US-0819 Fort Point NHS (CA)

If you’re on a cargo ship, oil tanker, car carrier, or any other ship there is no way of crossing into or out of the San Francisco Bay without passing by this brick fortification off the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge. Officially named Fort Point National Historic Site, it has a long history. This strategic military area predates World War I. In 1794 the Spanish mounted a brass canon at this location to protect their claim on the bay from British and Russian ships. In 1850 California obtained statehood and the US took control of it.

The four story brick structure we know today as Fort Point began construction in  1853 and ending 1861. During the Civil War the fort’s 102 canons stood ready to defend the bay from attacks by local Southern Union sympathizers. Over 300 men lived at Fort Point during the Civil War, many from immigrant backgrounds. Soon after, the U.S. Army had new iron canons mounted to protect California gold from the foreign powers. After the war the fort became vacant in the early 1900s. Fast forward to WW II and soldiers returned along with new canons capable of firing 2,000 pound shells for 25 miles which helped to protect San Francisco harbor from Japanese attack.

Fort Point was once called the “Gibraltar of the West Coast.” While not a peninsula and not stretching far away from the mainland, it shares a similarity to Gibraltar as far as having a large number of ships passing through daily. Large ships enter the San Francisco Bay on their way to the Port of Oakland which is the third busiest port on the West Coast. Besides the fort being open for the public to explore four days a week, the parking lot and waterfront are open 24/7. Locals run and bicycle here, tourists come to take photos, and you may see the occasional surfers here. This is at the southern foot of the Golden Gate Bridge and is the closest you can get without getting in the water.

I’ve operated from numerous spots here including the front parking spaces which are the closest you can get to the water with your car. Beware though, in front of the parking spaces is a sidewalk which sees bicyclists and runners pass by. After a few activations I got frustrated with people stepping on the radials of my quarter wave vertical so I tried other locations. While it is tempting to sit outside in a chair on the sidewalk and operate, which I have, sea spray becomes an issue. After discovering that I chose to set up my portable gear and operate from inside a car. I’ve operated from parking spaces against the brick wall of the fort which I thought might affect performance but I didn’t notice any loss. 

I found parking spots at the end of rows was good as I could run a radial parallel with the car and not expose it to car or foot traffic. Not to put down the hillside views of the bay from the north side of the bridge at US-0647, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area but at Fort Point you are water level with Alcatraz basically straight in front of you. Although I live outside of San Francisco I feel it is worth the drive and the bridge fare to operate from here occasionally. To begin with the view is first class. It’s enjoyable and a great sight in between QSOs.

Looking at my last two logs from here although I’ve stayed a couple hours each time and I’ve always gotten around 20 QSOs the first hour. During Field Day I got over 90 in an hour. I give the salt water some credit to helping me get my signal out.

If you come down to the San Francisco area I suggest you activate scenic Fort Point (US-0819) as well as the Golden Gate National Recreation Area US-0647 (north side of the Golden Gate Bridge and from the part on the hillside running above the Pacific Ocean which still has a view of San Francisco and further east. 

Maybe I’ll see you there!