Battery Chamberlin’s Number 3 gun being fired prior to it’s removal in 1918.
Image courtesy of Chuck Woffard | militarymuseum.org
This Saturday, the 50-ton cannon at Battery Chamberlin at Baker Beach will be on display to the public from 11am until 3pm (map & directions).
The Army built Battery Chamberlin, just above Baker Beach, in 1904 to protect the harbor’s minefields. The battery’s “disappearing” guns could be cranked in and out of their hidden emplacement on the beach. The battery, which was the last fortification to be constructed at Fort Winfield Scott, was named in honor of Captain Lowell A. Chamberlin, a Civil War veteran who died in 1899.
Stop by Saturday for a demonstration on how the “disappearing” gun works, including how to load and aim it (sorry, no firing allowed). Plus check out photos of the century-old Endicott system batteries in one of the underground cartridge rooms.
In case of rain, call (415) 561-4323 for schedule. You can drive in and access Battery Chamberlin from the north end of the Baker Beach parking lot.
For more information on Battery Chamberlin and the guns that lived there, check out militarymuseum.org.
Sarah B.
[via Funcheapsf.com]