Battery 238

Battery 238 (1942-1946) - A World War II era reinforced concrete coastal artillery battery on Fort Rosecrans, San Diego County, California. Named Battery Humphreys in G.O. #28, 5 Jun 1942, after Captain Charles Humphreys, the first commanding officer of Fort Rosecrans. Construction began 2 Feb 1942 and was completed 14 Oct 1943. The Battery was turned over for service 20 Jun 1944 at a cost of $ 199,661.23. Deactivated in 1946. Battery 238 Emplacement #2 Entrance Battery 238 Emplacement #1 Entrance Battery 238 Rear Entrance Battery 238 History Battery 238 was a battery of two, 6" rapid fire Barbette mounted guns on either side of an earth covered reinforced concrete support structure. Located on a hill at the south end of Point Loma above the new Point Loma Lighthouse and below the old Point Loma Lighthouse. 6" Gun at Fort Columbia Originally at Fort McAndrew, Battery 281, Argentia, NL, Canada These 6" World War II coastal gun batteries were designed to replace obsolete Endicott Period Batteries. Of the 87 planned only 45 were completed and many of those were not completed until late in the war (1944-1945). The 6" guns fired a 105 pound armor-piercing projectile with a range of over 15 miles at a rate of up to 5 rounds per minute. The gun crews were protected by a thick shield around the gun. Only six of these guns remain in the world, two at Fort Columbia in Battery 246, two at Fort Pickens in Battery 234, and two at Fort McAndrew in Battery 282 in Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. 6" Gun Crew Battery 238 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 6" Rifle 302.9" M1903 A2 1 Watervliet Barbette M1, #101, Wellman Eng. Co. 1944-1944 See note 1, 2 1 6" Rifle 302.9" M1903 A2 9 Watervliet Barbette M1, #89, Wellman Eng. Co. 1944-1946 See note 1, 2 2 6" Rifle 302.9" M1903 A2 44 Watervliet Barbette M1, #100, Wellman Eng. Co. 1944-1946 See note 1 Source: RCW Form 1, 17 Jul 1944, CDSG, Berhow, Mark A. ed, American Seacoast Defenses: A Reference Guide, 2nd Edition, CDSG Press, McLean, VA, 2004, ISBN 0-9748167-0-1, pages 104-105 Note 1: Guns and carriages transferred in Apr 1943. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Note 2: Damaged gun tube #1 replaced by #9 and Carriage #101 refurbished by parts from #86 and assumed #86 ID number. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Battery 238 Plan Current Status Active Navy military installation, no public access. No guns or carriages in place, the repurposed concrete battery support structure and fire control post remains. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Fort Rosecrans, San Diego County, California Maps & Images Lat: 32.667547 Long: -117.240103 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 321' (Gun Mounts) See Also: Fort Rosecrans Harbor Defense of San Diego Sources: U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of San Diego, (HDSD-AN-45), 1 Jul 1945, CDSG Links: North American Forts - Fort Rosecrans CDSG Visited: 2 Oct 2014 Battery 238 Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!