Battery observation post, view from East.

Description Battery observation post, view from East.

Date 24/5/1996

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 673010

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of C 73206 CN

Scope and Content World War II Battery Observation Post, Rerwick Head Battery, Mainland, Orkney Islands In both World Wars coast batteries were built to protect the channels into Scapa Flow, the greatest concentrations of firepower being at the main north-western and southern entrances to the Flow. In World War II there were also seven coast batteries on the east coast of Orkney Mainland protecting the approaches to Kirkwall Bay, which served as an examination anchorage where foreign shipping was impounded and searched for contraband. These batteries formed the Kirkwall Fire Command centred on Rerwick Head Battery, which also included a shore station for a controlled minefield in Shapinsay Sound. This shows the Battery Observation Post (BOP) which is set behind the guns and with a commanding view of the surrounding seas. The BOP was a small but vitally important building from which the two main six-inch guns of the battery were controlled and directed, a wide area of visibility being provided by the framed windows at the front and sides. At the heart of the Orkney archipelago, Scapa Flow was the main fleet anchorage for the Royal Navy during both World Wars. Its vital importance led to the creation of one of the most concentrated defence networks in Britain. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/673010

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap