Ref Number: 00424
Built at a cost of £5,825 in 1865 Hatherwood Battery had been agreed upon by the Royal Commission of 1859.
Ref Number: 00424
Located to the northeast of Alum Bay, Hatherwood Point’s purpose was to provide cross fire out towards the Needles Passage approaches. In the end, three 7-inch R.M.L.s were used instead of the planned six 68pr S.B. en-barbette, with the magazines buried in a pile of dirt behind the battery.
The garrison barracks were originally designed to house 50 troops and 2 officers, but were converted to provide room for two wounded soldiers. The remaining soldiers were given quarters at the neighbouring Golden Hill Fort.
After another three years of planning, in 1876, two 12.5-inch 38-ton R.M.L.s were installed, moving the magazine to the ship’s left flank; however, plans to upgrade the ship’s 9-inch mounts to 10-ton R.M.L.s, which had been drawn up at a cost of £6,000, were scrapped the following year.
Several searchlight trials were conducted between 1889 and 1892, and Hatherwood is now responsible for “fire control” of all nearby gun batteries. There were thus four 9-inch R.M.L.s and two 12.5-inch R.M.L.s in the battery. Two of the 9-inch guns were swapped out for 5-inch B.L. broadside mounts in 1899.
Some small ones were implemented, while others never made it past the proposal stage. Then The battery was deactivated when its useful life looked to have ended in 1903. However, the Royal Navy reoccupied the location between 1940 and 1943 as a part of the Indicator Loop station cluster. Two of the emplacements have already collapsed and sunk over the cliff edge, thus the site is steadily degrading away and caution is needed.
Being very careful and if you look closely, you can still make out the change that was made to the two left emplacements in order to accommodate the 5-inch B.L. mounts.
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