Wats Ness, Chain Home Low Radar Station
Radar Station (Second World War)
Site Name Wats Ness, Chain Home Low Radar Station
Classification Radar Station (Second World War)
Alternative Name(s) Watsness; Simli Field
Canmore ID 115429
Site Number HU15SE 21
NGR HU 18553 51033
NGR Description Centred HU 18553 51033
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/115429
- Council Shetland Islands
- Parish Walls And Sandness
- Former Region Shetland Islands Area
- Former District Shetland
- Former County Shetland
HU15SE 21 centred HU 18553 51033
HU 1850 5091. This Chain Home Low radar station is situated on the summit of Virtag, W of the road from Mid Walls to Netherdale. The radar station consists of a series of brick and concrete buildings including an engine house and light anti-aircraft positions.
J Guy 1995; NMRS MS/810/4, 131-134
The Chain Home Low Radar Station is visible on vertical air photographs (CPE/Scot/UK 280, 3006-3007, 26 April 1947), in an area annotated 'Virdag' on the current OS 1:25000 scale digital map. Part of the site also falls on the SW-facing slope of Simli Field.
Several buildings and hut bases can be seen on the photographs including the transmitter/receiver block (HU 18553 51033) and what is now the site of the coastguard station at HU 18469 50883. At least three Nissen huts and three hut bases with three other buildings are visible on the photographs, though the light anti-aircraft positions noted by Guy (J Guy 1995) are not. What is possibly the remote reserve can be also be seen at HU 18743 51174 and a building is depicted at this location on the current OS 1:2500 scale map.
The air photographs also show that the whole radar installation was surrounded by a semi-oval barbed-wire fence enclosure approximately 350m by 400m across.
For the domestic camp see HU15SE 50.
Information from RCAHMS (DE), December 2005
