Gun Mole Pier

Sweeping across the San Francisco skyline, the Hunters Point Gantry Crane dominates the view. It marks the location of Gun Mole Pier, a place steeped in history and shrouded in secrecy. Gun Mole Pier isn’t just a pier. It’s a stage where some of the most significant, and some of the most unsettling, events of the 20th century have played out. Originally built in 1947, the crane at Gun Mole Pier was designed to lift massive gun turrets onto battleships. Its sheer size was astounding – nearly as long as the Titanic, and capable of lifting a record-breaking 630 tons. This made it the largest gantry crane in the world at that time. Even from a distance, its immense size made a statement, straddling the nation’s then-largest dry dock. But Gun Mole Pier’s story takes a dramatic turn in the aftermath of World War II. The pier became a key location for Operation Crossroads, a series of nuclear weapons tests conducted in the Pacific. Ships exposed to these atomic blasts were brought to Gun Mole Pier. Here at Gun Mole Pier, workers, wearing special protective gear and working shortened shifts with no breaks, would painstakingly remove radioactive deck markers from the contaminated vessels. They also burned 600,000 gallons of radioactive fuel oil here, a chilling testament to the unseen dangers lurking beneath the surface of this seemingly ordinary pier. The Historical Radiological Assessment reveals a former sailor’s account of this dangerous work. He recalled wearing special protective clothing and working seven-hour shifts without a lunch break, a stark reminder of the risks these workers faced. The massive crane at Gun Mole Pier wasn’t just used for handling contaminated ships. In 1959, a 230-foot tower was added to the crane. This addition facilitated Operation Skycatch, a program where Polaris missiles were fired and then caught by arresting cables. They were then lowered to the ground for testing. Imagine that – missiles flying through the air above Gun Mole Pier, a scene straight out of a science fiction movie. The very air above Gun Mole Pier crackled with the tension of the Cold War. Today, the crane at Gun Mole Pier stands as a silent sentinel, a reminder of a complex past. It’s a testament to American ingenuity and a sobering symbol of the dangers of the nuclear age. As you gaze at Gun Mole Pier and the towering crane, remember the stories it holds. They are stories of innovation, of Cold War tensions, and of the hidden costs of war, all etched into the very fabric of this historic San Francisco landmark.