BEFORE you run off and attempt this virtual cache, you need to know the following:

This experience is not meant to be quick or easy.
This area has dangerous elements: unstable and slippery surfaces / steep drops / falling hazards that can cause injury or death.
Do obey posted signs.

1. Posted coordinates are suggested for parking and access. Various trails lead to where you find the information you need. Stay on trails.
2. Other access points look promising but likely will not be accessible for pedestrians, hikers, equestrians or automobiles.
3. Access from the Korean Friendship Bell area is obstructed by fencing.
4. Use the posted waypoints to locate the information necessary to earn credit for this cache.
5. This is not a park and grab. Plan for a learning experience, which you should be able to accomplish in one visit.
6. The DIFFICULTY rating is 3+. Read the instructions carefully or you may miss out on getting credit for this virtual.
7. The TERRAIN rating is 2+. Steep drops are present in this area and can cause injury or death. See pictures below.
8. Geocachers are responsible for their own actions and must know their personal physical limitations. The area has elements that are dangerous (e.g., falling hazards), stay on trails.
9. KIDS: while recommended for kids: DO watch your kids and keep them away from steep drops. This is not a playground.
10. WILDLIFE: always watch for RATTLESNAKES and ticks, they call this area home. 

I enjoyed researching the information for this battery and exploring the historic grounds to build this adventure cache. I visited a number of times to verify information and access.  I hope you enjoy this area as much as I do.

Fort MacArthur Military Museum: Information as of Summer 2024: the Fort MacArthur Military Museum is closed for refurbishment. The museum grounds, walking trails and historic points of interest are open, and all waypoints for this virtual are accessible.

Battery Osgood-Farley at Fort MacArthur

In 1888, President Grover Cleveland designated an area overlooking San Pedro Bay as an unnamed military reservation intended to improve the defenses of the expanding Los Angeles harbor area. Additional land was purchased in 1897 and 1910, and Fort MacArthur was formally created on October 31, 1914. The fort was a training center during World War I, and the first large gun batteries for harbor defense were installed in 1917. The effectiveness of these fixed gun emplacements was debated for many years, and test firings were extremely unpopular with nearby residents, the concussion shattering windows in buildings and houses for miles around.

Pictures: Battery Farley in action, and what's left today

In World War II, Fort MacArthur had a Harbor Entrance Command Post and a Harbor Defense Command Post for US seacoast defense of shipbuilding factories, "giant aircraft factories" (Douglas, Hughes, Martin, Northrop), the Huntington Beach Oil Field, and the San Pedro Bay harbor (Port of Los Angeles & Port of Long Beach) which made the Los Angeles metropolitan area a target for attack.

By the end of World War II the large guns were already being removed, with the last decommissioned in 1948. Battery Osgood-Farley is probably the best preserved example of a United States coastal defense gun emplacement, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. 

Battery Osgood-Farley was a reinforced concrete Taft Period coastal defense 14" gun battery. Although constructed as a single two-gun emplacement, each gun was originally designated as a separate tactical battery, hence the two names. Later, the battery was considered to be a single tactical unit.  Gun emplacement #1 was named for Brigadier General Henry Brown Osgood Jr  and gun emplacement #2 was named for Brigadier General Joseph Pearson Farley.  Battery construction started 15 Sep 1916, was completed 10 Oct 1919 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 10 Oct 1919 at a total cost of $211,427. Battery Osgood-Farley was considered obsolete at the beginning of World War II because of its disappearing carriages and lack of protective casemates. It was kept in operation pending the completion of the modernization program's 16" batteries. The Battery was declared surplus in 1944.

Picture: Battery Osgood-Farley Plan 1919

Battery Osgood-Farley  was a single story battery with the guns located on the same level as the magazines. Shells were moved from the magazine to the gun loading platform by shell trucks. The magazines are located in a central traverse that is directly connected by galleries to the gun pits. The gun pits were not casemated but the magazines were in a reinforced concrete structure covered with earth and sand. No shell or powder hoists were needed or provided. Electrical power was furnished by the emplacement power plant and commercial power.

The 14" guns were mounted on M1907MI disappearing carriages. These 14-inch disappearing guns could fire a 1560 pound projectile fourteen miles out into the Catalina Channel. Full caliber firing practice was rare, however, because of the damage caused by the concussions to nearby residences. Battery Osgood's gun was practice fired only 116 times and Battery Farley's fired 121 times. Even though the disappearing carriages of Battery Osgood-Farley were considered to be obsolete by the mid-1920s, they remained in active service until they were replaced by new ordnance in the mid-1940s. A section of Battery Osgood-Farley was gas-proofed during World War Two for use as a radio station and fire control switchboard room.

The Fort MacArthur Military Museum, established in 1985 and located at the site of Battery Osgood-Farley, displays exhibits on the history of Fort MacArthur, its role in defending the Los Angeles area, Indo-Pacific Theater military campaigns, and the role of Los Angeles as a military port.  The Fort MacArthur’s reservations hold an important collection of historical structures tied to the U.S. Army’s role in the defense of the American continental coastline from invasion. These structures, which are interpreted at the museum, clearly define the development of American coastal defenses, from the all-gun era at the turn of the twentieth century, to the modern missile era of today.
 

Battery Osgood-Farley - Virtual and Logging Requirement

There are two logging requirements to claim this D3/T2.5 virtual as a find:

Logging Requirement 1 - Message answers to the CO for the following 3 questions:

There are 3 posted waypoints.

WP1. N 33° 42.685′ W 118° 17.716′, "Stairs to Question1". 

Stairs are slippery when wet. Do not go down the stairs when wet or when posted signs do not allow access, and mention this is your response if applicable.

Near the bottom of the stairs you will find a black metal gate. When I investigated for this cache the gate was open and I was able to explore inside. Today the gate is welded and locked shut.

Question 1: this iron gate was constructed with large rivets. How many rivets were used on one gate?

WP2. N 33° 42.749′ W 118° 17.771′, "155 MM GUN"

At this location you find a 155 mm Gun. A plaque in front of it is dedicated to Major George Tucker of the Coast Artillery Corps. When facing the plaque and the gun, on the left side of the gun at about 4' high or so, you find the text "155 M.M. GUN RECOIL MECH." stamped into the metal.

Question 2: What text is stamped below it? (entire sentence)

WP3. N 33° 42.720′ W 118° 17.755′ "posted notice BY ORDER OF THE POST CO"

Near this location you find a posted notice BY ORDER OF THE POST CO. It should be easy to spot.

Find the longest word in this post. Add-up the character values (A=1, B=2...).  
The Dutchmen Factor: if there are multiple words of the same length, then for each word add-up the character values.
Keep the highest value.  
Helpful hint: there are apps that do the counting for you.
Example: if one longest word is AD (character value = 5) and there is a second longest word AL (character value = 13), then the letter value of AL is higher and should be kept, the lower value is tossed.

Question 3: What is the highest letter value of the longest word?

Please MESSAGE the 3 answers to the CO through the Geocaching App. Do not post the answers or spoiler pictures in your log.

Logging Requirement 2 - Include a specific picture in your log:

You need to refer to the plan dated 1919 that is pictured above. Locate the Truck Corridors.

Take one picture that includes the following:

1. A truck corridor entrance of your choice.
   1. If picture taken outside: include the corresponding name of the Battery (Osgood or Farley)
   2. If picture taken inside: include a truck, if present.
2. You OR a piece of paper/object with your caching name AND date on it.  

The truck corridor entrances are the big gates. Look inside and you may see trucks. Sample pictures below.

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Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025

This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.

Sources:

Wikipedia - Fort MacArthur, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_MacArthur#Air_defense

Battery Osgood-Farley, http://fortwiki.com/Battery_Osgood-Farley

Fort MacArthur Museum, http://www.ftmac.org/osgood-farley.htm