Battery 240

Battery 240 (1942-1948) - A World War II era 6" gun battery built in 1942-43 as a reinforced concrete coastal artillery battery on Point Vicente Military Reservation, a sub post of Fort MacArthur, in Los Angeles County, California. The Battery was turned over for service in 1943 at a cost of $219,000. Renamed Battery Barnes in G.O. 1, January 1948, after Colonel Harry C. Barnes, U.S. Army, CAC. Battery decommissioned late in 1948. Battery 240, Center Entrance Battery 240, Emplacement #1 Entrance Battery 240, View from Emplacement #1 World War II (1941-1945) Part of the Harbor Defense of Los Angeles. Emplacement #2 Entrance Originally built as a World War II concrete coastal gun battery with two 6" M1903A2 rapid fire guns mounted on M1 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 guns were proof fired 25 Oct 1943. The battery was decommissioned in 1948. 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 240 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 6" Rifle 302.9" M1903 A2 63 Watervliet Barbette, M1, #105, Wellman 1943-1948 2 6" Rifle 302.9" M1903 A2 64 Watervliet Barbette, M1, #106, Wellman 1943-1948 Source: Coast Defense Study Group Note:Serial numbers may not be in the correct gun emplacement Battery 240 Plan Current Status Owned by the US Coast Guard who uses it as a radio beacon and aid to navigation. No period guns or carriages in place. {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: Point Vicente, Los Angeles County, California Maps & Images Lat: 33.744684 Long: -118.406741 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: ' Recent Blog Posts: U.S. Forts - Long Point Military Reservation, California See Also: Harbor Defense of Los Angeles Sources: Berhow, Mark A. and Gustafson, David, The Guardian at Angels Gate Fort MacArthur Defender of Los Angeles, CDSG ePress electronic edition, 2011, 99 pages, Large pdf USACE, FUDS - Archives Search Report Findings - Point Vicente Seacoast Defense Sites, USACE Project Number J09CA055802, April 1996, USACE St. Louis District, 301 Pages, Large pdf Links: Fort MacArthur Museum - Battery Barnes #240 CDSG Visited: 5 Oct 2014, 4 Jan 2013