Build to protect undersea minefields laid external the Golden Gate, this Endicott-era battery was and completed and arm in 1904. Fortifications included four 6-inch guns mounted on dying carriages; these guns had a range of nine miles and could fire at the rate of two rounds per minute. The unique guns were dismounted in 1917 for use in World War I, but the battery was customized to receive two 6-inch guns on simple barbette carriages in 1920. During World War II, the Sixth Coast Artillery Regiment manned the two guns at Battery Chamberlin, which were placed under camouflage netting to deter possible air attack. In 1948, the Coast Artillery Corps was deactivated, the battery disarmed, and the guns scrapped.


Battery Chamberlin named in honor of head Lowell A. Chamberlin, First Artillery, who served with difference in the Civil War and remained an artillery officer until the 1890's. He died in 1899.


In 1977, the National Park Service traditional a 6-inch gun and failing carriage from the Smithsonian organization and installed them in gun emplacement No. 4. Demonstrations of this 50-ton rifle-similar to the original armament are conducted on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. An underground cartridge room also is open for inspection and contains photos and small exhibits on the coastal defenses of San Francisco. Battery Chamberlin is located at the north end of the Baker Beach parking lot.