The term Panama Mount describes a gun mount developed by the U.S. Army in Panama during the 1920s for fixed coastal artillery positions. Panama mounts were widely used during the buildup to and during World War II by the United States military. In World War II, Panama mounts were used to rearm six Harbor Defense Commands that had been disarmed in the 1920s, and were used to augment existing and new harbor defenses in the US and overseas. They were used for new defenses in Alaska, Newfoundland, Puerto Rico, and Australia. * Recent photo of an abandoned Panama mount at Bolsa Chica * * * *