Work began here November 27, 1899. It was for a battery of sixteen 12-inch mortars. This battery is now known as Battery Springer A. Let’s uncover its history.
Fort Miley was renamed in 1900. It was named after Lieutenant Colonel John D. Miley. He died in Manila in 1899. The mortar battery here was completed in 1902. Then, it was transferred to the Coast Artillery Corps.
In 1904, the battery was named Battery LaRhett Livingston. This honored a Civil War veteran. He had died in March 1903.
However, in 1906, the army found crowded conditions. Each pit made it difficult to service the mortars quickly. To fix this, the army removed the two front guns in each pit.
At this time, the battery divided. It became two batteries of two pits each. Physically, it remained a single structure. Pits A and B to the north remained Battery Livingston. Pits C and D, to the south, were renamed Battery Anton Springer. This recognized a captain killed in action in the Philippine Islands in 1901. So, this part of the structure became Battery Springer A.
The mortars here were Model 1890. The carriages were Model 1896 Mark I. Half were made by Watertown Arsenal. The other half were made by Rarig Engineering Company.
Many mortar batteries around the U.S. had mortars removed in 1917-1918. These mortars were remounted on railroad cars. They were intended for use overseas. But in 1943, the remaining mortars were removed. Battery Springer A was abandoned.
In 1955, the Air Force acquired some of Fort Miley. This included the site of Batteries Livingston and Springer. Later, in 1968, the Department of Air Force transferred this land. It went to the National Park Service. This became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
You might be interested to know that one reserve officer converted an old Coast Artillery bunker into a modern communications center. This was done almost single-handedly in his own time. He worked nights and weekends. It became an underground command post.
Today, Battery Springer A serves as a maintenance and storage facility. It is used by the National Park Service and the US Park Police. It stands as a reminder of the coastal defenses that once protected San Francisco.