Battery Chamberlin is an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...

in the

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The battery is named in honor of Captain Lowell A. Chamberlin, who had served with distinction in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on November 7, 1976.

History

This Endicott-era battery was built in 1904 with four six-inch rifled guns mounted on disappearing carriages and was intended to protect underwater

minefields A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automatic ...

laid outside the

Golden Gate The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by th ...

during the time of war. These guns had a maximum range of 7.5 miles, and crews were trained to fire two rounds per minute. The original guns were removed in 1917 for use in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The battery received two six-inch guns on simple

barbette Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships. In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protection ...

carriages in 1920. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Sixth Coast Artillery (Harbor Defense) Regiment, Battery "D", manned the two guns at Battery Chamberlin, living on-site until the end of the war. The battery was covered with

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

netting to hide it from air attack. These guns were removed in 1948. In 1977, the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

received 6-inch Gun M1905 (#9 Watervliet) on Disappearing Carriage M1903 (#2 Watertown, each listed individually in the

, from the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. The gun and carriage were installed at gun emplacement No. 4 at Battery Chamberlin and are the similar to those installed in 1904. This is one of about a score of disappearing guns in the world that still operates, moving from loading to firing position. Operation of the gun is open to the public, usually on the first full weekend of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. An underground magazine contains photos and small exhibits on the harbor defenses of San Francisco. The battery is located at the north end of the parking lot at Baker Beach.

Footnotes

References

* * * {{authority control Government buildings completed in 1904 Golden Gate National Recreation Area National Register of Historic Places in San Francisco Closed installations of the United States Army Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in California Military in the San Francisco Bay Area Presidio of San Francisco

Chamberlin The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by the American inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. There are severa ...

1904 establishments in California