For the most part, Coastal Artillery has disappeared from the planet, the guns either scrapped, or turned into display monuments. Here are a couple links to movie footage of some of the larger guns, some with disappearing type mounts. Sorry for the poorer quality resolution, but one can see things at work that just are not around anymore.
Interesting topic, and one which was at the core of much defence strategy in the lead up to WWII.
I can’t comment on American coastal artillery, but here we had some emplacements which went back to the middle of the 19th century and fears about French and Russian, and just about everyone else’s, attacks.
About twenty five years ago I went through a couple of those emplacements at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay (which is the Bay in my city). Most of the guns had been removed long before, but there were impressive arrangements with gun positions, magazines, and various galleries between them and all well protected by concrete and earthworks while facing the fairly narrow channel through which the enemy would have to sail.
It has been claimed that Australia at Fort Nepean fired the first Allied shots of both world wars: http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/resources/22_2157.pdf http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/03/1091476490096.html?from=storylhs I don’t know how an Australian gun firing on an Australian ship qualifies as firing the first shot of WWII.
There is an intriguing but unsolved mystery surrounding one of our WWII coastal gun batteries, which the following reports outline but which aren’t free of error.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/a-shot-in-the-dark/2008/01/19/1200620278771.html
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-36704/The-Queenscliff-Mysteries-1942.html
It is an interesting and somewhat of an ignored subject. Seacoast artillery was an important part of the US continental defense plan and something I was pretty much unaware of until somewhat late. In fact, I think I became aware of it only because I saw a Three Stooges short with Moe, Larry and Curly operating a coastal gun at some fictional US fort…
I remember one film about that, and dont forget Buster Keaton,
I think George Eller posted some really decent pictures of coastal artillery not far ago.
Coastal artillery was not a bad choice but definately they are simply “bypassed” by the enemy wich obviosly could attack in other beach, mobile coastal artillery that is other thing and still in use in finland and Sweden.