Battery 241

Battery 241 (1942-1956) - A World War II era 6" gun battery built in 1943 as a reinforced concrete coastal artillery battery on Fort MacArthur's Upper Reservation, Los Angeles County, California. Construction started 4 May 1943. The Battery was turned over for service later in 1943 at a cost of $219,000 but the guns were not mounted until after the war. Decommissioned in 1956. Battery 241 Gun Emplacement #1 Entrance Battery 241 Gun Emplacement #2 Entrance from above Battery 241, Pacific View from Gun Emplacement #1 World War II Part of the Harbor Defense of Los Angeles. Battery 241 Generator Room Battery 241Electrical Switchboard Originally built as an World War II concrete coastal gun battery with two 6" T2-M1 rapid fire guns mounted on M4 Shielded Barbette Carriages (SBC) placed on either side of an earth covered reinforced concrete magazine and support structure. Power was supplied by internal generators and commercial power. The battery was completed in 1943 but the guns were not mounted until after the war. The battery was decommissioned in 1956. 6" Gun at Fort Columbia Originally at Fort McAndrew, Battery 281, Argentia, NL, Canada These 6" World War II coastal gun batteries were designed to replace obsolete Endicott Period Batteries. Of the 87 planned only 45 were completed and many of those were not completed until late in the war (1944-1945). The 6" guns fired a 105 pound armor-piercing projectile with a range of over 15 miles at a rate of up to 5 rounds per minute. The gun crews were protected by a thick shield around the gun. Only six of these guns remain in the world, two at Fort Columbia in Battery 246, two at Fort Pickens in Battery 234, and two at Fort McAndrew in Battery 282 in Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. 6" Gun Crew Battery 241 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 6" Rifle 309.9" T2-M1 26 Watervliet Barbette, M4, #13, Watertown 1944-1956 Mounted 1948 2 6" Rifle 309.9" T2-M1 27 Watervliet Barbette, M4, #14, Watertown 1944-1956 Mounted 1948 Source: Coast Defense Study Group Note: Carriage serial number may not be in the correct gun position Battery 241 Plan Current Status No period guns or carriages in place. No public access to the interior of the Battery. Generators sets and electrical switchboard are mostly intact. Interior rooms are in good condition and the battery has electrical power and lighting. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Upper Reservation, Fort MacArthur, Los Angeles County, California. Maps & Images Lat: 33.709356 Long: -118.293746 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 220.5' See Also: Fort MacArthur Harbor Defense of Los Angeles Sources: U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project Harbor Defenses of Los Angeles, (LA-AN-WDC-44), 31 Aug 1944, CDSG Links: Fort MacArthur Museum, Battery #241 CDSG Visited: 5 Jan 2013, 31 Jan - 1 Feb 2009 Battery 241 Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better! Battery 241 Gun Emplacement #2 Entrance Battery 241 Gun Emplacement #2 Battery 241 Internal Corridor Battery 241 Emplacement Door from Inside Battery 241 Internal Room Entrances