Maritime · All eras
White Head Passage
The deep channel between Cushing and Peaks
[C]Confirmed43.64760° N, 70.19450° W Suggested 20 min
Historical significance
The deep, sheltered channel between Cushing and Peaks Islands — one of the historic approaches into Portland Harbor from the eastward. Named for the pale cliff on the Cushing side, it carried fishing schooners, coastal freighters, and, in both world wars, the harbor's anti-submarine net and patrol traffic.
Field observations
- Strong tidal set through the narrows; look for standing waves on a wind-against-tide.
- Water depth allows large vessels close inshore, which is why the fort's guns were sited to cover this line.
- The White Head cliff is the natural range-mark that defines the channel's south edge.
Engineering / Landscape reading
A passage is a piece of infrastructure: its depth chose the shipping, and the shipping chose the fort. Battery Foote, White Head, and this channel are one system — read them together.
Detector potential
★☆☆☆☆1/5
Nothing to detect — this is a water feature. Photograph from the White Head overlook and from the north-shore bluffs to document the sight-lines that mattered to gunners and pilots alike.
Open research questions
- 1.Where were the WWII anti-submarine net anchorages, and can any hardware still be traced on either shore?
- 2.Which historic charts label this water 'Whitehead' versus 'White Head Passage'?
Field actions
Nearby