Remember Brigadier General Peter Leary, Jr and Major General Henry C Merriam. Battery Leary Merriam was named in their honor. This battery stands as a testament to early 20th-century coastal defense strategies. Battery Merriam, a part of Fort MacArthur, showcases the military’s response to evolving threats.
Constructed between 1916 and 1919, Battery Leary Merriam could fire a 1,560-pound projectile 14 miles. That distance reached far into the Catalina Channel. Initially, each gun acted as a separate tactical battery, hence the hyphenated name. The guns were later considered a single tactical unit. The construction cost was $251,362.
Battery Leary’s gun was 48-feet 3-inches long. Merriam’s gun was also 48-feet 3-inches long. These guns were mounted on disappearing carriages. These were the largest carriages of this type made for the west coast batteries.
Debates about the effectiveness of fixed gun emplacements continued for years. Nearby residents weren’t happy about the test firings. The guns began to be removed at the end of World War II. The last was decommissioned in 1948.
Battery Leary Merriam served alongside Battery Osgood-Farley until 1944. That year, the guns were declared obsolete. The underground rooms of the battery were then converted. They became the Harbor Entrance Command Post. This was the Navy’s monitoring post for ship traffic entering the harbor. It also served as the Army’s command post for the Harbor Defenses of Los Angeles. The battery functioned as Fire Control Site No 6.
After World War II, the Leary side of the Battery changed again. In the 1950s and 1960s, it became the command post for Nike battery LA-43. Nike radar domes sat on raised platforms around Leary’s gun pit. Just south of Battery Leary sits a World War II-era base end station.
The Merriam part of the battery found a different purpose. An art school and performing arts theater used it. The gun pit was extensively modified to accommodate these new functions.
Today, Battery Leary Merriam stands as a reminder of a bygone era. It reflects the nation’s commitment to defense. It also illustrates the adaptability of military installations. Two emplacements are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Battery Osgood-Farley was listed in 1976. Battery John Barlow and Saxton in 1982.