Battery Kirby
Battery Kirby (1900-1941) - Battery Kirby is a reinforced concrete Endicott Period 12" gun battery located on Fort Baker, California. Named in G.O. 16, 14 Feb 1902, after 1st. Lt. Edmund Kirby, 1st U.S. Artillery, Brig. Gen. of Volunteers, who died 28 May 1863 of wounds received at Chancellorville, Virginia, during the U.S. Civil War. Battery construction was begun in 1899, completed in 1900 and transferred to the Coastal Artillery for use 5 Aug 1900 at a total cost of $70,334.18. Deactivated in 1941.
Battery Kirby History
Part of the Harbor Defense of San Francisco.
Battery Kirby was a concrete gun battery with two M1895 12" guns mounted on M1897 disappearing carriages. A magazine containing two shell rooms and two powder rooms was situated between the two gun emplacements. No hoists were required as the ammunition service was on the same level as the gun platform. By 1910 the carriages were modified for electric retracting motors but no traversing, elevating or depressing motors were installed. The Battery had it's own power plant with two 25 KW gasoline motor generator sets.
Behind emplacement #2 in a separate building was a tool room and a guard room. In the back and to the right of emplacement #1 was a separate building for the latrines, one for officers and one for enlisted.
Gun #1 was emplaced 10 Oct 1900, dismounted 21 Sep 1933, shipped to Fort Scott and then shipped and emplaced in Battery Cheney, Fort Mills, Corregidore, Phillipines.
Gun #2 was emplaced 20 Sep 1900, dismounted 28 Aug 1941 and also shipped to Fort Mills, Battery Cheney in the Philippine Islands but was never mounted. Both carriages were scrapped 11 Oct 1942.
In 1910 a BC Station and a plotting room below it were added to the Battery. Cost for the plotting room was $ 208.48 and for the BC Station, $ 3,440.03. Both were accepted for use 5 Aug 1910.
| Empl No |
Caliber Type |
Barrel Length |
Model | Serial No |
Manufacturer | Carriage | Service Dates |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12" Rifle | 436" | M1895 | 12 | Watervliet | Disappearing Carriage, M1897, #14, Morgan |
1900-1933 | To Battery Cheney Fort Mills | |
| 2 | 12" Rifle | 436" | M1895 | 16 | Watervliet | Disappearing Carriage, M1897, #15, Morgan |
1900-1941 | To Battery Cheney Fort Mills | |
| Source: RCW Form 1, 1 Mar 1920, CDSG | |||||||||
Current Status
Part of the Golden Gate Recreation Area (GGNRA) administered by the National Park Service. No period guns or carriages in place.
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Location: Fort Baker, California Maps & Images Lat: 37.827316 Long: -122.490256 |
Sources:
- Coast Defense Study Group, Press, Digital Library, Forums
- Angel Fire
- Kent, Matthew W., Harbor Defenses of San Francisco - A Field Guide 1890 to 1950, Copyright 2009, Blurb, ISBN 978-1-61584-163-9, page 146-147
Links:
Visited: 20 Aug 2009
Battery Kirby Picture Gallery
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Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better! |
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Battery Kirby BC Station Front -
Battery Kirby BC Station Interior -
Battery Kirby BC Station Side View -
Battery Kirby Emplacement #1 -
Battery Kirby Emplacement #1 -
Battery Kirby Magazine Room -
Battery Kirby Magazine Room -
Battery Kirby Magazine Room
