In 1937, a new 'temporary' battery of
four mobile 155mm guns were constructed on the bluff northwest
of Battery Davis and named Battery Bluff. These first Panama
mounts and guns were located about 1,200 feet north of Battery
Davis's Gun No. 1, close to the edge of the cliffs overlooking
the beach. One of its primary missions was to defend Battery
Davis against fast and small enemy vessels. There were no fire
control stations for this battery. In 1941, due to erosion of
the cliff and three years of recession due to normal wave action
which was accelerated by severe storms during the winter of 1940-41,
the guns (but not the mounts) were moved to the south of Battery
Davis, which are the second set of Panama mounts. Due to erosion,
the original Panama Mounts of Battery Bluff have slid onto the
beach below the bluffs.
A Panama Mount was concrete pedestal at
the center of a circular, semi-circular, or three-quarters circular
rail supported the gun and its carriage. The gun carriage trail
ends rode on the rail, which is also embedded in concrete. The
model French made M1917A1 and nearly identical U.S. made M1918
guns used in many Coast Artillery Panama Mount installations
was about 19 feet long, weighed about 8,700 pounds and could
fire a projectile up to about 19,000 yards (10.9 miles).
Plans in the Park Archives and Record
Center show this second 155mm Battery located at the extreme
southwestern corner of the post, just west of where the San Francisco
Defense Area Site SF-59A barracks are now located. This area
was completely graded over by the Veterans' Administration for
a planned medical center that was not built. No traces of that
battery are visible today.
M1918 GPF Mobile
Seacoast Gun at Battery Bluff's second location on lower Fort
Funston, 1942. Photo Courtesy of San Francisco Public Library
Battery Bluff
by Justin M. Ruhge
This battery took its name from its location
on a bluff above the ocean at Fort Funston in 1937. The Battery
consisted of four 155-mm M1918 Mobile Seacoast Guns placed on
"Panama" mounts. These guns had their origin in World
War I.
During World War I the French 155-mm gun,
a heavy tractor-drawn weapon, was put into production with slight
modifications by the United States as the Model 1918. Known more
commonly in the American service as the GPF for Grand Puissance
Filloux, this gun was the most widely used of the mobile artillery
pieces adopted for seacoast defense after the war. Although the
carriage of the 155 allowed a wider scope of traverse that the
average for guns designed for field use, the lateral movement
was still insufficient for fire against moving targets. During
the 1920s, however, a simple and relatively inexpensive platform
was devised, consisting essentially of a segment of curved rail
embedded in concrete, along which the gun's twin trails could
easily be moved. This type of emplacement was initially developed
and tested in the Canal Zone and thus came to be known as the
"Panama" mount. The GPF was greatly improved between
the two World Wars, mainly to increase its' mobility by providing
it with modern wheels and pneumatic tires in place of the old
cast-steel wheels. It was used throughout the 1920s and 1930s
to train thousands of Organized Reserve Corps (now US Army Reserve)
and National Guard's Coast Artillerymen and after Pearl Harbor,
was rushed in large numbers to guard unfortified positions along
both coasts. Many Panama mounts were constructed along the California
Coast for this purpose. The 54th Coast Artillery Regiment (155mm
Tractor Drawn) (Colored), an all black unit, manned these guns
at many locations along the California Coast using Panama Mounts
where available.
The four howitzers at Fort Funston were
a temporary installation. They were first located at the north
end of Fort Funston on the bluffs. However, when their Panama
Mounts began to slide over the bluff into the surf, the battery
was moved to a new location at the south end and further inland.
This site is now part of the former San Francisco Defense Area
Site SF-59A (Administrative Area).
There were no permanent fire control stations
for this battery, however, concrete monuments were placed and
orientation data determined at three locations.
In 1996, a Panama Mount was still visible
in the surf line.
Report of
Completed Works - Seacoast Fortifications
Report of Completed
Work - Seacoast Fortifications for the second Battery Bluff located
at the south end of Fort Funston
Members of the 54th
Coast Artillery Regiment (155mm Tractor Drawn)(Colored) with
a 155-mm Gun under camouflage, 1942. Signal Corps No. 9CA-42-1991-PSF,
pg. 18, HDSF Photo Album (GOGA 1766-0039)
