Battery Barlow-Saxton

Battery Barlow-Saxton (1915-1943) - Battery Barlow-Saxton was a reinforced concrete Taft Period 12" mortar battery located on Fort MacArthur, Los Angeles County, California. The Battery was named for Bg. Gen. John Whitney Barlow (Cullum 1901) and Maj. Gen. Rufus Saxton (Cullum 1424). Battery construction started 1 Apr 1915, was completed 27 Jun 1919 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 27 Jun 1919 at a total cost of $290,300. Guns were mounted 29 Dec 1916. Deactivated in 1943.

Battery Saxton Mortar Loading circa 1920s, image courtesy Fort MacArthur Museum	Battery Barlow-Saxton 1 Feb 2009
Fort MacArthur Costal Gun Batteries - Battery Barlow-Saxton Left, Battery Leary-Merriam Center, Battery Osgood-Farley Right

World War I (1917-1918)

Part of the Harbor Defense of Los Angeles.

Battery Barlow-Saxton was a reinforced concrete Taft Period mortar battery with eight rifled M1912 12" mortars mounted on M1896III mortar carriages. This battery was unusual because all eight of the mortars were in a straight line instead of being clustered in groups of four. This configuration made them easier to service and faster to load and fire.

The battery was divided into four mortar pits with two mortars in each pit. The first two mortar pits were designated as Battery Saxton and the second two pits were designated as Battery Barlow but the complete structure was referred to as Battery Barlow-Saxton. Each of the mortars had a 360 degree field of fire and a range of about 11 miles with a 700 lb projectile. With a 1,046 lb projectile the range was reduced to about 6.7 miles.

Battery Barlow-Saxton Armament (edit list)

Empl No	Caliber Type	Barrel Length	Model		Serial No	Manufacturer	Carriage	Service Dates	Notes
Battery Saxton
A-1	12" Mortar	200"	M1912		#37	Watervliet	Mortar M1896MIII, #29, Watertown	1916-1943	Mounted 29 Dec 1916
A-2	12" Mortar	200"	M1912		#30	Watervliet	Mortar M1896MIII, #30, Watertown	1916-1943	Mounted 29 Dec 1916
B-1	12" Mortar	200"	M1912		#31	Watervliet	Mortar M1896MIII, #31, Watertown	1916-1943	Mounted 29 Dec 1916
B-2	12" Mortar	200"	M1912		#32	Watervliet	Mortar M1896MIII, #32, Watertown	1916-1943	Mounted 29 Dec 1916
Battery Barlow
A-1	12" Mortar	200"	M1912		#33	Watervliet	Mortar M1896MIII, #33, Watertown	1916-1943	Mounted 29 Dec 1916
B-2	12" Mortar	200"	M1912		#34	Watervliet	Mortar M1896MIII, #34, Watertown	1916-1943	Mounted 29 Dec 1916
A-1	12" Mortar	200"	M1912		#35	Watervliet	Mortar M1896MIII, #35, Watertown	1916-1943	Mounted 29 Dec 1916
B-2	12" Mortar	200"	M1912		#36	Watervliet	Mortar M1896MIII, #36, Watertown	1916-1943	Mounted 29 Dec 1916
Source: RCW Form 1, 27 Jun 1919

Battery Barlow-Saxton Plan 1919

World War II (1941-1945)

Battery Barlow-Saxton was considered obsolete at the beginning of World War II. It was kept in operation pending the completion of the modernization program. The Battery was declared surplus in 1943. The mortars and carriages were ordered salvaged on 12 Dec 1944.

Current Status

No guns or carriages in place. Covered with graffiti and trash, unprotected by the Los Angeles Unified School District who has possession of the property (2009).

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Location: On Fort MacArthur, Los Angeles County, California. Maps & Images Lat: 33.7161655 Long: -118.2956153 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 244'

See Also:

• Fort MacArthur
• Harbor Defense of Los Angeles

Sources:

• U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project Harbor Defenses of Los Angeles, (LA-AN-WDC-44), 31 Aug 1944, CDSG

Links:

• Fort MacArthur Museum
• CDSG

Visited: 4 Oct 2014, 1 Feb 2009

Battery Barlow-Saxton Picture Gallery

Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!

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  Battery Barlow-Saxton Entrance Gate
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  Back of Battery Barlow-Saxton Entrance Gate
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  Battery Barlow Mortar Pit B
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  Battery Barlow's Pit Commander's Post
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  Battery Barlow-Saxton