Europa Batteries

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Europa Batteries
Part of Fortifications of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
1st Europa Battery Right Flank Gibraltar.JPG
1st Europa Battery Right Flank
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Europa Batteries
Coordinates 36°06′36″N5°20′52″W / 36.110063°N 5.347708°W / 36.110063; -5.347708 Coordinates: 36°06′36″N5°20′52″W / 36.110063°N 5.347708°W / 36.110063; -5.347708
Type Artillery batteries
Site information
Owner Government of Gibraltar

The Europa Batteries are a group of artillery batteries in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Facing the North African coast, they are the most southerly batteries in Gibraltar and were built to cover ships approaching from the Mediterranean Sea. They run along the fortified clifftops of Europa Point from Camp Bay on the west side of the Rock of Gibraltar to the Europa Advance Batteries on the east side. [1]

The batteries were constructed in the 18th century on top of an old coastal wall built by King Charles V of Spain. There were originally only two batteries at the Point – in 1762 these were the Five Gun Battery, which mounted five 18-pdrs, and Europa Point Battery, which had a single 18-pdr. A third position, Deadman's Hole Battery, was later constructed and by 1859 the three batteries had 25 guns between them. [2]

They were subsequently reorganised into a series of seven batteries. 1st Europa Battery was a three-gun battery situated on the coastal defence wall south of Woodford's Battery. 2nd Europa was also referred to as Point or Deadman's Hole Battery and was situated a little way to the east, behind a demi-bastion at the southern end of the wall. 3rd Europa or Lighthouse Battery was situated next to the Europa Point Lighthouse and mounted three guns. [2] The refurbished Harding's Battery was originally built on top of what was the 7th Europa Battery in 1859 and it was positioned between what became the 1st and 2nd Europa Batteries. [3] A Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun was situated at Harding's during the Second World War. [2]

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Alexandra Battery

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Willis' Battery is a former artillery battery on the north side of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It overlooks the isthmus between Spain and Gibraltar.

Woodfords Battery

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Fortifications of Gibraltar Defensive military constructions at the Rock of Gibraltar

The Gibraltar peninsula, located at the far southern end of Iberia, has great strategic importance as a result of its position by the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. It has repeatedly been contested between European and North African powers and has endured fourteen sieges since it was first settled in the 11th century. The peninsula's occupants – Moors, Spanish, and British – have built successive layers of fortifications and defences including walls, bastions, casemates, gun batteries, magazines, tunnels and galleries. At their peak in 1865, the fortifications housed around 681 guns mounted in 110 batteries and positions, guarding all land and sea approaches to Gibraltar. The fortifications continued to be in military use until as late as the 1970s and by the time tunnelling ceased in the late 1960s, over 34 miles (55 km) of galleries had been dug in an area of only 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2).

The Prince of Wales Batteries were a group of artillery batteries built in Gibraltar between 1859–60 and named after Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who laid the batteries' foundation stone on 13 May 1859. They stood on the West Side of Gibraltar, facing the sea, and were constructed on top of the former Prince Henry's Battery, built during the Anglo-Spanish War of 1762–3. The batteries were originally intended to mount four 32-pdr guns but they were extended to mount eleven guns in four groups. They were rebuilt again around 1872 when two new gun emplacements were built on top of Nos. 2 and 3 batteries to accommodate two 9-inch rifled muzzle loader guns.

Prince Henry's Battery was an artillery battery built in Gibraltar during the Anglo-Spanish War of 1762–63, adjoining the Prince of Wales Lines. They mounted three 32-pdr guns with two more 18-pdrs, six 12-pdrs and three 4-pdrs on the Lines. After 1841, the battery was rebuilt as a retired battery as part of a mid-19th century remodelling of Gibraltar's southern defences. They were eventually built over in 1859–60 when the Prince of Wales Batteries were constructed on the same site.

Queens Lines

The Queen's Lines are a set of fortified lines, part of the fortifications of Gibraltar, situated on the lower slopes of the north-west face of the Rock of Gibraltar. They occupy a natural ledge which overlooks the landward entrance to Gibraltar and were an extension to the north-east of the King's Lines. They run from a natural fault called the Orillon to a cliff above the modern Laguna Estate, which stands on the site of the Inundation, an artificial lake created to obstruct landward access to Gibraltar. The Prince's Lines run immediately behind and above them on a higher ledge. All three of the Lines were constructed to enfilade attackers approaching Gibraltar's Landport Front from the landward direction.

The North Mole Elbow Battery was an artillery battery situated on Gibraltar's Old Mole, at the point where the mole turns north. It is recorded as mounting three 12-pdr guns in 1903. It mounted a Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun during the Second World War along with a 6-pdr gun on a twin mounting for coastal defence purposes. At the end of the mole, another 6-pdr gun was installed on a twin mounting.

Prince Alberts Front

Prince Albert's Front is a curtain wall that formerly comprised part of the seafront fortifications of Gibraltar. It runs between the King's Bastion and Orange Bastion. The Front was constructed in 1842 after a report by Major General Sir John Thomas Jones recommended improving Gibraltar's seafront defences to guard against the threat of an amphibious assault. It was named after Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's prince consort. The Front straightened out the line of Gibraltar's coastal curtain wall; parts of the original curtain wall, some of which dates from the Moorish period over 500 years ago, can still be seen.

Princes Lines

The Prince's Lines are part of the fortifications of Gibraltar, situated on the lower slopes of the north-west face of the Rock of Gibraltar. They are located at a height of about 70 feet (21 m) on a natural ledge above the Queen's Lines, overlooking the landward entrance to Gibraltar, and run from a natural fault called the Orillon to a cliff at the southern end of the isthmus linking Gibraltar with Spain. The lines face out across the modern Laguna Estate, which stands on the site of the Inundation, an artificial lake created to obstruct landward access to Gibraltar. They were constructed to enfilade attackers approaching Gibraltar's Landport Front from the landward direction.

Retrenched Barracks

The Retrenched Barracks was a fortified barracks located at Windmill Hill in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It stands to the north of the southern tip of Gibraltar, Europa Point, which was long felt to be potentially vulnerable to a surprise attack from the sea and was heavily fortified with gun batteries, perimeter walls and scarped cliffs.

Victoria Battery

Victoria Battery was an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It was built in the 1840s on top of the earlier Princess of Wales Batteries following a report by Major-General Sir John Thomas Jones on Gibraltar's defences. The battery was located on the west side of Gibraltar and was one of a number of "retired" batteries in the territory, constructed to improve the coastal defences between Europa Point and the town.

References

  1. Fa & Finlayson (2006). The Fortifications of Gibraltar 1068-1945. Osprey Publishing. p. 8. ISBN   978-1-84603-016-1 . Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Hughes, Quentin; Migos, Athanassios (1995). Strong as the Rock of Gibraltar. Exchange Publications. p. 262.
  3. "Europa Point". Government of Gibraltar - Tourist Board. Retrieved 24 April 2013.