| 242nd Coast Artillery Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1924 – 1944[1] |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Coast artillery |
| Role | Harbor defense |
| Size | Regiment |
| Part of | Harbor Defenses of Long Island Sound[1] |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Terry |
| Mascot | Oozlefinch |
The242nd Coast Artillery Regiment was aCoast Artillery Corps regiment in theConnecticut National Guard. It garrisoned theHarbor Defenses of Long Island Sound (HD Long Island Sound), New York 1924–1944.[1]
The 242nd Coast Artillery was organized 29 May 1924 as the Connecticut National Guard component of theHarbor Defenses of Long Island Sound (HD Long Island Sound), New York. The11th Coast Artillery was theRegular Army component of those defenses.[1][2] The 242nd's primary armory was inBridgeport, Connecticut. In October 1944 the regiment was broken up into two battalions as part of an Army-wide reorganization.[1]
The regiment's lineage originated with the organization of the3rd and4th Connecticut Regiments in 1739. With some reorganization, these units went on to serve in theRevolutionary War and theAmerican Civil War, the 4th Connecticut becoming the1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery Regiment during the latter war. By 1907 they had merged and were redesignated as the Coast Artillery Corps,Connecticut National Guard. Following theAmerican entry into World War I in April 1917, the companies were called into federal service by 25 July and redesignated as companies of theCoast Defenses of Long Island Sound.[1] Five companies were used to form the56th Artillery (Coast Artillery Corps) on theWestern Front in France.[3] On 14 September 1923 the units were reorganized as the 242nd Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps.[1]
On 16 September 1940 the regiment was inducted into federal service inBridgeport, Connecticut and moved toFort H.G. Wright in HD Long Island Sound 23 September 1940. On 7 November 1940 the regiment moved toFort Terry.[1][4]
On 13 September 1943 the 3rd Battalion of the 242nd transferred to theHarbor Defenses of New Bedford, Massachusetts and was redesignated as the 2nd Battalion,23rd Coast Artillery.[1][5]
On 7 October 1944 the regiment was broken up into the 190th and 242nd Coast Artillery Battalions (atFort Terry andFort Michie, respectively), which were deactivated 1 April 1945.[4]
As of 2014 the 242nd's lineage was carried by the 242nd Engineer Detachment, Connecticut Army National Guard, in Niantic, Connecticut.[6]