Near Sausalito in Marin County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Battery Construction No. 129

Last of the big gun emplacements

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, March 31, 2017

1. Battery Construction No. 129 Marker

Captions: (bottom left) Battery No. 129 diagram; (3 upper left) Gun barrel in San Francisco on it's way to the Marin Headlands. When work on Battery Construction No. 129 was stopped, the gun barrels had been transported to the site. The weapons were never installed and the barrels lay stored in the tunnel until 1948 when they were cut up for scrap.; Embedded in the the walls of the tunnel, you can see the rings through which cables would have been run to maneuver the gun barrels into the emplacement.; To hide the tunnel entrances, and the gun openings, iron rings were embedded into the surrounding concrete to secure camouflage nets. Had the battery been given a name, it would have been placed above the tunnel entrance - the rectangular insert in the concrete was designed for that purpose.; (map, lower right) The two gun positions on the seaward side of this hill were perched 800 feet above sea level, making this the highest coast artillery battery in the country.

Inscription. Never named because it was never finished, this battery was designed for the biggest, most powerful guns ever used by the United States military - 16-inch caliber weapons that fired 2,100-pound shells and could hit ships 26 miles out to sea. Construction began in 1942 and was almost complete when it was halted in 1943. World War II had turned in favor of the allies and military leaders were confident that there would be no Japanese attack on this coast.
Though San Francisco's harbor was still the most significant port on the west coast at the close of World War II, coastal defense had changed forever after the aerial attacks on Pearl Harbor. There would be no more big gun batteries - Battery Construction 129 marked the end of seacoast fortifications based on land-mounted artillery positioned to fend off enemy warships.

Erected by National Park Service, Golden Gate National Recreation Ares.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1942.

Location. 37° 49.626′ N, 122° 29.952′ W. Marker is near Sausalito, California, in Marin County. Marker is on Conzelman Road near McCullough Road, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mill Valley CA 94941, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Golden Gate (a few steps from this marker); Construction 129 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Battery Spencer (approx. 0.9 miles away); Strengthening an Icon (approx. one mile away); The Golden Gate Bridge (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Bay Transformed (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Lone Sailor (approx. 1.1 miles away); H. Dana Bowers Memorial Vista Point (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sausalito.

More about this marker. This marker is located at the Battery Construction No. 129 pullout on the Marin Headlands in Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, March 31, 2017

2. Battery Construction No. 129 Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 14, 2017. It was originally submitted on April 14, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 441 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 14, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.