2 x Twin 6pdr QF guns for defence of Hoxa Sound against AMTBs and covering the Boom defence. Apparently this type of gun produced a lot of smoke – hence the need for the separate director towers.
Gun Battery
26 posts
1 x Twin 6pdr QF gun house and associated buildings.
1 x Twin 6pdr QF gun house and associated buildings. Currently used as a paintball venue hence some of the additions visible in the pictures. Thanks to Orkan Adventures for giving us permission to wander round.
Coast artillery Battery housing 2 x 12pdr QF guns. Remains of paintings in each gun house. Pictures are from 2003. Pictures from 2020
2 x 12pdr Quick Fire in WWII and 2 x 4″ QF in WWI
2 4.7″ QF Mk4 on Mk3 mountings were emplaced here. The battery was never really finished – there being no overhead cover for the guns and the BOP was a Jane Hut.
4 x 12pdr QF guns were emplaced here. The battery remains fairly complete. The magazines are still extant but buried.
1 x 12pdr QF installed in a temporary emplacement allowing all round traverse.
1 x Twin 6 pdr QF emplaced here. Search light houses are facing collapse from erosion.
1 x Twin 6pdr with no overhead cover. Unigue double split beam searchlight houses.
Much of this WWII battery is built on top of the WWI 3 x 4″ QF battery. some of the emplacements can be seen between the WWII ones.
2 x 12 pdr QF and associated buildings.
2 x 6″ breech loaders Mk7 on CP2 mountings. Much of this battery is built on top of the WWI 6″ QF battery. Pictures below from 2002 Pictures from 2015 showing “collapse” of the 2 6″ gun houses.
2 x 12pdr QF one in concrete gun house the other in an open emplacement with a peat blast wall to allow all round traverse.
1 x Twin 6pdr QF gun house survives along with the engine room and 1 of the 3 searchlight houses. Links Battery Director Tower (blown up by the army in the 1960s) from the golf course, photo of a video. Thanks to Wendy Barker of Orkney Escapes for permission to […]
1 x Twin 6pdr Q.F.
2 6″ BL Mk7 on CP2 mountings. This battery was built in 1938 and was still in M.O.D. ownership until the late 1990s. It has been preserved and tours are available. See http://www.nessbattery.co.uk/ for more details.
Located on the Golta peninsular on the Island of Flotta, This WWI battery initially housed 3 3pdr’s. This was upped to 4 12pdr’s which were transferred from Holm battery . The battery is extremely well preserved and even has blast baffles remaining in one of the trenches to the magazine.
2 x 4.7″ QF Mk4 on Mk3 mountings to start with and 2 6″ BL Mk7 on P8 mountings later. The degree markings on the gun mounts do not appear to correspond with a compass in any way, the 0 on the ring in the fourth picture is pointing SSE. […]
COAST ARTILLERY BATTERY: S0015230 (Extant) Twin 6pdr QF gun emplacement. A cable railway was laid to facilitate supply of the battery along with a jetty at the camp adjacent to the battery. Fragments of rail remain in-situ and some winding gear too. Some trucks are dumped on the shore below […]
One of the two 12pdr temporary mountings for Scad battery – there’s no sign of the other. Pictures and video June 2025. Light (for Orkney) rain falling.
2 x 12pdr QF guns emplaced here.
2 x 6″ breech loaders Mk7 on CP2 mountings. There was also a 4.7″ gun on a temporary mount next to the battery. Much of this battery has been destroyed by quarrying.
2 x 12pdr QF in gunhouses with different architecture.
There are four searchlights installed here and a Twin 6pdr with no overhead cover or director tower. Pictures below from June 2025. Extreme range photo’s taken from Pentalina Ferry.
