Battery 127

Battery 127 (1942-1948) - A World War II era reinforced concrete coastal artillery battery built in 1942-1943 on White Point Military Reservation, a sub-post of Fort MacArthur, California. On 10 Jun 1946 War Department General Order 51 officially changed the name of Battery 127 to Battery Paul D. Bunker in honor of Colonel Paul D. Bunker, Coast Artillery Corps. Guns were scrapped and removed about 1948 but the concrete Battery support structure remains. Caretaker Crew for Battery Bunker 1946, image courtesy Fort MacArthur Museum Battery 127, Casemate 2 Interior Battery 127 Casemate 2 Front View History Part of the Harbor Defenses of Los Angeles. Battery 127 was a battery of two, 16", MarkII-M1, Long Range naval guns on M4-1942 Barbette carriages. Each gun position was in a reinforced concrete casemate. The casemates were 500' apart at either end of an earth covered reinforced concrete support structure. Construction began Apr 1942 and was completed Dec 1943. The Battery was turned over for service 11 Sep 1944 at a cost of $1,256,410. The 16" guns could fire one-ton projectiles nearly 28 miles and covered most of the northern approach to the Los Angeles Harbor. Battery 127 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 16" Rifle 66.7' MarkII-M1 54 Watervliet Barbette, M4-1942, #30, Wellman 1944-1948 Mounted 1944 2 16" Rifle 66.7' MarkII-M1 72 Watervliet Barbette, M4-1942, #45, Mesta 1944-1948 Mounted 1944 Source: Coast Defense Study Group Battery 127 Plan Current Status Part of the White Point Nature Preserve. No guns or carriages in place. Casemates are open to the public but all of the interior Battery rooms are sealed off. No interpretive signage. Location: White Point Military Reservation just North of Fort MacArthur, California Maps & Images Lat: 33.719954 Long: -118.313227 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 306' Sources: Fort MacArthur Museum Coast Defense Study Group Links: Coast Defense Study Group Visited: 1 Feb 2009 Battery 127 Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better! Battery 127 Casemate 1 Front Battery 127 Casemate 1 Interior Battery 127 Casemate 1 Main Corridor Door Battery 127 Casemate 1 Generator Room Door Battery 127 Casemate 1 North Wall Battery 127 Center Entrance Battery 127 Back Road Battery 127 Casemate 2 Front View Battery 127, Casemate 2 Battery 127 Casemate 2 Main Corridor Door Battery 127 Casemate 2 Generator Room Door