Battery Townsley

Battery Townsley (1940-1948) - Battery Townsley is a reinforced concrete World War II 16" gun battery located on Fort Cronkhite, Marin County, California. Named after MG Clarence P. Townsley, a World War I veteran and superintendent of the United States Military Academy. Battery construction was begun in Jan 1938, completed 1 Jul 1940 and transferred to the Coastal Artillery for use 24 Jul 1940 at a total cost of $595,000. Deactivated in 1948 after World War II.

Battery Townsley Construction Gun Position #2, 1938	Battery Townsley Completed Gun Position
Battery Townsley Gun Emplacement #1 Today. Note the gun pit filled with water.

World War II (1941-1945)

Part of the Harbor Defense of San Francisco. Battery Townsley and Battery Davis (2) at Fort Funston were two 16" batteries planned to guard the entrance to San Francisco harbor.

Battery Townsley was a casemated battery with two naval MarkII-M1 16" guns mounted on long range Barbette M1919 M5 carriages, each capable of shooting a 2,100 pound, armor-piercing projectile 25 miles out to sea. The guns and their associated ammunition magazines, power rooms, and crew quarters were covered by dozens of feet of concrete and earth to protect them from air and naval attack. The central traverse magazine, in addition to the two casemated guns, included two separate magazines, several storerooms and a power room. A large reserve magazine was built about 2500 feet southeast of gun emplacement #1 on the reverse slope of the battery, not visible from the sea. The reserve magazine construction began June 1938, was completed 1 Jul 1940 and was accepted for service 24 Jul 1940 at a cost of $52,950. Total cost of the battery including the reserve magazine, plotting switchboard, radio room, BC station and real property improvements rose to $1,007,500 by 1940.

Test firings in 1940 with live ammunition proved the range to be over 30 miles.

**Battery Townsley Armament** (edit list)
Empl No	Caliber Type	Barrel Length	Model	Serial No	Manufacturer	Carriage	Service Dates	Notes
1	16" Rifle	68'	MarkII-M1	87	U.S. Navy	Barbette, M2, #15	1940-1948	See note 1
2	16" Rifle	68'	MarkII-M1	88	U.S. Navy	Barbette, M2, #16	1940-1948	See note 2
Display Guns
2	16" Rifle	68'	MarkVII	386	Naval Gun Factory	None yet	2012	See note 3
Source: CDSG, Berhow, Mark A. ed, American Seacoast Defenses: A Reference Guide, 2nd Edition, CDSG Press, McLean, VA, 2004, ISBN 0-9748167-0-1 page 176-177 Note 1: Carriage shipped 16 Jan 1939, gun shipped 7 Aug 1939 Watertown CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Note 2: Carriage shipped 2 Jun 1939, gun shipped Jun 1939 Watertown. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Note 3: Gun arrived at the Battery on 1 Oct 2012 from US Navy Weapons Station, Hawthorne, Nevada.