Jewell Island (Maine) facts for kids
Jewell Island is a small island located in Casco Bay, Maine, United States. It's about 1 mile long and sits off the coast of Cliff Island, roughly 8 miles from downtown Portland.
This island is owned by the state and has a small, safe harbor. It also offers fun activities like camping and walking paths. Jewell Island was once part of the important Harbor Defenses of Portland network. Today, it's part of the city of Portland, Maine. You can reach Jewell Island by private or charter boats, but there isn't a ferry service.
The island is full of exciting stories and legends! People say that the famous pirate Captain Kidd once sailed along its coast and even hid treasure there. Some tales suggest that the old World War II bunkers are haunted by soldiers. The beaches are also said to have ghosts of bootleggers. You can hear many stories about these ghostly encounters in the nearby towns.
Contents
Jewell Island's Role in World War II
During World War II, Jewell Island became a military base called the Jewell Island Military Reservation. Soldiers built three large coastal artillery gun batteries on the island. These batteries were designed to protect the coast from enemy ships.
The Big Guns: Battery BCN 202
The biggest battery, called Battery Construction Number (BCN) 202, was never fully finished. It was designed to hold two powerful 6-inch guns. These guns would have been placed on large concrete circles at each end of the battery.
Smaller Guns: AMTB Batteries
Two other batteries, known as Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat (AMTB) batteries, were also built on Jewell Island. These batteries had 90 mm guns. Each AMTB battery was supposed to have four 90 mm guns. Two of these guns would be permanently fixed, and two could be moved around. These 90 mm guns were very versatile. They could fire at both enemy planes in the sky and enemy ships on the water. These batteries were named AMTB 967 and AMTB 968.
Supporting the Harbor Defenses
All this construction on Jewell Island was part of a big plan to modernize the Harbor Defenses of Portland. The main defense point was Battery Steele on Peaks Island. The fire control towers and a special radar system (called SCR-296) on Jewell Island helped support Battery Steele by spotting enemy threats.
