 14-inch guns and carriages and the 12-inch mortars remain in place. Battery Leach was destroyed in the recapture operation, but one 6-inch gun barrel remains. One Japanese 120&nbsp;mm gun is also on the island. The island was turned over to Filipino forces in 1946, and as of 2012 was a [[Philippine Navy]] ammunition depot.<ref name=AFN1/><ref>Berhow 2015, pp. 232-236</ref><ref>[http://cdsg.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/CDSG/CDSG%20WEBSITE%20UPDATES/CDSG%20Downloads/survive14.pdf Surviving American Seacoast Artillery Weapons, July 2014 at the Coast Defense Study Group]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays]]
*[[Geography of the Philippines]]
*[[Military History of the Philippines]]
*[[Military History of the United States]]
* [[Seacoast defense in the United States]]
* [[United States Army Coast Artillery Corps]]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Berhow |editor-first=Mark A. | title = American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide |edition=Third | page = 222 | location = McLean, Virginia | publisher = CDSG Press | year = 2015 | isbn = 978-0-9748167-3-9}}
* {{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 }}
* {{cite book |last1=McGovern |first1=Terrance |last2=Berhow |first2=Mark A. |title=American Defenses of Corregidor and Manila Bay 1898-1945 (Fortress, 4) |publisher=Osprey Publishing (UK) |year=2003 |isbn=1-84176-427-2 }}
* {{cite book | last = Morton | first = Louis | year = 1953 | title = The Fall of the Philippines | series = U.S. Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific | publisher = [[United States Army Center of Military History]] | location = Washington, D.C. | id = CMH Pub 5-2 | url = http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/5-2/5-2_Contents.htm | ref = {{sfnRef|Morton}} | access-date = 2018-03-17 | archive-date = 2012-01-08 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120108061554/http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/5-2/5-2_Contents.htm | url-status = dead }}
* {{cite book | last = Smith | first = Robert Ross | year = 1993 | orig-year = 1963 | title = Triumph in the Philippines | series = U.S. Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific | publisher = [[United States Army Center of Military History]] | location = Washington, D.C. | id = CMH Pub 5-10-1 | url = https://history.army.mil/html/books/005/5-10-1/CMH_Pub_5-10-1.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120927073909/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/005/5-10-1/CMH_Pub_5-10-1.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = September 27, 2012 | ref = {{sfnRef|Smith}} }}

==External links==
* [http://www.northamericanforts.com/West/pi.html Forts in the Philippines at American Forts Network]

{{coord|14|22|N|120|37|E|display=title|region:PH_type:landmark_source:GNS-enwiki}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes}}
[[Category:Forts in the Philippines|Hughes]]
[[Category:Military installations of the United States in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Coastal artillery installations of the United States Army]]
[[Category:Military facilities in Cavite]]
[[Category:History of Cavite]]