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Archaeology Notes

Event ID 843724

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/843724

ND49SW 19.00 40334 93091

ND49SW 19.01 ND 40328 93095 and ND 40313 93062 Gun-emplacements; Magazines

ND49SW 19.02 ND 40334 93091 and ND 40321 93058 Observation posts: Huts

ND49SW 19.03 ND 40395 93144 Engine house

ND49SW 19.04 ND 40333 93026 Magazine

ND49SW 19.05 ND 40365 93215 and ND 40347 93171 Searchlight Battery

ND49SW 19.06 Centred ND 4041 9309 Military camp

Balfour Battery: A double 6 pounder battery with magazine, shelters, observation tower, engine room and searchlight platforms. In 1941, the 12 pounders that were installed in 1940 were removed, one to Carness Battery (HY41SE 51) and the other to Cara Battery (ND49SE 28).

J Guy 1993; NMRS MS 810/2; WO/192/263 PRO.

ND 403 931 Balfour and Hoxa Batteries, WWI and II remains: searchlight emplacements, lighthouse base, gun batteries and associated buildings and earthworks.

Sponsors: Historic Scotland, Orkney Archaeological Trust

G Wilson and H Moore 1997

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.

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