9.2-in gun at Devil's Peak

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 22:57

I believe this photo shows the north emplacement at the Pottinger Battery. To the right of the gun are two concrete 'fins' sticking up from the concrete surface. Something very similar is drawn on the north emplacement shown in Fig 3 of the "Survey of the Pottinger Battery".

Date is approximate, but the photo was taken between 1935 & 1937, the years that James McAndrew was in Hong Kong.

Date picture taken
1936

Comments

The concrete fins look like ramps on the sloping skirt to produce a level runway? the Gun could be traversed to this point and then general mainenence would be possible when depressed with some handling device could run on it to support the ordnance under its own weight when the recoil system was charged or disconnected for repair of packings etc.

from both photos the smoke is very black.  This would indicate possible use of older charges that were Cordite Mk1 (51and a 1/2 lb bag) that being several years old were not at their prime in life terms having been older stock.  Later the charges moved to Cordite MD (MoDified) and were more efficient double based propellants with less flash and smoke a cooler burn was less errosive to the barrels but needed more hence the MD was a 60lb charge.

Thanks for the extra information about the concrete fins. Oddly, the photo / plans of the other emplacement in this battery don't show any similar fins.

Interesting point about the propellant too - I'd never have guessed there was a story behind the colour of the smoke!

Regards, David

 I was under the impression that the ramp was used for reloading the gun. There is a small crane at the right which would be used to lift the shell from a trolley. I can see no other means to reload.

Presumably the charrges were in bags?