Field Visit

Date August 1997

Event ID 553561

Category Recording

Type Field Visit

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/553561

A large coast battery is situated on clifftops at the northern part of Hoxa Head overlooking the Sound of Hoxa, the main southern marine approach to Scapa Flow.

The battery consists of two gun emplacements with two storey observation towers about 7m to the rear, a magazine, engine room and 70m E upslope, the remains of the accommodation camp. All the standing buildings are of reinforced shuttered concrete and steel beams or stone and concrete.

The gun-emplacements are cut into the slope which has been revetted at the rear with stone and both have small magazines on the S side. Three searchlight emplacements are ranged along the top of the cliff from the light beacon (ND49SW 25) to a point about 70m to the NE.

All that remains of the accommodation camp are at least ten concrete hut bases, two of which has been artificially raised on concrete supports.

About 80m NE of the northern gun-emplacement is a stone and concrete engine room and 42m SE of the southern emplacement is the main magazine.

The coast battery was armed with two 12-pounder guns in April 1940, then re-armed with twin 6-pounder guns and the 12-pounders removed. Designated by the War Office 137 Battery and manned by 533 regiment (PRO WO 199/2627).

Visited by RCAHMS (DE, GS, SW), August 1997