• View of the Golden Gate Bridge, taken from the Marin Headlands, looking across the bay back towards San Francisco, seen in the distance.

    Golden Gate

    National Recreation Area California

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »

  • Tunnel to Marin Headlands Closed

    The tunnel on Bunker Road from Alexander Avenue in Sausalito towards the Marin Headlands is closed for construction. Please follow the detour signs to Conzelman Road (just above the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge) to go up over the hill. More »

  • Muir Beach (but not nearby Muir Woods) parking lot closed June-November 2013

    Muir Beach parking lot will be closed from June-November 2013 due to construction. Restrooms or nearby parking will not be available at Muir Beach during this period. Pacific Way is closed except to residents. Check back for updates or call (415)561-3054 More »

  • CAUTION: Post Storm Damage to Coastal Trail

    The Presidio Coastal Trail segment just north of the Pacific Overlook and adjacent to Lincoln Blvd remains CLOSED indefinitely. We have posted signage to alert bicyclists and hikers and with information for safe trail alternatives. More »

Battery Townsley 16-inch gun installation

Background Information about the Move

Battery Townsley Facts at a Glance (pdf file, 94 kb)

To download high resolution photos of historic and contemporary images, please visit the Battery Townsley High Resolution Photos page.

 
 
 
The 1 inch by 68 foot long gun laying in the desert
The gun located at Hawthorne, NV, before the start of its journey back to Fort Cronkhite.
Courtesy Tim Tyler
 
The contract for moving the giant weapon was awarded through competitive bidding to Bigge Crane & Rigging, who transported the gun over Donner Summit before the winter snows set in. Interestingly, Bigge is the same firm that transported Townsley's original 16-inch guns from Sausalito to Fort Cronkhite in 1939.

This time, however, the distance was far greater and the technology somewhat different.

Bigge used a ten-axle, 175-foot long "over the road transport" trailer for the move from Nevada to GGNRA. Special permission was secured from Caltrans for this part of the move since the slow-moving trailer, pulled and pushed by two diesel trucks, took up nearly two traffic lanes.
 
image of the 16-in gun being moved for transportation
This photo, dated September 24th, shows the gun as it was hoisted from its original location in preparation for loading on to the ten-axle transport trailer and trucks.
NPS
 
10 axle trailer
Ten-axle transport trailer and trucks
Courtesy Bigge Crane & Rigging
 
After the trailer and trucks arrived at Fort Cronkhite, the gun barrel was shifted onto a shorter trailer with a much tighter turning radius for the last leg of its journey up the steep Coastal Trail to the battery. When the gun arrived at Townsley, a temporary gantry lifted the barrel off the trailer and gently lowered it into the specially-designed concrete cradle that had been constructed outside casemate #2 specifically for this purpose.
 
Gantry that will be used to transfer gun barrel
Temporary gantry that will move the gun barrel onto its display cradle.
Courtesy Bigge Crane & Rigging
 

With the gun in position and the gantry removed, the final steps will be the cleaning, preservation and repainting of 68-foot long barrel. First, the grease-like coatings applied by the Navy to protect the metal surfaces during the weapon's long stay in the desert will be removed. After the gun is clean, the gun will be prepped and coated to properly preserve it against the marine environment of Fort Cronkhite, and to restore it to the olive drab color of the 1930s U.S. Army.

Did You Know?

Jessie Fremont on her porch at her home at Fort Mason

John Fremont, the explorer, and his wife Jessie Benton Fremont, lived at Fort Mason. Both were abolitionists and their home, once located at the edge of the post, became a center of San Francisco’s intellectual life.