Camp Hayden consisted of 1 - 16" battery (containing 2 guns) and 1 - 6" battery (containing 2 guns) with numerous fire control stations, plotting room and an Aux. Harbor Entrance Command. Camp Hayden is located on strip of land called Tongue Point, west of Port Angeles, Washington, north of Joyce, WA off Hwy. 112.

The main batteries (Battery 131) is located just off the coast, while the 6" battery (battery 249) is located just behind and to the east on Striped Peak, a 1100' tall mountain with also 2 fire control stations and the Aux. HECP. Ownership of Camp Hayden is now split between Salt Creek Recreation Area and the state of Washington.

Meteorological & Signal Station

(SCR 296) Set 3

Black & White photos are public domain.  All photos are property of M.E.C. unless otherwise specified.

With forming the Military Equipment Collectors Organization, we plan on document as much video and still photos that we can of its present state. We hope to be able to form a volunteer group to be able to restore Camp Hayden to a more honorable state. It was designed to protect our great nation in one of the worst World Wars and we believe that it deserves better treatment. Since the Department of Natural Resources own a large chunk of the land that Camp Hayden sits on, we hope to work along with them to be able to clean up the bunkers and make them more safe for the public as they explore them. Our ultimate goal is to be able to us the facility for living history and to help educate the public about our Coastal Defenses of World War II.

My interest in Camp Hayden started back when I was a kid. For a vacation, along with our neighbor, we spent some time at the camp ground at Tongue Point. My parents had grown up in Port Angeles and knew about the Bunkers located there. For something to do, we first went to Battery 131 and walked through the area where the two 16" guns use to stand. The main inner section is sealed due to the county using it as a storage facility for records. From there we made the hike up Striped Peak. If my memory serves me correctly we did locate all the bunkers and at that time (the late 80's) all the bunkers were open and in fairly good shape. That was the last time I visited until a few years ago. At that young age I didn't know what they were and when they were installed. I just thought they were neat. They were dark and damp and some had many passages to go through. I had to be around 8 years old when we went. Now that I am 21 I have had the chance to go back and visit Camp Hayden a few times within the last few years and yes, I know a lot more about them then I did when I was eight years old. Being over ten years since I visited Camp Hayden, the vegetation has drastically changed, covering some of the smaller fire control bunkers located there. Battery 249 was the first to come across and still easy to find. But the vegetation has grown up around it a lot. Check out the pictures taken by Dan Rowbottom in the "Go See Camp Hayden Today" section. In those pictures, Battery 249 looks open, but within the few years after the pictures had been taken, it has been overgrown by brush and weeds. Also on a sad note, sometime after he had taken those pictures, Battery 249 had been sealed off to the public.

Farther up the hill, the two fire control bunkers are completely overgrown by brush. It was a hard search to find the upper one, but we found it. Since this one is located off the trial away, it is still some what in good shape. The shutters and doors have been ripped out and are lying all around the bunker. At the top of the hill is the Aux. HECP. It is still open and at one time occupied by people. The area that over looks the water has been bricked in and vandals have inflicted a good amount of damage. At the entrance a large 2'x2' section of the concrete wall has been removed. How interesting that was to see.

When we had visited the Aux. HECP when I was young, I remember that only my Father, my sister, Leonard our neighbor, and I were the only people to enter it. It was very dark and lots of different rooms and a long dark hallway down the center. Even though we had large halogen flashlights, I just remember how the darkness seemed to suck the light in. As we went down the hallway, we peered into each room and I remember that most of the wood walls were still in place with lots of junk all over. One room seemed to have lots of wooden chairs all over the place (probably brought in by other people). In one of the latrines, the toilet was still in there!!! We made our way to the end of the hallway and there was a ladder leading up to a hatch. My father climbed up the ladder and tried to open it, but it would not move. (This led out to the top of the bunker). Well just a few years ago when I went back, everything has been ripped out. Nothing left at all. There is graffiti all over the walls, a large section of the floor in the larger latrine has been demolished and the hatch has a steel plate welded in place. It made me very sad and at the same time very upset to see this destruction that has been done to it. So I have made a vow to help bring some dignity back to this "Protector of the Gate".