California State Military
DepartmentCalifornia State Military
Department
The Amphibious Training Base (ATB) was established initially as
the Morro Bay Section Base for Navy Patrol Force vessels. The
base occupied 250 acres of leased or fee purchased land acquired
as follows: On 25 August 1941 a suit in Condemnation proceedings
was filed on 108 parcels composing 120 acres. On 29 October 1942
a suit in Condemnation was filed on approximately 130 acres. While
the suit was pending, the Navy leased the 130 acres from the State
of California. This property was acquired by the State for non
payment of taxes, and the land was subject to whatever rights
the previous sixteen owners may have had under tax redemption
privileges. The Navy Department occupied an adjacent 96.23 acre
parcel of non owned and non leased land and constructed improvements
thereon. In September 1944, the ATB acquired a parcel of land
to be known as the Morro Bay State Park located approximately
three miles from the ATB. As of July 1943, the majority of the
patrol vessels attached to the Morro Bay Section Base were actually
operated from the nearby harbor at Avila, at which a yacht club
building and a storehouse had been under lease. The total acreage
of the site over the years is unknown.
The ATB was established in 1941 and operated as a Naval Section base until August 1943 when the facilities were turned Over to the U.S. Coast Guard. As of January 1944 an agreement was entered into to have joint operation of the base between the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy Amphibious Training Command. At this time the Morro Bay Detachment, Landing Craft School was established under the administrative command of the ATB, Coronado, California. In February 1944 the Amphibious Training Base was established at Morro Bay. In April 1945 the ATB absorbed the Morro Bay Detachment of the Landing Craft School.
Improvements to the ATB include two piers, a boat underpass in an existing trestle, roads, training buildings, garages, two 100,000 gallon water storage tanks, various other buildings, a gas chamber, and a magazine storage area.
At the annex at Morro Bay State Park, facility improvements included barracks for 545 men, Bachelor Officers' Quarters for 128 officers, a large galley and mess hall, extensive road and grounds improvement and landscaping, new heating and boiler system and a recreation area.
Duke Energy operates a power plant on the former base.