US Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District History (1994)
On 10 April 1942 U. S. War Department acquired 19.953 acres of land for use as the Port Hueneme Seacoast Defense Site. The property comprised 22 parcels obtained from 16 individual owners. Ten parcels, covering 19.295 acres, were leased. The remaining 12 parcels, totaling 0.658 acres, were obtained by permit from the owners.
This property was used by the Army as a
seacoast defense site. No U.S. Army documents specifying the size
and specific location of any artillery pieces mounted at this
site were found. A previous site investigation report states that
two 155 mm guns were emplaced. According to records available,
the Army placed a 1.5 inch water line under Fourth Street and
constructed 9
buildings on the site. The locations, characteristics, and functions
of the buildings are not known.
The leased property was declared surplus
between 6 August and 1 September 1945. custody was assumed by
the Corps of Engineers on 22 August 1945. The leases were terminated
and the
property returned to the original owners between 20 March and
31 July 1946. The parcels obtained by permit were declared surplus
on 17 April 1946. Custody was assumed by the Corps of Engineers
on 26 April 1946. The 12 permits were released and the property
returned to the original owners between 30 June and 31 July 1946.
Buildings constructed on the site were sold to the owners of the
property on which they were constructed. No information regarding
the property owners to whom the buildings were sold is available.
The former Port Hueneme Seacoast Defense
site is now fully developed. Approximately 30% of the site is
occupied by portions the Surfside 1, Surfside II, and Surfside
IV condominium
developments. The remainder is occupied by present day Surfside
Drive, the Dorill B. Wright Cultural Center, and Port Hueneme
Beach Park. Ventura County Assessor's files indicate that
approximately 150 individual owners, as well as the City of Port
Hueneme, are involved in the property that constituted this site.
US Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles DIstrict History (1993)
Location: The property occupied by the former Port Hueneme Seacoast Defense site is approximately 3.7 miles south of the center of the City of Oxnard, near the present day intersection of Ventura Road and Surfside Drive. The former defense site occupied property both east and west of Ventura Road, between the Ventura County Railway and the beach.
Site History: The 19.953 acres for the Port Hueneme Seacoast Defense Site were acquired on 10 April 1942. Approximately 19.295 acres, 10 parcels, were leased. The remaining 0.658 acres, 12 parcels, were acquired by use permits from individual owners. No records regarding the type or specific location of any artillery pieces installed were found. During their use of the property, the Army placed a 1.5 inch water line beneath Fourth Street and constructed 9 buildings. The locations, characteristics, or functions of the buildings are not known.
This site was composed of three areas. One
was on the west side of Ventura Road (Fourth Street) between the
Ventura County Railway and the north edge of the beach. The second
was a small
triangular parcel east of Ventura Road, just south of the Ventura
County Railway. The third was a large parcel approximately 600
feet east of Ventura Road, southwest of part of Ormond Boulevard
that no longer exists, and north of the north edge of the beach.
This third area was connected to the area
west of Ventura Road by a corridor approximately 100 feet wide
and 600 feet long. The leased property was declared surplus between
6 August and 1
September 1945. Custody was assumed by the Corps of Engineers
on 22 August 1945. The leases were terminated and the property
returned to the original owners between 20 March and 31 July 1946.
The parcels obtained by permit were declared surplus on 17 April 1946. custody was assumed by the Corps of Engineers on 26 April 1946. The 12 permits were released and the property returned to the original owners between 30 June and 31 July 1946.
The 9 buildings constructed by the Army were sold to the owners of the property on which they were built. No information regarding to whom title of the buildings was transferred is I
The first 155-mm battery at Fort MacArthur was Battery Hogsdon. This battery of two 155 mm GPFs was built in 1928 and located in front of the Korean Friendship Bell on the Upper Reservation north of Point Fermin. One of these mounting rings is visible in front of Battery 241. The other is used as part of a playground.
In 1942, a program began to place 155-mm batteries from Santa Barbara to Bolsa Chica. Each battery consisted of two or three mounting rings, known as Panama Mounts, that allowed the guns to be rotated 360 degrees, and underground ammunition storage bunkers and sleeping quarters for the troops. The batteries were transferred in 1943 and 1944 and cost on average about $10,000 each.
Locations of these Panama Mounts and the 155-mm batteries are: Pacific Palisades, Playa Del Rey, El Segundo/Hyperion, Redondo Beach, Rocky Point, Long Point, Fort MacArthur, Bolsa Chica, Costa Mesa, Port Hueneme, Oxnard, Ventura and Santa Barbara. Some of these locations were built for 3 guns but only two were delivered. Some of the installations are still visible in