Coastal fortifications in Scotland played a vital role during the World Wars, protecting shipping as they mustered to convoy. New fortifications were built and old defences were also rebuilt or strengthened around the Scottish coast in case of invasion. New technologies like Radar were also deployed.

First World War (1914-1918)

There were over forty seven coastal defence locations in Scotland during the First World War.

Ayrshire

* Ardeer Battery, Ardeer,

North Ayrshire North Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and so ...

Clyde Defences

* Cloch Point To Dunoon Anti-submarine Boom, Firth of Clyde *

Ardhallow Battery Ardhallow Battery is a Palmerston Fort on the slopes of Corlarach Hill around south of Dunoon, on the Cowal Peninsula, west of Scotland. Part of the local Clyde Defenses and the Scottish Coastal Defences. The construction contract was awarded ...

, Dunoon, Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute * Dunoon Battery, Castle gardens *

Portkil Battery Portkil is a village on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde in Argyll and Bute, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a ...

, Kilcreggan, Roseneath peninsula * Cloch Point Battery, Gourock, Inverclyde * Fort Matilda Battery,

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

, Inverclyde

Dee Defences

Torry Battery The Torry Battery is an artillery battery near Torry in Aberdeen, Scotland, which has overlooked the city's harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of wate ...

, Aberdeen

Forth Defences

* Firth of Forth Anti-submarine Booms,

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...

* Charles Hill Battery, Dalgety Bay,

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

* Hound Point Battery, South Queensferry,

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...

* Leith Docks Battery, Leith, City of Edinburgh * Braefoot Battery, Dalgety Bay,

* Cramond Island Battery, Cramond Island,

* Downing Point Battery, Dalgety Bay,

* Inchcolm Battery, Inchcolm Island,

* Inchmickery Battery, Inchmickery Island,

* Kinghorn Battery, Kinghorn,

* Pettycur Battery, Kinghorn,

Highland

Easter Ross

* Cromarty Firth Anti-submarine Boom, Cromarty Firth * North Sutor Battery, Cromarty Firth * South Sutor Battery, Cromarty Firth

Orkney

* Scapa Flow Anti-submarine Booms,

Scapa Flow Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern end in June 2009 Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and ...

Ness Battery Ness Battery is a coastal defence battery in Stromness, Orkney. It was a crucial element of the defences of the western entrance to Scapa Flow, in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, the main fleet base for the Royal Navy in both World Wars. Several ...

Stromness Stromness (, non, Straumnes; nrn, Stromnes) is the second-most populous town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the southwestern part of Mainland Orkney. It is a burgh with a parish around the outside with the town of Stromness as its capital. E ...

* Innan Neb Battery, Flotta Island

Shetland

* Score Hill Battery, Bressay Island * The Knab Battery,

Lerwick Lerwick (; non, Leirvik; nrn, Larvik) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland ...

Tay Defences

* Broughty Castle Battery, Broughty Ferry

Second World War (1939-1945)

Many of the First World War coastal fortifications were reused in the Second World War. These defences listed below, were newly built for the Second World War.

Clyde Defences

* Toward Battery, Toward, Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute

Fife

* Tentsmuir coastal defences, Tayport * Roseisle WWII defences, Roseisle Beach, Kinghorn

Highland

Wester Ross

* Cove Battery, Loch Ewe

Orkney

* Churchhill Barriers * The Buchanan Battery, Flotta Island * Gate battery, Flotta Island * Neb Battery, Flotta Island * Golta Z Battery, Roan Head, Flotta Island * Balfour Battery,

South Ronaldsay South Ronaldsay (, also , sco, Sooth Ronalshee) is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland. It is linked to the Orkney Mainland by the Churchill Barriers, running via Burray, Glimps Holm and Lamb Holm. Name Along with North R ...

Shetland

* Hill of Setter Battery, Bressay Island * Ness of Sound Battery, Yell Island

Tay Defences

* Stannergate Battery,

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

Chain Home Low

Chain Home Low (CHL), a new aircraft detection and tracking system, Radar, operated by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. There were about thirty coastal stations around the coast of Scotland.

Aberdeenshire

* St Cyrus Station (CHL),

St Cyrus St Cyrus or Saint Cyrus ( sco, Saunt Ceerus), formerly Ecclesgreig (from gd, Eaglais Chiric) is a village in the far south of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. General information Traditional salmon fishing with nets is still conducted from St Cyrus be ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

* Rosehearty Station (CHL), Rosehearty

Highlands

* Leirinbeg Station (CHL),

Leirinmore Leirinmore ( gd, An Leithrinn Mhòr) is a crofting township in the parish of Durness on the northern coastline of Scotland, in Sutherland, Scottish Highlands. It is in the Scottish council area of Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of hi ...

, Highland * Wick Station (CHL), Wick

Wester Ross

* Point Of Stoer Station (CHL), Assynt, Wester Ross

Easter Ross

* Cromarty Station (CHL), South Sutor, Cromarty, Easter Ross

Fife

* Anstruther Station (CHL),

Anstruther Anstruther ( sco, Ainster or Enster ; gd, Ànsruthair) is a small coastal resort town in Fife, Scotland, situated on the north-shore of the Firth of Forth and south-southeast of St Andrews. The town comprises two settlements, Anstruther ...

Orkney Islands

* Crustan Station (CHL),

Orkney Islands Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

* Deerness Station (CHL), Deerness * South Ronaldsay Station (CHL),

* Sanday Station (CHL), Sanday

Scottish Borders

* Lamberton Station (CHL), Lamberton,

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

* Coldingham Station (CHL), Coldingham * Cockburnspath Station (CHL), Cockburnspath

Shetland Islands

* Skaw Station (CHL), Unst, Shetland Islands * Noss Hill Station (CHL), Shetland Islands * Wats Ness Station (CHL), Shetland Islands * Compass Head, Grutness Station (CHL), Sumburgh, Shetland Islands * Ward Hill Station (CHL), Fair Isle

West Coast Islands

World War II remains near Carrastaoin - geograph

* Tiree Station (CHL), Tiree * Islay Station (CHL),

Islay Islay ( ; gd, Ìle, sco, Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The isl ...

* Harris Station (CHL), Harris * Barra Station (CHL), Barra * Eorodale, Lewis (CHL), Lewis * Islibhig, Lewis (CHL), Lewis * Skye Station (CHL), Skye

Coastal Defence U-Boat

Coastal Defence U-Boat (CDU). A new experimental system, Radar, for submarine detection and tracking. First introduced in the Second World War. There were six experimental stations, two located on Fair Isle. * Ward Hill, Radar Station (CDU), Fair Isle, Fair Isle * Dunnet Head, Radar Station (CDU), Dunnet Head, Wick, Highland * Ward Hill, Radar Station (CDU), South Ronaldsay,

, Orkney Islands * Saxa Vord Radar Station (CDU), Unst, Shetland Islands * Sumburgh, Radar Station (CDU), Sumburgh,

Shetland Islands Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coastal fortifications in Scotland Scotland War History of Scotland History of the United Kingdom by topic Military history of the United Kingdom United Kingdom military-related lists

First World War (1914-1918)

Ayrshire

Clyde Defences

Dee Defences

Forth Defences

Highland

Easter Ross

Orkney

Shetland

Tay Defences

Second World War (1939-1945)

Clyde Defences

Fife

Highland

Wester Ross

Orkney

Shetland

Tay Defences

Chain Home Low

Aberdeenshire

Highlands

Wester Ross

Easter Ross

Fife

Orkney Islands

Scottish Borders

Shetland Islands

West Coast Islands

Coastal Defence U-Boat

See also

References

External links