General Information: This Endicott-era battery was completed and armed in 1904 with four 6-inch guns mounted on disappearing carriages. The battery was built to protect underwater minefields laid outside the Golden Gate during the time of war against minesweepers and moderate-sized warships. These guns had a range of 9 miles and could fire at the rate of two rounds per minute. The original guns were dismounted in 1917 for use in World War I, but the battery was modified to receive two 6-inch guns on simple barbette carriages in 1920. During World War II, the Sixth Coast Artillery (Harbor Defense) Regiment, Battery "D," manned the two guns at Battery Chamberlin, which were placed under camouflage netting to hide them from potential air attack. In 1948, the Coast Artillery Corps was deactivated, the battery disarmed, and the guns scrapped during "Operation Blowtorch." Origin of Name: Battery Chamberlin named in honor of Captain Lowell A. Chamberlin, First Artillery, who served with distinction in the Civil War and continued as an artillery officer until the 1890s. He died in 1899. Access and Current Condition: Battery Chamberlin is located at the north end of the Baker Beach parking lot. In 1977, the National Park Service received a 6-inch gun and disappearing carriage from the Smithsonian Institution and installed them in gun emplacement No. 4. Demonstrations of this 50-ton rifle, similar to the original armament, are conducted on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month from 11 am until 3 p.m. An underground cartridge room also is open for inspection and contains photos and small exhibits on the coastal defenses of San Francisco.
Blueprint
Test firing a "disappearing gun"
Demonstrating the gun today