Fort Point (3)

Fort Point (3) (1853-1914) - Originally 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. Renamed Fort Winfield Scott after Major General Winfield Scott, 25 Nov 1882. Old Fort Point is a part of the larger Fort Winfield Scott. The old fort was declared obsolete in 1905 and abandoned for military purposes in 1914. Also known as Fort Scott (1), Fort Blanco, Castillo de San Joaquin and Old Fort Scott.

Fort Point as it appeared around the end of the U.S. Civil War	Fort Winfield Scott During Golden Gate Bridge Construction

Early History

One of the original Spanish Cannons

The first fortification at the Punta del Cantil Blanco was the Spanish Fort Blanco, completed 8 Dec 1794. This was a horseshoe shaped fort that mounted eight bronze cannons cast in Lima, Peru. Four of these cannons still exist on the Presidio of San Francisco and two on Fort Mason.

In 1853, the army razed the old fortification and cut away a solid foundation out of the base of the cliff and began work on Fort Point. Fort Point was a Third System brick fort completed in 1861 and initially garrisoned by two companies of the 3rd U.S. Artillery. Fort Point was originally built to prevent entrance of a hostile fleet into San Francisco Bay and was designed to mount 126 large cannon. Fort Point was the only third system brick fort built on the west coast of the United States.

U.S. Civil War (1861-1865)

Old Fort Point at the Base of the Golden Gate Bridge

Fort Point was rushed to completion at the beginning of the U.S. Civil War and was occupied throughout the U.S. Civil War by Union Forces. The advent of faster, more powerful rifled cannon made brick forts such as Fort Point obsolete before the war was over. In 1882, General Order 133 renamed Fort Point as Fort Winfield Scott. Over a series of reconfigurations, Fort Winfield Scott came to encompass most of the military reservation at the northern tip of San Francisco including the old Fort Point. In 1886 the troops were withdrawn from the old fort.

Endicott Period (1890-1910)

The recommendations of the Endicott Board resulted in a massive construction program on Fort Winfield Scott that built some eighteen concrete coastal gun batteries over a period of thirty years. The boundaries of the fort expanded to encompass all of the new gun batteries but additional batteries to the south resulted in the creation of two new forts, Fort Miley and Fort Funston. The northern side of the Golden Gate has a similar expansion during this period at Fort Baker and with the creation of Fort Barry and Fort Cronkhite. The old fort was not included in the plan and it was declared obsolete in 1905 and abandoned for military purposes in 1914.

World War II (1941-1945)

During World War II, Old Fort Point was occupied by about 100 soldiers who manned searchlights and four rapid-fire 3" guns mounted atop the old fort as part of the protection of a submarine net strung across the entrance to San Francisco Bay.

Fort Winfield Scott World War II Battery (edit list)

Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Notes
Battery Fort Point	4	3"	Pedestal	1942-1942-1943-1946	2 Guns from Battery Yates, Fort Baker (1) 2 Guns from Battery Kirby Beach, Fort Baker (1)
Battery AMTB - Baker Beach	2	90mm	Pedestal	1943-1943-1943-1946
Source: CDSG

Current Status

Part of the Golden Gate Recreation Area (GGNRA) administered by the National Park Service. 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 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 15'

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
• Frazer, Robert W. (editor), Mansfield on the conditions of The Western Forts, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1963, ISBN 0-8061-1083-X, page 132-134, 135-137
• U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project Harbor Defenses of San Francisco, (CCA-P-SFB), 15 Nov 1945, CDSG

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Winfield Scott
• National Park Service
• National Park Service
• Wikipedia - Fort Winfield Scott
• Military Museum - Fort Winfield Scott
• CDSG

Visited: 22 Aug 2009

Fort Point (3) Picture Gallery

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  The Barbette tier of Fort Point 1870