Devil's Slide WWII Radar Site

 (1944-1946) - A World War II U.S. Army Radar Site established in 1944. Used to provide fire control information to large caliber (6" and above) coastal gun batteries in the Harbor Defense of San Francisco against enemy warships. Located on Devil's Slide Military Reservation near Montera, San Mateo County, California. Closed in 1946.

History
Constructed under project No. RAD-9-183 and transferred for use at Devil's Slide WWII Radar Site. Construction costs to date of transfer were $31,494.81. The physical plant consisted of a transmitter building, a shared powerhouse, an antenna housing disguised as a Water tank atop the transmitter building. The buildings were constructed of reinforced concrete. The antenna housing was furnished by the Signal Corps and probably installed by the Corps of Engineers.

The radar equipment was installed by the Signal Corps. It required 16.3kW of 120/240 AC, 1 phase, 60 cycle power furnished by commercial power backed up by an on-site generator. One 25 KVA generator was furnished and installed by the Signal Corps for the radar in a combined power building along with with a small 3 KVA generator provided to power the base-end station structures.

Site Operation
The Radar track data was provided by telephone to support Battery 244 as the primary battery and to secondary batteries including Battery Townsley, Battery 129 and Battery Davis. Battery 244 was a 6" gun battery located on the Milagra Ridge Military Reservation.

Closure
Closed in 1946. The SCR-296-A Radar equipment was declared obsolete by AG letter on 17 Jan 1946. The Tower and radar equipment were to be disposed of while the buildings were to be retained. The whole 9.1 acre Devil's Slide Military Reservation was transferred to the U.S. Navy on 25 Oct 1959 and they disposed of it in 1983.

Current Status
Transmitter building and common power building remain as shells. The antenna housing is gone and replaced by a later steel antenna tower. The stairway guard rail is gone and the stairway is exposed to a steep drop off without many restraining trees or brush. The gate to the site is locked and special permission from the State Park officials is required to gain entry. Grafitti is prevalent inside the buildings.

See Also:
 * Devil's Slide Military Reservation
 * Battery 244
 * Battery Townsley
 * Battery 129
 * Battery Davis
 * US Radar Sets
 * SCR-296-A Radar Set
 * Western WWII Radar Sites

Sources:


 * RCW-Corrected to August 1944, CDSG.

Links:
 * California Military Museum - Devil's Slide Military Reservation
 * Wikipedia - Devil's Slide