WWII Gun Emplacements -- Angel's Gate Park, San Pedro CA
N 33° 42.518 W 118° 17.639
11S E 380093 N 3730602
Large artillery batteries installed at the former Fort MacArthur Army Base in San Pedro CA during WWII, part of Angel's Gate Park today, are striking when viewed on Google Earth
Waymark Code: WMQX75
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/09/2016
Views: 4
During WWII, the military was concerned about a Japanese invasion of the Mainland US in Southern CA. Large anti-aircraft and anti-ship batteries were installed at the Army post of Fort MacArthur to protect against this perceived threat.
Today these emplacements are stabilized and preserved at Angel's Gate Park in San Pedro.
The waymark coordinates are for the large emplacement at the southern point of Angel's Gate, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island.
From the Fort MacArthur History website, some information about the history and mission of these emplacements during WWII: (
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"After World War I, Fort MacArthur was regularly used for training and housing of California National Guard units, Citizens Military Training Corps, Army Reserve units, and the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1920, four 3-inch anti-aircraft guns were added to the post’s arsenal and two 155mm guns were delivered in 1928. The biggest additions of firepower came to Fort MacArthur in 1925 and 1930 in the form of two 14-inch railway guns. Named Battery Irwin, these mobile guns could fire their 1400 lb. shells a distance of 27 miles and were eventually stored in special “breakaway” buildings.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, additional 155mm and 3-inch anti-aircraft guns were added to the defenses of Los Angeles and a new fortification program hurried toward completion. This included the addition of Battery Paul D. Bunker located at White Point, and another unnamed 16-inch battery at Bolsa Chica beach that was never completed. These batteries were armed with two 16-inch barbette mount guns enclosed under large concrete portals. These were the largest and most powerful seacoast defense guns ever deployed by the United States and had a maximum range of about 26 miles.
To reinforce these batteries, three new 6-inch batteries were also built. Battery Harry J. Harrison at Bolsa Chica, Battery Barnes at Long Point, and Battery 241 located on the Upper Reservation. These guns were protected by 6-inch thick “teardrop” shaped metal shields, and looked like they would be more at home on a warship rather than on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Additionally, more than a dozen 90mm and 37mm guns were installed around the harbor area. As these new weapons were installed, the older guns were deactivated and shortly after 1945, all of Fort MacArthur’s big guns were cutup for scrap. Fort MacArthur continued to serve as an induction and separation center throughout the 1940s and 1950s."