2022.05: Battery Townsley, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California, USA

Location: Battery Townsley, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California, USA

Date: 2022.02

Photographer: Jesen

Camera: Nikon D850

Retouch: Adobe Photoshop

Copyright: www.haomingxiong.com

Battery Townsley was a casemated battery that mounted two 16-inch caliber guns, each capable of shooting a 2,100 pound projectile 25 miles out to sea. Completed in 1940, the guns and their associated ammunition magazines, power rooms, and crew quarters were covered by dozens of feet of concrete and earth to protect them from air and naval attack. This battery, named in honor of Major General Clarence P. Townsley, a general officer in World War I, represented the zenith of American military technology and became the prototype for subsequent coastal defense batteries. As early as 1915, the army considered mounting the 16-inch guns to protect San Francisco, and by 1928, the War Department made the decision to construct two batteries, one on either side of the Golden Gate straits. Battery Townsley at Fort Cronkhite in Marin was finished first, followed several months later by Battery Davis at Fort Funston.

JESEN Photo