Fort MacArthur

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Fort MacArthur (1914-1974) - A U.S. Army coastal artillery post established 31 Oct 1914 in San Pedro, Los Angeles County, California. Named after Lt. General Arthur MacArthur, U.S. Civil War Medal of Honor recipient and father of General Douglas MacArthur. Deactivated in 1975 but quarters and some other activities remained.

Historic Officer's Quarters, Middle Reservation, Fort MacArthur
Fort MacArthur, Patton Quadrangle, Middle Reservation
Fort MacArthur Upper Reservation and Gun Batteries 1937
Fort MacArthur Middle and Lower Reservations 1937, Railway Gun Positions on the Lower Reservation

World War I (1917-1918)

Fort MacArthur, 14" Gun

World War I began in Europe in August 1914 and the Panama Canal opened that same month. Construction began at Fort MacArthur 31 Oct 1914 and include the construction of three Taft Period batteries (two 14" disappearing gun batteries and one 12" mortar battery). None of those batteries were completed before the end of World War I in 1918 but they were all completed and accepted in 1919.

The Fort MacArthur reservation was geographically divided into three parts: the Lower Reservation, Middle Reservation, and Upper Reservation. The Taft Period Batteries were located on the Upper Reservation. The lower reservation was a training center for troops heading to the war in Europe and the middle reservation housed the garrison.

Fort MacArthur Taft Period Battery (edit list)
Battery
Click on Battery links below 		No. Caliber Type Mount Service Years Battery Cost Notes
Battery Osgood 1 14" Disappearing 1916-1919-1919-1944 $ 211,427
Battery Farley 1 14" Disappearing 1916-1919-1919-1944 Included above
Battery Merriam 1 14" Disappearing 1916-1919-1919-1944 $ 251,363
Battery Leary 1 14" Disappearing 1916-1919-1919-1944 Included above
Battery Erwin 2 14" Railway 1925-1926-1926-1937
1937-1937-1943-1945 		$ 9,344
$ 144,806 		emplacements and approaches
Battery Barlow 4 12" Mortar 1916-1919-1919-1943 $ 290,300
Battery Saxton (1) 4 12" Mortar 1916-1919-1919-1943 Included above
Battery Lodor 4 3" Pedestal 1916-1917-1917-1927 $ 1,949 Deadman's Island
Source: CDSG
Fort MacArthur Plan circa 1921


After the war Fort MacArthur returned to being a Coast Artillery post and became a training facility for the California National Guard. One additional gun battery (Battery Lodor) was built in 1919 but decommissioned in 1927.

The Army installed one 14" Railway gun in 1925 and another in 1930 and additional anti-aircraft units were placed strategically around the larger gun emplacements. Because of public outcry over the test firing of the 14" railway guns they were transported to remote locations for additional firings and returned to Fort MacArthur for storage, ready for emplacement. Two special roundtable like emplacements that allowed the railway guns to traverse 360 degrees were constructed in 1937 at the ends of spur tracks on the lower reservation. Activity increased as World War II broke out in Europe and 1941 saw additional manpower and missions assigned to Fort MacArthur.

Five additional military reservations were established out from Fort MacArthur in the years between World War I and early into World War II to provide additional protection for Los Angeles Harbor. White Point MR was established in 1941 to house Battery 127 (Battery Paul D. Bunker). Bolsa Chica MR was established in 1942 to house Battery 128 and Battery 242. Long Point MR was established in 1930 to house fire control stations and later Battery 155 - Long Point. Point Vicente MR was established in 1942 to house Battery 242 (Battery Barnes). Manhattan Beach MR was established in 1941 to house two 8" railway guns in Battery Eubank.

World War II (1941-1945)

Fort MacArthur, 3rd Coast Artillery Battle Honors

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 Dec 1941, found Fort MacArthur with 163 officers and 1,869 enlisted men. When word of the attack reached the fort all fortifications were manned and the 14" railway guns were moved onto their emplacements on the lower reservation.

All of the large batteries at Fort MacArthur, with the exception of the railway guns, were obsolete and unsuitable for combat against the modern naval craft and weapons of that day. Early in the war replacement batteries were planned for Fort MacArthur including two of the standard 100 series and three of the standard 200 series. Even before the construction of the new batteries was complete, the old batteries were deactivated. Battery Barlow-Saxton was deactivated in 1943 followed by Battery Osgood-Farley and Battery Leary-Merriam in Jan 1944. This left only the two 14" Railway Guns to defend Los Angeles Harbor until the replacement batteries were complete. Mobile 155mm guns were moved to preselected positions along the coast.

Construction began on the new 16" gun batteries in 1942 with Battery 127 followed by Battery 128 in 1943. By late 1943 it became obvious that many of the larger caliber guns were unnecessary because the tide of the war had turned in the Pacific. Battery 128 was curtailed before the guns could be installed in Nov 1943. Construction continued on the three 6" Rapid fire gun batteries, Battery 240, Battery 241 and Battery 242 and they continued in service even after the war.

Four 90mm Anti Motor Torpedo Boat (AMTB) Batteries were deployed at Fort MacArthur and sub posts along with two Joint Army And Navy (JAAN) 3" Batteries at Cabrillo Beach and Long Beach. Numerous Anti-Aircraft gun batteries and searchlight positions lined the coast to the north and south of Fort MacArthur during the war.

Five military reservation sub posts operated under Fort MacArthur during World War II, they housed the new 16" batteries, 6" batteries and a railway battery. Numerous remote fire control stations, searchlight positions and radar sites also operated along the coast under the control of Fort MacArthur.

Fort MacArthur World War II Battery (edit list)
Battery
Click on Battery links below 		No. Caliber Type Mount Service Years Battery Cost Notes
Battery 127 2 16" Casemated Barbette (CBC) 1942-1943-1944-1948 $1,256,410 White Point MR
Battery 128 2 16" Casemated Barbette (CBC) 1943-1944-1945-1948 $ 758,879 Bolsa Chica MR
Not armed
Battery Eubank 2 8" Railway 1942-1942-1943-1944 $ 46,907 Manhattan Beach MR
Battery 240 2 6" Shielded Barbette (SBC) 1942-1943-1943-1956 $ 219,000 Point Vicente MR
Battery 241 2 6" Shielded Barbette (SBC) 1943-1943-1944-1956 $ 219,000 Upper Reservation
Battery 242 2 6" Shielded Barbette (SBC) 1943-1944-1944-1948 $  Bolsa Chica MR
Battery Navy Guns - El Segundo 2 6" Pedestal 1942-1943-1943-1944 $ 15,243 El Segundo
Battery AMTB - Gaffey Bulge 2 90 mm Fixed Pedestal 1943-1943-1944-1946 $ 76,576
Battery AMTB - Navy Field 2 90 mm Fixed Pedestal 1943-1943-1944-1946 Included above
Battery AMTB - Terminal Island 2 90 mm Fixed Pedestal 1943-1943-1944-1946 Included above
Battery AMTB - Bluff Park 2 90 mm Fixed Pedestal 1943-1943-1944-1946 Included above
Battery JAAN 1 - Cabrillo Beach 2 3" Pedestal 1942-1943-1943-1946 $ 8,040 Guns from Battery Lodor
Battery JAAN 2 - Long Beach 2 3" Pedestal 1942-1943-1943-1946 $ 8,122 Guns from Battery Lodor
Battery 155 - Santa Barbara 2 155mm Mobile, Panama Mounts 1943-1943-1944-1944 $ 9,689
Battery 155 - Ventura 2 155mm Mobile, Panama Mounts 1943-1943-1944-1944 $ 9,990
Battery 155 - Oxnard 2 155mm Mobile, Panama Mounts 1943-1943-1944-1944 $ 11,266
Battery 155 - Port Hueneme 2 155mm Mobile, Panama Mounts 1943-1943-1944-1944 $9,382
Battery 155 - Pacific Palisades 2 155mm Mobile, Panama Mounts 1943-1943-1944-1944 $ 11,151
Battery 155 - El Segundo 2 155mm Mobile, Panama Mounts 1942-1943-1943-1944 $ 21, 260 Converted from 6" Navy Guns
Battery 155 - Rocky Point (1) 2 155mm Mobile, Panama Mounts 1941-1943-1943-1944 $ 19,809 3 Panama Mounts
2 Guns
Battery 155 - Long Point 2 155mm Mobile, Panama Mounts 1941-1942-1943-1944 $ 8,208
Battery 155 - Fermin Point 2 155mm Mobile, Panama Mounts 1941-1942-1943-1944 $ 6,332
Battery 155 - Bolsa Chica 2 155mm Mobile, Panama Mounts 1941-1942-1943-1944 $  8,783
Battery 155 - Costa Mesa 2 155mm Mobile, Panama Mounts 1941-1943-1943 $ 18,734 3 Panama Mounts
2 Guns
Source: CDSG


Cold War (1947-1991)

San Pedro Hill AFS, 2008

At the end of World War II Fort MacArthur became a Separation Center for returning veterans and when that closed 16 Apr 1946 it was reduced to caretaker status. Most of the armament for the old and some of the newer batteries was removed and scrapped and by 1948 only 300 troops remained.

A NIKE-AJAX surface-to-air missile battery was installed on Fort MacArthur in 1954 as part of an air defense network for Southern California. The conversion of this battery to the NIKE-HERCULES brought a nuclear capability to the air defense system. The NIKE sites became obsolete when the threat from enemy bombers was replaced by the missile threat and they were closed in 1974.

In 1961 a joint use USAF/FFA/Army radar station began operation at the top of San Pedro Hill with an FAA ARSR-1c search Radar and Air Force FPS-6B, FPS-26A Height Finder radar sets. Designated as the San Pedro Hill Air Force Station manned by the 670th Radar Squadron, it operated until deactivated in April 1976. The FAA took over operational control of the site and still maintains an ARSR-1E Search Radar and an FPS-26 Height Finder Radar at the same location.

Current Status

In 1977 the Upper and Lower Reservations were deeded to the city of Los Angeles. All of the buildings on the Lower Reservation were removed and the property was dredged to create the Cabrillo Marina. The city of Los Angeles turned the Upper Reservation into a city park in 1982. In 1982 the Middle Reservation was transferred to the Air Force and used as a housing and administration facility for Los Angeles Air Force Base.

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Location: Fort MacArthur, Los Angeles County, California.

Maps & Images

Lat: 33.71194 Long: -118.29528

  • Multi Maps from ACME
  • Maps from Bing
  • Maps from Google
  • Elevation: 260' Upper Reservation, 60' Middle Reservation, 6' Lower Reservation

See Also:

Sources:

  • Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 28
  • Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 75
  • Berhow, Mark A. and Gustafson, David, The Guardian at Angels Gate Fort MacArthur Defender of Los Angeles, CDSG ePress electronic edition, 2011, 99 pages, Large pdf
  • USACE, FUDS - Archives Search Report Findings - Point Vicente Seacoast Defense Sites, USACE Project Number J09CA055802, April 1996, USACE St. Louis District, 301 Pages, Large pdf
  • U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project Harbor Defenses of Los Angeles, (LA-AN-WDC-44), 31 Aug 1944, CDSG

Links:

Visited: 4-5 Oct 2014, 4-5 Jan 2013, 1 Feb 2009

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