Battery Townsley

Battery Townsley (1938-1948) - Battery Townsley is a reinforced concrete World War II 16" gun battery located on Fort Cronkhite, California. Named after Maj. Gen. Clarence P. Townsley, a World War I veteran. Battery construction was begun in Jan 1938, completed 1 Jul 1940 and transferred to the Coastal Artillery for use 24 Jul 1940 at a total cost of $595,000. Deactivated in 1948 after World War II.
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Battery Townsley History

Battery Townsley was a casemated battery with two naval Mark II MI 16" guns mounted on long range Barbette M1919 M5 carriages, each capable of shooting a 2,100 pound, armor-piercing projectile 25 miles out to sea. Battery Townsley and Battery Davis at Fort Funston were two 16" batteries planned to guard the entrance to San Francisco harbor. The guns and their associated ammunition magazines, power rooms, and crew quarters were covered by dozens of feet of concrete and earth to protect them from air and naval attack.

Test firings in 1940 with live ammunition proved the range to be over 30 miles.

Battery Townsley Armament (edit list)

Empl No	Caliber Type	Barrel Length	Model		Serial No	Manufacturer	Carriage	Service Dates	Notes
1	16" Rifle	68'	MarkII-M1		87	U.S. Navy	Barbette, M2, #15	1940-1948	See note 1
2	16" Rifle	68'	MarkII-M1		88	U.S. Navy	Barbette, M2, #16	1940-1948	See note 2
Display Guns
2	16" Rifle	68'	MarkVII		386	Naval Gun Factory	None yet	2012	See note 3
Source: CDSG, Berhow, Mark A. ed, American Seacoast Defenses: A Reference Guide, 2nd Edition, CDSG Press, McLean, VA, 2004, ISBN 0-9748167-0-1 page 176-177 Note 1: Carriage shipped 16 Jan 1939, gun shipped 7 Aug 1939 Watertown CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Note 2: Carriage shipped 2 Jun 1939, gun shipped Jun 1939 Watertown. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Note 3: Gun arrived at the Battery on 1 Oct 2012 from US Navy Weapons Station, Hawthorne, Nevada.

Battery Townsley Plan

Current Status

Part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area

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Location: Battery Townsley is located one ½ mile up from the Fort Cronkhite parking lot. Maps & Images Lat: 37.8362253 Long: -122.5440574 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 345'

Sources:

• Battery Townsley NPS
• Coast Defense Study Group, Press, Digital Library, Forums

Links:

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