The Breakers Point Naval Guns are a historic

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 ...

-era defensive fortification on the island of

Tutuila Tutuila is the main island of American Samoa (and its largest), and is part of the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific. It is located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Au ...

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

. It consists of two six-inch Mark 8 Model 2 naval guns, mounted on circular concrete platforms about 200 feet above sea level at the end of Papatele Ridge, which flanks the east side of

Pago Pago Harbor Pago Pago Harbor on Tutuila Island in American Samoa is one of the world's largest natural harbors. The capital, Pago Pago is located on the inner reaches of the harbor, close to its northwesternmost point. It has the highest annual rainfall of a ...

. The guns, manufactured in 1907, were emplaced in 1941 amid fears of a Japanese invasion of the island, and were left ''in situ'' (albeit disabled) after invasion fears subsided. They were brought to the site by an innovative railway system that used locally crafted rails fashioned out of ifil wood when steel rails were not available. The guns are located on private family-owned land, but may be hiked to with permission. The site was listed on 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 ...

in 1999.

History

In October 1941, six-inch Naval guns arrived in

Pago Pago Pago Pago ( ; Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the territorial capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County on Tutuila, which is American Samoa's main island. ...

in crates. There were four unwieldy cannons of this caliber, each measuring over twenty feet long and weighing ten tons. The guns had to somehow be lifted into the elevated newly made concrete positions on Breakers and Blunts Points, about 500 feet above ground level. The only available routes went through the jungle and up 70-degree, muddy slopes. There were no trails, roads nor paths leading to these four positions on each side of the

. It was later determined that a tramway was needed in order to move the guns up the hills. The contractors immediately sent a request to

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda (island), Alam ...

for steel rails, hoisting gear, and cables.Kennedy, Joseph (2009). ''The Tropical Frontier: America’s South Sea Colony''. University of Hawaii Press. Pages 202-203. .

References

External links

"Great Guns: Archaeologists uncover traces of a Pacific island’s wartime preparations" by Joseph Kennedy
Tutuila United States Marine Corps installations Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in American Samoa Military installations established in 1940 United States Navy installations World War II on the National Register of Historic Places 1940 establishments in American Samoa Military installations closed in the 1940s {{AmericanSamoa-NRHP-stub

History

See also

References

External links