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Clowns Claim Compound

From Defense Tech... Clowns hammer on nuclear warheads with household hammers.

Clowns crashing  compound

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Meet The Battery Townsley Shock Tube

You're looking at the business end of the Battery Townsley shock tube.  In 1967, the Office of Civil Defense contracted with URS Corporation to develop, evaluate and operate this shock tube to conduct full-scale tests of loading, response, and debris characteristics of structural elements.

The tunnel built in the central corridor of Battery Townsley, a WWII 16-inch gun battery located at Fort Cronkhite in Marin County. Primacord was strung on an X-frame inside the 163 foot long metal tunnel.  When detonated it produced a shock wave similar to the shock wave produced by a megaton-range weapon.

Wall panels of various materials were secured in front of the shock tube and subjected to blasts.  Instruments measured how the materials responded to the blasts.

The work seems to have stopped around 1975, although it appears that there was some thought of reopening the facility in the 1980s.

This was not the first time Battery Townsley was used as a test bed. In 1941-1942, one of Battery Townsley's 16-inch guns was used to test concrete slabs, apparently for the Special Engineering Department of the Panama Canal. Four large concrete slabs were built near the battery. Each of them had a different concrete mix and rebar arrangement.  One of the slabs  was 42 feet by 23 feet and 13 feet thick.  A 16-inch gun was then used to shoot at them to determine how the concrete would hold up.

The National Park Service is preparing Battery Townsley for public tours - perhaps sometime in 2007.

Angel Island SF-91

Inspection of “C” Section Magazine
April 20, 2006
Greg Jennings, Sam Stokes

Elevator Doors

The elevator doors on this section have numerous points that have been penetrated by rust.  These doors appear to the most rusted of the three magazines.

Escape Hatches

The panel room escape hatch is welded shut.  It has most of the interior latching mechanism still attached.  The exterior wheel is missing.  The panel room ladder looks to be in good condition.

The magazine escape hatch is missing all of the interior latching mechanism. (part of it is on the floor in the magazine) The exterior wheel is missing.  The ladder is attached only at the top and bottom.  The welds on the magazine escape hatch were ground off by Roy McNamee in July of 2005.

Both hatches open and close without much difficulty.

Hydraulic Pumping Unit

The hydraulic pumping unit looks to be mostly complete. The vent pipe seems to be badly leaking and there is rust on the top and sides of the hydraulic fluid reservoir.  Water has run down the pipe and is standing around the motors.

The filtering and flush valve is missing and the pressure gage on the 3-inch manifold is missing. The hydraulic fluid reservoir sight glass is missing. 

Elevator Platform

There is standing water on the elevator platform. The drain plugs have been removed and are sitting on the platform.  The platform is badly rusted, but probably not penetrated.  There is a thick bed of rust/muc/paint on the surface of the platform.  The access plate is present and in place.  There are no extra holes cut in the platform.

Th boxes with the cable holders for the cables to the elevator launcher are still there.  They are rusted, but look as if they could be cleaned up.

The elevator platform seems to be resting on the leveling pedestals, but it is about 6-8 inches below the level of the concrete floor.  The elevator platform leveling pedestals look to have been screwed down to their lowest level.

The elevator control station is on the elevator, but has suffered water damage.

The guide rails are rusted, but seemingly not as bad as the ones in the A & B Sections.

Elevator Well

As of this date, C Section has bout 6-8 inches of water in the elevator well.  There’s a tag on the sump pump switch that says, “Do not operate Sump Pump” The reason of this is unknown.

Magazine

There is evidence of water/moisture damage in the magazine as indicated by the flaked paint on the floor and walls.

From the look of the debris line on the floor, the magazine floor drains appear to be working. (These drain into the sump under the elevator?)

The sheet metal boxes around the electric cables are rusted but appear to be complete.  Without a ladder to take a closer look, it’s not possible to say how far the rust has penetrated.

All of the electrc service panels are complete and free from obvious rust.

Several of the emergency shower heads look to be corroded from water damage.

The master elevator switch is complete and in place on the back wall.

All of the electric overhead heaters have been removed.

The cage lights seem to be all in place, most with bulbs still in the fixture.

In one corner of the magazine there is a small pile of cut off hydraulic hoses and flow valves removed from the elevator door openers.

Panel Room/Hallway

There looks to be severe water/moisture damage in the panel room hallway and in the panel room.  The floor in the panel room and hallway has deteriorated due to water damage.  The floor looks to be completely gone in the entire area.

A few of the asbestos wall panels have been kicked out in the hallway, but most are still in place.

The blast doors and door latches are in place.

Above Ground

The electrical service boxes are rusted and broken beyond repair.

The pipe for the emergency shower is still in place but rusted.

The flapper valves around the elevator door curb will work once the debris is cleared away.

All metal parts are rusted with flaking yellow/black paint.

There is debris from plant matter, fencing, wood, and other trash all over the top of the magazine and launching area.

There is no standing water directly over the magazine.

The ventilator cover is rusted but in place.

Most of the conduit access holes leading into the magazine are uncovered.

Action Plan for C Section

1. Secure the magazine escape hatches with a lock and hasp.

2. Clean up and remove debris from the surface area of the magazine and launching area.

3. Prepare, prime, and paint all metal surfaces associated with C Section Magazine

4. Block off surface conduit access to prevent objects from being tossed into the magazine.

Civil Defense Dead - 501(c)(3) Alive

We're not exactly sure what that is to the right of the old civil defense logo, but we're told by the New York Times that, after some 67 years, some outfit called the National Emergency Management Association has decided to replace the well known civil defense logo with the logo representing their not so well known 501(c)(3)organization.

If it's any help, NEMA's website indicates that they are associated with the equally unknown EMAC or  Emergency Management Assistance Compact and the ever popular Emergency Management Accreditation Program or EMAP as it is commonly called. 

On the face of it, it appears that they are privatizing the civil defense function through a series of 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporations.

So the next time you feel the need to "Duck and Cover," don't think of that old, outdated relic from the cold war, Civil Defense, get up to date and think - National Emergency Management Association.

It's your new 501(c)(3) ticket to survival.