Image: Pt Allerton FCT

Description: This 7-story fire control tower, photographed in 2009 (looking WSW), is located on Pt. Allerton, in Hull, MA. It is the highest in the Boston Harbor Defense fire control system. It survives in the back yard of a private residence, in almost mint condition, visible throughout Hull, and looking out over miles and miles of coastline and ocean. A detailed description of the tower is contained here. The top three stories of the tower were used for observation. Each story held a base end station, and each mounted a DPF (Depression Position Finder), as well as a spotting scope. The top level DPF, at 179 feet, controlled fire for Battery Murphy, the 16-inch guns in Nahant. Next came the 6th story, at 171 feet, which controlled Battery Jewell, the 6-inch guns a short distance to the north, on Outer Brewster Island. Then came the fifth story, at 163 feet, which controlled fire for Battery 207, the 6-inch guns across the harbor entrance at Ft. Dawes. A concrete crow's nest "basket" was located just below the roof level, with a trapdoor that opened up and provided space for an observer of the Ant-Aircraft Intelligence Service (AAIS) who stood watches spotting for intruding aircraft. The railing around the edge of the roof was added (for the safety of visitors) by the present (2010) owner, who also installed a new staircase to the roof through the former AAIS crow's nest.
Title: Pt Allerton FCT
Credit: Own work
Author: Pgrig at English Wikipedia
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Attribution Required?: Yes