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- Historic California Posts, Camps,
Stations and Airfields
- Harbor Defenses of Los Angeles
- by Mark J. Berhow
- Coast
Defense Study Group
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- Because San Pedro Bay was so shallow,
Los Angeles did not have a major harbor until the Army Corps
of Engineers began improvements in the late 1800s. After a breakwater
was constructed (1899-1910), Los Angeles harbor became the important
port it is today. Because of its late development, no real consideration
for harbor defenses were made until about 1900. When construction
was authorized in 1914, Los Angeles became the only area in the
continental United States to receive major fortification construction
under the "Taft Board-era". For further information
contact:
The Fort MacArthur Military Museum
Association
Fort MacArthur Station Box 2777
San Pedro CA 90731
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- Fort
MacArthur (Lower Reservation)
Fort MacArthur Installation, Los Angeles AFB: Entrance off of
Pacific Ave., near 26th St. in San Pedro. Access by permission
only
Cabrillo Marina:Cabrillo Marine Museum, Hotel and Restaurants
Entrance is onVia Cabrillo Marina off of 22nd St., San Pedro
Cabrillo Beach Park: Stephen M. White Drive off of Pacific Ave.
at 32nd St., San Pedro
Following the Spanish occupation of California in 1770, a small
tract of land on the bluffs above San Pedro Bay was generally
regarded as the public access to the beach. A 500 varas (a unit
of measure of about 32 to 43 inches) square Mexican government
reserve was officially confirmed at San Pedro Bay in 1846 by
California Governer Pio Pico. After the treaty of Guadalupe ended
the Mexican War a gave California to the United States, this
reserve was surveyed and reserved as a United States Government
Reservation in 1856. This tract, with the addition of the adjacent
tidelands in 1897, became the Lower Reservation of Fort MacArthur
(named after Lt. Gen. Arthur MacArthur, Civil War Medal of Honor
winner and a commanding general in the Philippines during the
Insurrection) in 1914. After some debate, most of the major Army
buildings were located on this tract beginning in 1916. The two
14" railway guns were stationed on this reserve, the first
arriving in 1925. The post was used extensively during the World
War II, Korean War and Vietnam War years and was the HQ for the
Los Angeles Basin Nike missile defenses. In 1974 the post was
made a subpost of Fort Ord and part of the reserve was leased
to the city, which dredged out the old fill lands and developed
a marina, a park and a marine museum. The rest of the reservation
including the barracks area, parade ground and officer's row
(but minus the hospital area, now demolished) was transferred
to the Air Force in 1982, which currently uses the lands as a
housing subbase for servicemen stationed at the Los Angeles Air
Force Base in El Segundo.
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- Fort
MacArthur (Upper Reservation)
Angels Gate Park : Fort MacArthur Military Museum, Korean Peace
Bell, Angels Gate Cultural Center, 36th Ave. and Gaffey St.,
San Pedro
- Point Fermin Park: At
the intersection of Paseo Del Mar, Shepard St. and Gaffey St.,
San Pedro
The Upper Reservation was acquired from private developers in
1910 after it was decided to locate the guns to defend the Los
Angeles harbor at a position more seaward than the existing San
Pedro Reserve (the Lower Reservation). The major weapons were
emplaced here during the years 1915-1919. The Upper Reservation
was leased to the city of Los Angeles in 1976. Today the area
is jointly administered by the Los Angeles Unified School district,
which uses the old WWI cantonment buildings, and the Los Angeles
Department of Recreation and Parks, who maintains the multióuse
Angeles Gate Park. There are a number of harbor defense related
structures still present on the reservation including WWI-era
and WWII-era barracks, searchlight shelters, fire control stations,
a Panama mount and four gun batteries. Battery Osgood-Farley,
on the register of National Historic Sites, is the home of the
Fort MacArthur Museum. The Museum is attempting to restore the
battery to its 1941 appearance and houses a number of artifacts,
photographs and documents on the Harbor Defenses of Los Angeles,
the Coast Artillery Corps, and the Nike defenses of Los Angeles.
The display area next to the museum contains a M1918 155mm GPF
and a restored Nike-Ajax missile.
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- Fort
MacArthur White Point Military Reservation
- White Point Park: From
Paseo Del Mar turn north on Walker St. proceed two blocks to
Silvius St., turn left and follow Silvius to its end at Weymouth
where the gate to old military road is located which is generally
locked. San Pedro.
A small section of land in this area was acquired in the 1910s
for the construction of fire control stations. The reserve was
enlarged for the construction of Battery Construction #127 (later
named Battery Paul D. Bunker) beginning in 1941. The reserve
was subsequently used as a Nike launch site. Today, the land
is leased to the city of Los Angeles, but no use has been assigned
to the property. Two fire control stations (The Fort Commander's
station and the Primary Fire Command Station) have been destroyed
due to construction of Navy housing in 1965. The other stations
have been partially buried but are still visible on the ridge
top to the east of Battery Bunker. Battery Bunker and Nike site
LA-43 L have been sealed up to prevent vandalism. The gates to
the park are usually locked, but a number of holes exist to gain
entry.
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- Long
Point Military Reservation (Point Vicente)
Point Vicente Park: Visitors Center off of Palos Verdes Drive,
HD remains near City Hall off of Hawthorne Blvd. north of its
intersection with Palos Verdes Drive. City of Rancho Palos Verdes.
Acquired in 1930 for new fire control stations, this property
was enlarged during WWII for the construction of a 6" gun
battery and then subsequently used as a Nike launch site in the
50s and 60s. Some of the land has gone to private developers
who have subsequently destroyed the WW II era fire control stations
and the Nike radar site further up the ridge. The US Coast Guard
uses Battery 240 (Battery Barnes) to house radar equipment. The
City of Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall is housed in the modified
buildings of the Nike era and uses the Launch area for a maintenance
yard. The 1930s era fire control stations are located on the
hillside to the east of the Nike launch site, behind a radio
controlled model helicopter helipad. They were (1988) among the
best preserved Fire control Stations in the Los Angeles area.
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- Ventura
155mm Battery
Emma Sands State Beach, Seaside Wilderness ParkFrom Emma Sands
State Beach, off of Hwy 101, west of Ventura. Walk south on beach
to north side of mouth of Ventura River.
Two Panama mounts remain at this site, but are now awash in the
surf. Behind the mounts, under the trees are a few foundations
of the associated buildings.
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- Bolsa Chica Military Reservation
Bolsa Chica Marine Reserve: Parking off of Warner Ave. near intersection
with Pacific Coast Highway, or parking off Pacific Coast Highway
1/2 mile south of intersection with Warner Ave. Huntington Beach.
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- Signal Oil Corporation: South of intersection
of Bolsa Chica Rd., and Los Patos Ave. Permission must be sought,
"No Trespassing" signs are posted.
This property was originally home to a local gun club. After
the Army located two Panama mounts there in 1942, the gun club
became a rather fancy barracks building. In 1943, Battery 242
and 128 were constructed behind the 155 battery. Battery 242
was completed and named Battery Harry J. Harrison, but Battery
128 was halted short of completion. Both emplacements were located
on the private property area and were destroyed during 1993-1995
to make way for a new housing development. The Panama mounts
are visible and located on Marine Reserve land on a bluff above
the lagoon. The foundations of the gun club are just behind,
on private property. From a riding stable at the rear of the
property the entry way to Battery 128's PSR can be seen, but
it is sealed shut.
- Artillery
Armament of the Harbor Defenses of Los Angeles
- Taft
Period
|
Location |
Battery name |
Number of Guns |
Type of Gun |
Type of Carriage |
Constructed |
Completed |
Decommisioned |
|
Fort MacArthur (Upper) |
- Osgood
|
1 |
14 Inch M1910MI |
M1907 Disappearing |
1915 |
1919 |
1944 (1) |
|
Fort MacArthur (Upper) |
- Farley
|
1 |
14 Inch M1910MI |
M1907 Disappearing |
1915 |
1919 |
1944 |
|
Fort MacArthur (Upper) |
- Merriam
|
1 |
14 Inch M1910MI |
M1907 Disappearing |
1915 |
1919 |
1944 |
|
Fort MacArthur (Upper) |
- Leary
|
1 |
14 Inch M1910MI |
M1907 Disappearing |
1915 |
1919 |
1944 |
|
Fort MacArthur (Upper) |
Barlow |
4 |
12 Inch M1912 |
M1896MIII Mortar |
1915 |
1917 |
1943 |
|
Fort MacArthur (Upper) |
Saxton |
4 |
12 Inch M1912 |
M1896MIII Mortar |
1915 |
1917 |
1943 |
|
Deadman's Island |
Lodor |
4 |
3 Inch M1903 |
M1903 Pedestal |
1919 |
1919 |
1927 (2) |
- (1) Battery Osgoodís
gun was originally a M1910. In 1923, it was removed, converted
into a M1910MI and remounted.
(2) Fort MacArthur was initially composed of two seperate tracts
of land, the Upper, and Lower Reservations. Battery Lodor was
at another separate location, on a sand spit connecting the northern
tip of Terminal Island and Deadmans Island. In 1927, the guns
were taken out and put in storage, and Deadmans Island was removed
to widen the harbor entrance. In 1942 Lodor's guns were re-emplaced
in the two parts of Battery JAAN. JAAN#1 was located on the Lower
Reservation next to the jetty, while JAAN#2 was located at Bluff
Park in Long Beach next to Ocean Drive at Lindero St.
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- Post
World War I
|
Location |
Battery name |
Number of Guns |
Type of Gun |
Type of Carriage |
Constructed |
Completed |
Decommisioned |
|
Fort MacArthur (Lower) |
- Anti-Aircraft
|
2 |
3 Inch M1917 |
M1917 Pedestal |
1920 |
1920 |
? |
|
White Point |
- Anti-Aircraft
|
2 |
3 Inch M1917 |
M1917 Pedestal |
1920 |
1920 |
? |
|
Fort MacArthur (Upper) |
- Anti-Aircraft
|
2 |
3 Inch M1917 |
M1917 Pedestal |
1929 |
1929 |
1942 (1) |
|
Fort MacArthur (Upper) |
- Hogsdon
|
2 |
155mm GPF |
Field Mount |
1928 |
1928 |
(2) |
|
Fort MacArthur (Lower) |
- Anti-Aircraft
|
2 |
3 Inch M1917 |
M1917 Pedestal |
1929 |
1929 |
1942 |
|
Fort MacArthur (Lower) |
- Erwin
|
2 |
155mm GPF |
Field Mount |
1928 |
1928 |
1945 (3) |
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- (1) Four AA emplacements
were constructed in 1920: two on the white Point Reservation
and two on the bluffs on the Middle reservation. In 1929 the
two AA guns at the Lower Reservation were transferred to new
positions on the cliff edge on the Upper Reservation. In 1942
a new three gun AA battery was built behind Battery 241. Two
of those guns had carriages orginally emplaced at White Point.
(2) Hogsden's guns may have been used in Tactical Battery #6
in 1942.
(3) In 1926, a single emplacement for the 14" railroad gun
was built on the Middle Reservation for the gun which arrived
in 1925. A second gun arrived in 1930. In 1936 two emplacements
were constructed for the guns on the Lower Reservation and the
1926 emplacement was abandoned
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- World
War II Temporary
-
- (1) The El Segundo site was
originally armed with 2-6" Navy pedestal mounted guns, these
were later removed and the gun mount modified to hold 2-155mm
GPFs, which were transfered from a field mount location in Playa
Del Rey.
- (2) Three Panama mounts were
were constructed at the Rocky Point and Costa Mesa sites, but
the sites only received two guns each.
WW II Temporary
- (3) Hogsden's guns may have
been used in Tactical Battery #6 in 1942.
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-
- Other
World War II Temporary In Southern California
- 1940
Program
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-
- (1) Now buried.
- (2) Fort MacArthur was initially
composed of two seperate tracts of land, the Upper, and Lower
Reservations. Battery Lodor was at another separate location,
on a sand spit connecting the northern tip of Terminal Island
and Deadmans Island. In 1927, the guns were taken out and put
in storage, and Deadmans Island was removed to widen the harbor
entrance. In 1942 Lodor's guns were re-emplaced in the two parts
of Battery JAAN. JAAN#1 was located on the Lower Reservation
next to the jetty, while JAAN#2 was located at Bluff Park in
Long Beach next to Ocean Drive at Lindero St.
(3) Sometime after WWII, the guns of Battery Harrison were removed
and transferred to Battery 241. Both Battery Harrison and Battery
128 are to be destroyed for a housing development.
(4) Emplacements destroyed
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- Mine
Field Facilities
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- In addition to artillery, mine fields
were also employed to protect the harbor entrances by the Army
from the turn of the century to 1945. Mine facilities ashore
included the mine wharf, a tramway, torpedo storehouse(s) and
loading room(s), cable tank(s), mining casemate(s) and observing
station(s). The 'fleet' included a mine planter, a distribution
box boat and some yawls. The mine fields were protected by light
artillery batteries of 3 inch to 8 inch caliber guns.
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- Mine facilities were constructed at Fort
MacArthur, but mines were never actually deployed at these locations.
- For
Further Information
World War II Defenses of the Santa Barbara Channel Coast
To check out the Fort MacArthur Museum website for further information, CLICK HERE
Available from Amazon.com:
Seacoast Fortifications of the United States: An Introductory History
by Emmanual R. Lewis
Paperback. Published by the United States Naval Institute. 1993
Available from Fort MacArthur Military Press
California's Railway Guns and their Home at Fort MacArthur
Small, Charles S.
Railhead Publications, Canton, OH 1984
The Harbor Defenses of Los Angeles, a Reference Manual
Berhow, Mark A.
Fort MacArthur Military Press, San Pedro, CA 1992
Guardian at Angels Gate: Fort MacArthur Defender of Los Angeles
Berhow, Mark A. and Gustafson, David
Fort MacArthur Military Press, San Pedro, CA (draft manuscript)
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- Updated 8 February 2016