The Endicott-era and later gun batteries at Fort Strong were: The main armament of Fort Strong was its two batteries of
10-inch guns on
disappearing carriages, totaling five guns. Originally, two of these guns were located in
Battery Ward, the easternmost concrete fortification on Long Island Head, and three more in
Battery Hitchcock, immediately to its west. The construction of these batteries, begun in 1893, was completed in 1899. With a maximum range of , or almost 8 miles, these guns covered an arc from Revere to North Scituate. The batteries were intended to engage medium and larger sized ships as directed by the
fire control system. Battery Drum, at the extreme northwestern end of the gun line on Long Island Head, mounted two
4.7-inch Armstrong guns on pedestal mounts. Fort Strong also had four batteries of 3-inch rapid fire guns, with two guns each (or 8 guns total).
Battery Basinger (with two
3-inch M1898 guns) was completed in 1901, the remainder (each with two
3-inch M1902 guns) were completed in 1906. These guns were meant to engage faster moving targets by means of direct fire, and were sited to protect the
mine fields that had been laid to block the harbor channels. They could deliver fire up to a range of , or 6.25 miles.
Battery Stevens and
Battery Smyth were located on the southeast side of the fort, looking out over the channel between Long Island and Hull.
Battery Taylor was on the southwest side, looking out toward Spectacle Island, and
Battery Basinger was located on the northern tip of the fort (just downslope from the 10-inch gun batteries), looking across toward
Fort Dawes on Deer Island. The latter three of these batteries were located in classic Coast Artillery 3-inch gun emplacements, each with two raised gun platforms, one on either side of a large central casemated magazine. Battery Basinger, however, was squeezed into the narrow space above the sea wall, its gun platforms more like narrow tubs at the water's edge. This battery had a unique underground magazine with hand-operated chain hoists to serve ammunition to its two guns. Each of the 10-inch guns was intended to be served by a full-strength complement of 43 enlisted men, so the five guns of the two batteries would have required a total of 215 crew. Manning the four 3-inch batteries (when all their guns were present) would have required roughly another 100 men in total. Add to this the mine and searchlight defenses, the maintenance and support functions of the fort, and its officer, and about 450 soldiers likely manned the fort, living in large barracks buildings and smaller houses that surrounded the parade ground. == World War I through World War II ==