Camp Elliott (San Diego, California)

USA / California / San Diego / San Diego, California
 Second World War 1939-1945, closed / former military, United States Marine Corps, historic ruins
Now part of NAS Miramar, the Camp Elliott area was a former training facility serving as training grounds for tank, parachute, artillery, and scout training for Marine recruits during WWII. The only things that were in this area at that time were the Naval Air Station and the Marine rifle ranges. The land was transferred to the Navy in 1944.


Camp Elliott, occupied 27,700 acres; approximately 43 square miles of dry mesas and minor canyons. In addition to the main Camp area there were other training camps established on the Camp Elliott reservation: Linda Vista Tent Camp, Green Farm Camp and Jacques Farm Camp, as well as a parachute school.

One of the most successful classified projects of World War II was initiated at Camp Elliott: the Navajo Code. Following impressive trial demonstrations, hundreds of Navajo Indians were recruited to develop a code based on their language. They would also serve as specialists in the Signal Corps as “Code Talkers.” Following their recruit training, the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers, 382nd Platoon, were ordered to Camp Elliott.

Following their training at Camp Elliott, the original 29 Code Talkers were assigned throughout the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions, including the Raider Battalions. They saw action on many of the Pacific islands including Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Saipan, Guam and Iwo Jima, often serving on the front lines. The Code proved indispensable, allowing sensitive messages to be sent and translated in a matter of minutes as compared to the hours required by the codex machines. The Navajo Code saved unknown thousands of Marines, and to the creators’ credit, it was never broken.

As with the Code Talker School, many facilities at Elliott were moved to Camp Pendleton in the early months of 1943.

Following WWII, the property served a variety of temporary uses including use as the headquarters for the National Guard 251st Group as well as an illegal immigrant detention camp operated by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. With the onset of the Korean conflict, the Navy reactivated Camp Elliot as Naval Training Center Elliott Annex. It served as an auxiliary training center from 1951 to 1953 for additional recruits from NTC San Diego. In 1960, the Camp was decommissioned and was divided between NAS Miramar and the Air Force for the creation of the Atlas Missile test facility. Sycamore Annex was developed by General Dynamics under direction of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a high security testing area used in the development of the Atlas and Centaur missiles. In 1966, the facility was transferred to NASA and by 1969, the site was classified as surplus property and title was transferred to the General Services Administration. In December 1972, the parcel was transferred to the Navy, to be included in the NAS Miramar property.

www.miramar.marines.mil/Portals/60/Docs/MEMS/Cult_Res/I...
www.marinebarracks.com/elliott.htm
www.navajocodetalkers.org/
www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/O/OrionProj.html
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Kearny#United_States_Marine_Corps_use
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   32°51'40"N   117°6'17"W

Comments

  • This was also the site of Convairs' Astronautics Plant.Where they built the famous Atlas rockets.
  • The Atlas site is to the N.E. of this location.
  • Yes,testing of the rockets took place near there in the mountains.But this was the location of the manufacturing plant of the Atlas Rockets by the company Convair.I'm not sure when the plant was demolished.
  • Sycamore Site B was where the Atlas was tested back in the day. In the mid 80's, I conducted vibration testing on the Shuttle Centaur at Site B/ Site D was where they loaded up the Tomahawk Cruise Missiles with conventional warheads and delivered them to the government. Always liked working out at Sycamore, before Poway got "large" . . . We'd go off-roading in the surrounding area during our dinner breaks (worked second shift). Rumor had it that the Navy stored nukes, spurred by the "Keep out - lethal force authorized" signs and the presence of Marine guards in well armored vehicles that would appear out of nowhere if you got into areas that you shouldn't. NAS Brunswick had the same security presence where they stored their nukes.
  • My dad was an aerospace engineer and worked at Astronautics. Good times. :)
  • Also part of Camp Elliot became the U.S.I.U. (United States International University) Elliot campus. As a student in the mid '70s we used to hear tank rounds being fired by the National Guard on the weekends. There was also a small missile test facility that could be seen back in the mountains on the road to Poway. We used to sneak over to the fenced in camp Elliot to walk near the big radio tower on the hill. There were many strange activities in that area.
  • Camp Elliot wasn't used for the Marine Corps recruit training rifle ranges but the MCRDSD recruit rifle ranges were located at Camp Mathews where UCSD is located today.
  • I was stationed there in 1980 to 1988 in the Marine Corps Reserves, A co. 4th Tank battalion., The tanks or firing you heard was from the Marines, not the National Guard, as I was part of that training.There were no live firing at Camp Elliott at this time, Just Blanks. Live firing took place at Camp Pendleton.
  • The best part of the Corps... is the Corpsman.
  • I was stationed as a US Marine Sargent in the reserve in 4th Tank Battalion and HHQ at Camp Elliot from 1976 to 1980.
  • This was also a USMCR Tank Battalion base for many years.
  • I was also at Elliot from 81 to 85 till I blew my knee out.
  • I first practiced marching at the San Diego Naval Station and was later transferred to Camp Elliott which was about ten miles north. We first had to clean and repair the camp because it had not been used for quite some time and it need a lot of repair. After this was completed we continued our training. Wonder if anyone in the world of the Navy would remember being there in 1950.
  • I live here. THE ISLAND IN THE HILLS
  • Montoya E.P. FYI I spent first christmas 1951 there 2 weeks off during christmas vacation for the people doing the training us boots just had to wait till they returned from christmas vacation,wanted to get out of Dodge so bad left Fresno,Ca on Dec.4 1951,after Elliot we were take to N.T.C.San Diego for more Boot Camp.
  • I reported there in 1981 after my MOS training and served in the reserves there till I blew my knee out.
  • I went through small arms quals. there in summer of 1957 as part of NTC Recruit Co. 216--Desert then-house & industrial farm now.
  • Sad that they put part of the 15 over top of it.
  • I was at Camp Elliot for about a month or so in 1945. It was between boot camp in San Diego and going by troop ship to Pearl Harbor, where I served in the Fleet Post Office. Camp Elliot was WAY out in the sticks but wonderful compared to boot camp. We had to take a bus into town that seemed.to take a long time to get there.
  • Did you remember a marine sergeant named Louis Trocquet?
  • Camp Elliott extended much farther west than indicated on this map. It went all the way out to what used to be called El Camino Real or the Pacific Coast Highway. It covered much of the land now occupied by the University of California, San Diego. A small monument remains on the university. I remember seeing the Marines in training there as we drove along Miramar Road, years ago.
  • My uncle was there in 1942 and I would like any information on where his wife would have lived?
  • In 1951 my Navy boot camp company was sent to Camp Elliott for weapons training mostly. It was 65 years ago and I don't really remember how long we were there. I guess target practice on Point Loma was not considered a good idea. I don't think we were there more than a week or two at most before being returned to San Diego NTC for the rest of boot camp.
  • That was Camp Matthews at UCSD
  • I shot there in the 1970's - with the US NAVY SHOOTING TEAM...Don McCoy was there - refurbishing and repairing the NAVY MATCH M1 Garand Rifles. I was lucky enough to be one of his "few" helpers .. Later on , I build many M1 and M14 Rifles for the NAVY and some for USMC... All were test fired at Elliott... Was a disaster area when I was there...building crumpled...a mess. We used the mess hall with all the stainless steel tables as work tables.. Was something to always remember..
  • WAS HERE FOR BOOT CAMP ,1951 .LOOKED GOOD ,HAD LOTS CEMENT .TAR COVERED PLACES TO MARCH ,ETC..THERE I THINK 12 WKS...COMPANY 817....GREAT TRAINING CENTER THEN........
  • I ENLISTED IN January 1953 AND WAS SENT THERE FOR THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF BOOT CAMP AND WAS ONE OF THE LAST COMPANIES TO GO THROUGH THERE CLOSING THE BASE EARLY IN MARCH OF THAT YEAR. WE SPENT THE FIRST WEEK OF OUR BOOT CAMP THERE COMPARTMENT CLEANING BEFORE GOING BACK TO NTC IN SAN DIEGO FOR THE LAST WEEK SERVICE WEEK MESS COOKING AND FINISHING BOOK CAMP THERE. ALL TOTALED 11 WEEKS. CO118-53.
  • Marine Sgt. Wyatt - Transferred from Pendleton - 1957 -1958 Marine Barracks - Elliott was then the Naval Retraining Command for court martialed Sailors & Marines.... a Federal project to rehabilitate the men for return to active duty. Some offenses were too severe, then we escorted those to Naval Prison in Kittery, Maine, across the river from Portsmouth, NH [ the same prison you may have seen in the movie \"The Last Detail\" with Jack Nicolson and Randy Quaid.] One sailor who we had continual problems with was sent back to active duty from the Elliott project; one year later when we landed with our 12 prisoners from Elliott to Portsmouth Naval Prison (\'58), guess who was on the Navy bus from Great Lakes.... the same clown from Elliott...a big BCD for him and a few years in the \"Alcatraz of the East.\" Camp Elliott was decommissioned again in 1960. My assignments varied from Supervisor, to Gate Duty to Life Guard of the Olympic pool, to the \"Last Detail\" with 12 bad actors in chains and cuffs to Naval Prison, NH. - Remember having the 2400 to 0800 watch and listening to Johnny Cash singing, \"I Walk the Line\" - 1957 in between checking on the sleeping inmates.
  • My dad, USMC Sgt James H Jackson was there from Nov 53 to Jan 56, as part of the US Navy Retraining Command, correctional service duties.
  • I was there in 1958 to 1960 as sgt. of guard.cpl fogel
  • My dad was there in Dec. 51, went on to Treasure Island after that I believe.
  • My dad was assigned there in 1959 (I was 9) thru closure the next year. We lived in Quonset huts on Camp Elliott. The huts were in the landing pattern for pilots doing carrier ops training at Miramar. Movies were a dime and then dropped to free. When we lived there the dependent pool's life guard duties were handled by prisoners. I'm sure they were supervised, but there were times water battles using the fire extinguishers occurred. It was the only place I've seen any "flag" flying higher than the American flag. During church service on Sundays a blue pennant with a gold cross flew above the flag.
  • My father, Robert William Korinek stationed there from 1958 until it was closed in 1960. He actually locked the final gate (according to him). I lived there during that time. I was 3 in 1958. have a picture of me in our yard. You can see the other Quonset huts in the background. I vividly remember the base.
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This article was last modified 7 years ago