| Half Way Battery | |
|---|---|
| Part of Fortifications of Gibraltar | |
| Gibraltar | |
  Half Way Battery | |
| Coordinates | 36°06′47″N5°20′37″W / 36.113°N 5.3435°W Coordinates: 36°06′47″N5°20′37″W / 36.113°N 5.3435°W |
| Type | Artillery Battery |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Ministry of Defence |
| Site history | |
| Built by | British |
Half Way Battery was an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. [1] The battery was on the coast on the eastern side of the isthmus just north of Europa Point Lighthouse. In 1859 there were two guns. [2]
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of artillery, mortars, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface to surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles etc., so grouped to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems. The term is also used in a naval context to describe groups of guns on warships.
The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are 14 territories under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United Kingdom. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not been granted independence or have voted to remain British territories. These territories do not form part of the United Kingdom and, with the exception of Gibraltar, are not part of the European Union. Most of the permanently inhabited territories are internally self-governing, with the UK retaining responsibility for defence and foreign relations. Three are inhabited only by a transitory population of military or scientific personnel. They all share the British monarch as head of state.
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. It has an area of 6.7 km2 (2.6 sq mi) and is bordered to the north by Spain. The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar at the foot of which is a densely populated town area, home to over 30,000 people, primarily Gibraltarians.
