Bolsa Chica Military Reservation

Bolsa Chica Military Reservation (1942-1948) - A World War II Coastal military reservation first established in 1942 through fee, leaseholds and permits. A sub-post of Fort MacArthur. Deactivated in 1948.

World War II

Part of the Harbor Defense of Los Angeles.

Initially armed with two tractor drawn 155mm GPF Guns in field emplacements right after the U.S. entry into World War II. The initial field emplacements were replaced with two reinforced concrete Panama mounts for the 155mm guns that were completed in February 1942, see Battery 155 - Bolsa Chica. While this battery was completed in February 1942, it was not formally accepted for service until 15 Nov 1943. The Bolsa Chica Gun Club on the reservation was pressed into service as troop quarters.

Bolsa Chica Reserve Ammunition Magazine Plan

Construction on two modern gun batteries began in 1942. One 6" gun Battery 242 and one 16" gun Battery 128 were planned for the military reservation. Battery 128 was substantially completed but never armed when it was deemed to be unnecessary in 1943. Battery 242 was armed and became operational before the war's end. The reservation was deactivated after the end of the war in 1948.

Additional structures on the reservation included an underground Plotting-Switchboard-Radio (PSR) structure for Battery 128, a reserve ammunition magazine, a fire control tower and a SCR-296 Radar installation.

Bolsa Chica Military Reservation World War II Battery (edit list)

Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Notes
Battery 128	2	16"	Casemated Barbette (CBC)	1943-1944-1945-1948	Not armed
Battery 242 Battery Harrison	2	6"	Shielded Barbette (SBC)	1943-1944-1944-1948
Battery 155 - Bolsa Chica	2	155mm	Mobile, Panama Mounts	1941-1942-1943-1944
Source: CDSG

Fort Bolsa Chica Miltary Reservation Plan

Current Status

Mostly overtaken by private commercial development.

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Location: Bolsa Chica Miltary Reservation, Orange County, California. Map points approximate. Maps & Images Lat: 33.708401 Long: -118.0456066 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 50'

Sources:

• U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project Harbor Defenses of Los Angeles, (LA-AN-WDC-44), 31 Aug 1944, CDSG
• Berhow, Mark, A Brief History of the Bolsa Chica Military Resewation 1941-1948 (pdf), The Coast Defense Study Group Journal, February 1995, page 60-63

Links:

• North American Forts - Bolsa Chica Miltary Reservation
• California Military Museum - Bolsa Chica Military Reservation
• Chica Miltary Reservation Wikipedia - Bolsa Chica Miltary Reservation
• CDSG

Visited: area 1 Feb 2009

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