Historic California Posts, Camps, Stations and Airfields

Sunset Fire Control Site No. 4

 

US Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District History (1992)

 

Location: San Diego, San Diego County, California. The site is located on the Pacific side of Point Lorna Peninsula surrounding Amiford Drive and Stafford Place in San Diego. It includes a 10-foot strip running south to Fort Rosecrans.

Site History: The site consisted of 5 tracts of land totaling 6.792 acres. The site was used as a fire control station for the harbor defenses of San Diego. It had underground concrete rooms and a communications cable to Fort Rosecrans.

This fire control station supported the following batteries:

• Battery Fredrick S. Strong, Fort Rosecrans
• Battery 126/Battery Ashburn, Fort Rosecrans
• Battery 134/Battery Gatchell, Fort Emory
• Battery 237/Battery Woodward, Fort Rosecrans
• Battery 238/Battery Humphreys, Fort Rosecrans
• Battery 239/Battery Grant, Fort Emory
  

The site was declared excess on 8 March 1950. A portion of the site is currently under the jurisdiction of the Navy. The remainder of the site was distributed 3 ways: to a private owner, to the Pasadena College Corporation, and to a developer for subdivision into residential lots. The underground concrete rooms were located in the area where residential subdivision now exists. During site visit no evidence of these rooms was found and it is assumed that they were removed during construction of the subdivision.

 

 

US Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District History (1995)

 

The former Sunset Fire Control Station site encompassing 5 tracts of land totaling 6.792 acres was acquired by U. S. Army as follows: Tract 1 included 3.11 acres and was acquired by declaration of taking from Stuart Ver Mehr; Tract 2 was 0.507 acres of perpetual easement; Tracts 2A and 2B were 0.214 and 0.231 acres, respectively, and were acquired by use permits from the Department of the Navy; Tract 4 included 2.73 acres
and was purchased in fee from Howard and Ann Throckmorton on 10 June 1942.

The site was used as a fire control station for the harbor defenses of San Diego, with underground concrete rooms and a communications cable to Fort Rosecrans.

The site was declared excess on 8 March 1950. Tracts 2A and 2B were relinquished to the Navy on 22 May 1954 and remain the property of t:he Navy. The three remaining tracks totaling 6.347 acres, are considered eligible under DERP-FUDS. Tracts 1, 2, and 4 were quitclaimed to Fred B. Waters and Carl J. Ackerman on 6 May 1954 with no restoration clauses. Tracts 1 and 4 were subdivided by map 3240 on 1 June 1955 into the present 20 residential lots. Tract 2 is currently owned by Pasadena College Corporation and is known as Point Lorna College.

 

Note: This site is currently described as "Ocean Beach Fire Control Station" by the US Army Corps of Engineers Formerly Used Defense Sites Program.

 

 

 

Site Map

 

 

 

Report of Completed Works

 

Fire control structure for Fort Rosecrans's Battery 126/Battery Ashburn and Battery 237/Battery Woodward

 

Fire control structure for Fort Emory's Battery 134/Battery Gatchell and Battery 239/Battery Grant. Although the drawing is missing, it is probable that this structure was identical to the other structures at this site.

 

Fire control structure for Fort Rosecrans's Battery Fredrick S. Strong and Battery 238/Battery Humphreys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Updated 8 February 2016