Fort Winfield Scott
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Fort Winfield Scott (1853-1914) - A Third System brick Fort established under the supervision of 1st Lt. William H.C. Whiting, U.S. Corps of Engineers, and under construction 1853 to 1861. Originally named Fort Point and renamed Fort Winfield Scott after Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott 25 Nov 1882. Declared obsolete in 1905 and abandoned for military purposes in 1914. Also known as Fort Blanco, Castillo de San Joaquin and Old Fort Scott.
Fort Winfield Scott History
Fort Point was built to prevent entrance of a hostile fleet into San Francisco Bay.
U.S. Civil War
The fort was designed to mount 126 massive cannon. Rushed to completion at the beginning of the U.S. Civil War, Fort Point was first garrisoned in February of 1861 by Company I, 3rd U.S. Artillery. The fort was occupied throughout the U.S. Civil War, but the advent of faster, more powerful rifled cannon made brick forts such as Fort Point obsolete. In 1886 the troops were withdrawn.
Endicott Period
| Battery | No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Dynamite | 3 | 15" | Peneumatic Carriage | 1894-1904 | |
| Battery Lancaster | 3 | 12" | Disappearing Carriage | 1899-1918 | Partially buried for bridge |
| Battery Godfrey | 3 | 12" | Barbette Carriage | 1895-1943 | |
| Battery Safford | 2 | 12" | Barbette Carriage | 1898-1943 | |
| Battery Howe | 8 | 12" | Mortar | 1895-1920 | 1 emplacement remains |
| Battery Wagner | 8 | 12" | Mortar | 1895-1920 | |
| Battery Stotenburg | 8 | 12" | Mortar | 1900-1943 | 4 guns removed to Fort Funston 1918 |
| Battery McKinnon | 8 | 12" | Mortar | 1900-1943 | |
| Battery Cranston | 2 | 10" | Disappearing Carriage | 1898-1943 | built on |
| Battery Miller | 3 | 10" | Disappearing Carriage | 1898-1920 | |
| Battery East | 2 | 8" | Barbette Carriage | 1897-1915 | Converted Rodman rifles |
| Battery Slaughter | 3 | 8" | Disappearing Carriage | 1899-1917 | Partially buried |
| Battery Crosby | 2 | 6" | Disappearing Carriage | 1902-1943 | |
| Battery Chamberlin | 4 | 6" | Disappearing Carriage | 1904-1918 | 1 DC Installed 1976, being restored |
| Battery Chamberlin | 2 | 6" | Pedestal Mount | 1920-1949 | Modified DC Emplacement |
| Battery Boutelle | 3 | 5" | Balanced Pillar Mount | 1898-1918 | |
| Battery Sherwood | 2 | 5" | Pedestal Mount | 1900-1917 | Guns to Fort Funston |
| Battery Blaney | 4 | 3" | Masking Pedestal Mount | 1901-1920 | Partially buried |
| Battery Baldwin | 2 | 3" | Pedestal Mount | 1907-1920 | |
| Source: Coastal Defense Study Group | |||||
World War I
Post World War I
Between 1933 and 1937 the fort was used as a base of operations for the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.
World War II
During World War II, Winfield Scott was occupied by about 100 soldiers who manned searchlights and rapid-fire cannon mounted atop the fort as part of the protection of a submarine net strung across the entrance to the Bay.
| Battery | No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Point | 2 | 3" | Pedestal | 1944-1945 | Guns from Yates, Fort Baker |
| Battery Gate | 2 | 3" | Pedestal | 1942-1945 | Guns from Gravelly Beach, Fort Baker |
| AMTB Baker Beach | 2 | 90mm | Pedestal | 1943-1946 | Buried |
| Source: Coastal Defense Study Group | |||||
Fort Point is the only third system brick fort on the west coast of the United States.
Current Status
A National Historic Site since 16 Oct 1970.
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Location: Under the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. Maps & Images Lat: 37.8108 Long: -122.4769
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Sources:
- Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 31
- Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 34
- Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 98
- Military Museum - Fort Winfield Scott
Links:
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Fort Winfield Scott Picture Gallery
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