Historic California Posts, Camps, Stations and Airfields

Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat Batteries Bluff, Channel and Cliff

Harbor Defenses of San Diego

 

The M3E1 Antiaircraft Gun was also applied to the Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat Mission (AMTB) at Batteries Cliff, Bluff and Channel. The gun gonsisted of two water or air cooled 50 Caliber Machine Guns, 650 rounds per minute, and One 37-mm Cannon, 120 rounds per minute.

 

 

Battery Cliff, Battery Bluff and Battery Channel

by Justin M. Ruhge

To supplement the new 90-mm batteries, the Army installed three batteries of 37-mm antiaircraft weapons, sited primarily to protect the harbor entrance against motor torpedo boats.
Each battery consisted of 2 37-mm guns with 2 50-caliber water-cooled machine guns mounted on each 37-mm carriage.

Battery Cliff was located immediately above the new lighthouse at Point Loma. Battery Bluff was at Billy Goat Point above Battery Calef-Wilkeson. Battery Channel was at Ballast Point adjacent to the U.S. Coast Guard station.

 

In 1944, the Western Defense Command announced that 40-mm antiaircraft guns would replace all 37-mm weapons in the command. Although sixteen 40-mm guns were authorized for San Diego none had arrived by wars' end and apparently, none of the 3-inch antiaircraft guns had arrived by the end of World War II hostilities.

 

 

 

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Updated 23 June 2017