Battery Crosby: Guarding the Minefield

A ranger is standing in one of Battery Crosby's gun encampments.

NPS Nathan Hale Sargent

Quick Facts

Amenities

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Scenic View/Photo Spot

Completed in 1900, Battery Crosby was armed with 6-inch guns and designed to protect the underwater minefields outside the Golden Gate. The minefields guarded against minesweepers and fast moving boats trying to navigate through the minefields.

Across the water, under and beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, you can see Fort Baker, established in 1901. This post played a prominent role in the San Francisco harbor defenses during WWII, including being the base of operations for planting and maintaining the offshore minefield. An antisubmarine net also spanned the bay entrance from Fort Baker to the Presidio during that war.

Encroaching vegetation was recently removed from around the battery and preservation work to stabilize the battery's condition is ongoing.