Location: University of California at San Diego, private land:
Genessee Ave to N. Torrey Pines Rd. (foundations to the south).
The old main entrance is at the Torrey Pines Inn off of Torrey
Pines Rd.
Camp Callan was built in November of 1940 as a Coast Artillery
Corps replacement training center for new inductees. Open for
business in January of 1941, it was named for Maj. Gen. Robert
Callan (1874-1936), a veteran of the Spanish American War and
World War I. By 1942, the post had over 297 buildings, covered
23 blocks, had 5 post exchanges, 3 theaters and 5 chapels. About
15,000 men went through a 13 week training cycle with a strong
emphasis on modern coast artillery and anti-aircraft defense
weapons. The Anti-Aircraft training program was moved to Ft.
Bliss, Texas, in 1944 and Camp Callan was declared surplus in
November 1945. Most of the buildings were purchased by the city
of San Diego and sold for salvage. Today, the site contains a
variety of developments including: the Torrey Pines golf course,
several private businesses and research facilities, a glider
port and a section of the University of California at San Diego.
A few foundations remain in the area to the north of the University
of California Campus.
Acquisition,
Improvement and Disposal
The property was authorized for acquisition
on 9 October 1940 as follows: 710 acres by lease from the City
of San Diego , 0.90 acres by lease form the City of San Diego,
120.08 acres by lease from Margaret C. Hawkins, 72.12 acres by
lease from F.T. Scripps, Inc., 367.00 acres by revocable permit
from the City of San Diego and 12.85 acres by license from the
City of San Diego. Total acreage acquired for the site was 1282.95
acres.
The site was used as an anti aircraft
replacement training center. Improvements included barracks,
a 910 bed station hospital, offices, storage, shops, support
buildings, a landfill, small arms training ranges and artillery
gun positions. No evidence of buildings or other improvements,
with the exception of the landfill, were noted during the site
visit.
The site was declared surplus on 1 November
1945 and disposed of as follows: 710 lease acres and 0.90 lease
acres were cancelled 25 March 1946, 120.08 lease acres were
cancelled 9 August 1946, 72.12 lease acres were cancelled 30
June 1946, 376 permit acres were cancelled 13 December 1945,
and 12.85 license acres were cancelled 25 March 1946.
The land under permit was released in lieu of restoration clause.
Note: The landfill is not on the permit land. The site is currently
owned by several hundred parties. Most of the
property is developed residentially and commercially. A park
and golf course are located in the northern portion and the University
of California, San Diego is located in the southeast portion
of the site. The total acreage terminated was 1282.95.
Source: Army Corps of Engineers
History
By Justin M. Ruhge
Goleta Valley Historical Society
Camp Callan was named in honor of Major General Robert E. Callan,
distinguished Coast Artillery Officer. He served in the United
States, the Philippines, and saw frontline action in the Spanish-American
War and World War I. He was born March 24, 1864 in Baltimore and
died November 20, 1936 in Washington, D.C.
As stated by Judy P. Schulman "Camp
Callan was a World War II anti-aircraft artillery replacement
training center. Located along U.S. Highway 101 approximately
15 miles north of downtown San Diego, it occupied a three-by-half
mile rectangular area on Torrey Pines Mesa.
On November 22, 1940, the War Department
announced plans to create the nucleus for new coast artillery
units with men inducted under the Selective Service Program and
assigned to the center on Torrey Pines Mesa. A month earlier,
the San Diego City Council had granted the military 710 acres
of land for $1 a year. Additional acreage was acquired from private
sources.
With the establishment of a cantonment site
and gun firing positions, the purpose of the camp was to teach
trainees how to fire long-range weapons in the event the Japanese
fleet tried to attack the West Coast.
Construction of the camp began in November
1940 and official occupation of the facility was marked by a flag-raising
ceremony on January 15, 1941. Twenty officers and 120 servicemen,
all members of the first unit of operations personnel, attended
the ceremony. Brigadier General Francis P. Hardaway was the camp's
first commander. He spoke on the importance of the camp to the
defense program.
On February 24, 1941 the first large guns
arrived at the camp. Among these were nine French-made 155-mm
guns that dated back to World War I. Between the last week of
February and the end of March, some 5,000 trainees arrived by
rail at a nearby reopened railroad station. These trainees came
mainly from Forts Ord and MacArthur in California, Fort Sheridan
in Illinois, Fort Missoula in Montana, and Fort Vancouver in Washington.
The first military review was held April
2, 1941. Six thousand men passed in formation before Major General
Joseph A. Green, Chief of Coast Artillery. He congratulated the
trainees on the progress they had made in such a short time. As
Camp Callan still had no band of its own, a 100-piece Marine Corps
band provided military music.
March of 1942 began a period of important
change for Camp Callan. Whereas training emphasis had been on
anti-aircraft and seacoast artillery, the decision was made to
place full emphasis on anti-aircraft weapons, The military had
seen the terrible damage inflicted on England by the German Luftwaffe.
The change signaled what was to become a
two-year period of peak activity for the camp. The camp had grown
to some 297 buildings covering 23 blocks. About 15,000 men were
now going through each 13-week training cycle. Ranges existed
for training with everything from hand-held guns to the larger
anti-aircraft artillery. This included a 1,000-inch range and
a 200-yard rifle range. A pistol range, and automatic weapons
range, and a three-inch anti-aircraft gun range."
The men trained with guns of 155-mm, 90-mm,
75-mm and 40-mm calibers and the associated fire control equipment.
Like other camps, all the living amenities
were provided for the health, general education and war training
schools for the troops. A weekly newspaper called The Range
Finder and an annual pictorial review called The Callander
were published at the camp. The camp got its own 40-piece band.
During June 1944 the training emphasis at
Camp Callan was again to change. The anti-aircraft cadres were
transferred to Fort Bliss, Texas, and the camp became an important
link in preparations for massive overseas amphibious assaults.
However, the need for such training was short lived. By May 8,
1945, the war was over in Europe and by August 15, 1945 the Japanese
had surrendered. On November 1, 1945, Camp Callan was declared
surplus.
But its usefulness to the American people
wasn't over quite yet, at least not at the local level. At the
time the camp closed, there was a serious shortage of lumber and
building materials in Southern California. In order to mitigate
the problem for the many veterans who chose to stay in San Diego,
the City Council negotiated with the War Department to acquire
all the 500 buildings and facilities of the camp_ The selling
price was $200,000. These items were then resold to veterans and
other citizens at reasonable prices." From these facilities
several thousand homes, several churches and many utilities were
constructed. In the end the city recouped its $200,000 and made
a $250,000 profit. "Part of this money went to build the
Veteran's War Memorial Building in San Diego's 1,074-acre Balboa
Park."
However, by the 1980s what was once a proud
and vital training camp became barely recognizable as such. Few
today seem to realize what the area once was. It has been incorporated
into a golf course, Torrey Pines State Reserve, research facilities,
part of the University of California at San Diego and a residential
area.
Reference: World War II Triggers Weapons
Training Center by Judy P. Schulman, Traditions San Diego's
Military Heritage Magazine, July 1994, Vol. 1, No. 2, pg 3.
San Diego, San Diego County.
Major
General Robert Emmet Callan
Robert Emmet Callan, born 24 March 1864
at Baltimore, Md., graduated from the Military Academy and was
assigned to the 5th Artillery. Following service in Cuba, Puerto
Rico, West Point, and Washington, D.C., he became Chief of Staff
of the Philippine Department in 1917. During WWI he was on duty
in France and was Chief of Staff of the 1st Army Artillery, Commanding
General of the 33d Artillery Brigade, and participated in the
Montdidier-Noyon Defensive and in the Aisne-Marne Offensive. General
Callan served in New York, Panama, and Hawaii before his promotion
to Major General in 1931. He commanded the 3d Corps Area, Baltimore,
Md., until retiring at his own request in 1936 after 40 years
of service. General Callan was awarded the Distinguished Service
Medal for his services during WWI. He died 20 November 1936 at
Washington, D.C.
In addition to Camp Callan, General Callan
was memorialized by the troopship USS R.E. Callan (AP-139)
California State Military
Department
