Gallery: Castles, Forts and Guns

9 inch Guns at The Needles Old Battery by Rod Johnson

9 inch Guns at The Needles Old Battery

Two muzzle-loading 9 inch guns at the Needles Old Battery, above Alum Bay, Isle of Wight, England. These are two of the original six guns; they were recovered from Scratchell's Bay by the National Trust in 1983. The guns have been mounted on replica carriages in their original positions on the Parade Ground.

It was in 1873 that the guns were first installed at the Old Battery. The shells used in these guns weighed 256 lbs each and a team of 9 men was needed to load and fire each gun.

By 1903, the guns were no longer required and they were pushed over the cliffs into the sea, 3 into Alum Bay and 3 into Scratchell's Bay. An appeal has been setup to replace the badly corroded replica carriages.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G @ 42mm
Shutter Speed: 1/400 second
Aperture: f/10
ISO Speed: 400
Date Taken: 21 Aug. 2014

Image Ref: 38577-RDA

 

 

Bookmark and Share