The Batteries

During the Civil War, Angel Island's guns formed part of a defense network with Fort Point and Fort Alcatraz to protect San Francisco Bay as a last line of defense against enemy ships that entered the bay. After the war, these batteries quickly fell into disrepair. Almost thirty years later, during the Spanish American War, the army built new batteries named Drew, Wallace, and Ledyard, collectively known as the Endicott Batteries, with a firing range of almost twenty miles. The Endicott guns were installed between 1898 and 1901, deactivated in 1909, and removed in 1915, and test-firing was the only action the guns at Angel Island ever saw. Although hidden from ships, the batteries were easy to see from above, making them vulnerable to attack from the air. During World War II, the Endicott Batteries were used to store military supplies, including TNT.

Tiburon, California · United States