Battery Dynamite (3)

Battery Dynamite (3) (1900-1904) - Battery Dynamite (3) was a reinforced concrete, Endicott Period 15 inch coastal pneumatic dynamite gun battery on Fort Winfield Scott (2), San Francisco County, California. The battery was named after the type of gun. Battery construction started in 1894, was completed in 1900 and transferred to the Coastal Artillery for use 8 Jun 1900 at a cost of $ 127,137.30. Deactivated in 1904.

Endicott Period (1890-1910)

Part of the Harbor Defense of San Francisco.

Originally built as an experimental Endicott Period concrete coastal gun battery with three 15" M1886 pneumatic dynamite guns mounted on M1886 Barbette carriages. Initial Battery construction consisted of three exposed 40' circular concrete pads for mounting the guns and carriages and a separate power house to provide compressed air to the guns.

The guns were powered by compressed air that drove the explosive shells out of the gun tubes. The explosive used in the shells was dynamite. Dynamite shells could not be used in normal guns because the impact of the propellent firing would trigger the dynamite and the shells would explode while still in the gun tube. Compressed air drove the shells out of the gun tube at a lower velocity and with less impact.

Since the guns were experimental, the contractor provided the guns, carriages and the emplacements as well as the considerable amount of machinery necessary to produce the highly compressed air. The contractor completed the work and satisfactorily tested the guns at the end of 1895. The range of the guns proved to be just over three miles. Deficiencies in the design of the battery left it, and the powerhouse, exposed to enemy fire and a program to rebuilt the battery was begun in August 1898. High earthen traverses were built around the guns and the powerhouse.The magazines were reworked and expanded. The new battery was accepted for service on 8 Jun 1900 at an additional cost of $ 127,137.

The guns were declared obsolete in 1901 and by the end of 1903 they had been removed from the harbor defense plan. In 1904 they were ordered salvaged. The powerhouse remained operational until the 1906 earthquake destroyed it, the traverses built to protect it caved in on it. A new powerhouse was later built on the same site and provided power for the new Fort Winfield Scott (2) post.

Battery Dynamite (3) Armament (edit list)

Empl No	Caliber Type	Barrel Length	Model		Serial No	Manufacturer	Carriage	Service Dates	Notes
1	15" Rifle	50'	M1886		unk	Pneumatic Torpedo	Barbette, M1886, # unk, Pneumatic Torpedo	1900-1904	See note 1
2	15" Rifle	50'	M1886		unk	Pneumatic Torpedo	Barbette, M1886, # unk, Pneumatic Torpedo	1900-1904	See note 1
3	15" Rifle	50'	M1886		unk	Pneumatic Torpedo	Barbette, M1886, # unk, Pneumatic Torpedo	1900-1904	See note 1
Source: CDSG, Berhow, Mark A. ed, American Seacoast Defenses: A Reference Guide, 2nd Edition, CDSG Press, McLean, VA, 2004, ISBN 0-9748167-0-1, pages 184-187 Note 1:

Battery Dynamite Plan

Current Status

Part of the Golden Gate Recreation Area (GGNRA) administered by the National Park Service. No period guns or mounts in place.

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Location: Fort Winfield Scott, San Francisco County, California Maps & Images Lat: 37.8013889 Long: -122.4755556 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: Gun #1=296', Gun #2=298', Gun #3=300' (crest height)

Sources:

• Kent, Matthew W., Harbor Defenses of San Francisco - A Field Guide 1890 to 1950, Copyright 2009, Blurb, ISBN 978-1-61584-163-9, page 32-35
• U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project Harbor Defenses of San Francisco, (CCA-P-SFB), 15 Nov 1945, CDSG

Links:

• CDSG
• California Military Museum - Battery Dynamite
• National Park Service - Battery Dynamite
• Angelfire - Battery Dynamite
• New York Times 25 Dec 1895 - Battery Dynamite
• New York Times 22 Oct 1893 - Battery Dynamite
• The Pneumatic Torpedo Plant at the Presidio, A practical treatise on compressed air and pneumatic machinery By Edward A. Rix, A. E. Chodzko, Google Books, page 140

Visited: 27 Aug 2009

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