Battery Construction No. 129

Never named because it was never finished, Battery Construction No. 129 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. By then World War II had turned in favor of the Allies, and military leaders were confident there would be no Japanese attack on this coast. Although 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, and Battery Construction 129 marked the end of seacoast fortifications based on land-mounted artillery positioned to fend off enemy warships.

San Francisco, California · United States