Devil's Gap Battery is a

coastal battery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...

in the

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

, overlooking the

Bay of Gibraltar The Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeciras), is a bay at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. It is around long by wide, covering an area of some , with a depth of up to in the centre of the bay. It opens to the south into the Strait ...

near the westernmost limits of the

Upper Rock Nature Reserve The Gibraltar Nature Reserve (formerly the Upper Rock Nature Reserve) is a protected nature reserve in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar that covers over 40% of the country's land area. It was established as the Upper Rock Nature Rese ...

History

Called by the Spanish, ''Punta del Diablo'' en, Devil's Point, Devils Gap Battery stands on the

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''escar ...

above the city looking out across the bay at a height of above sea level. During the 1779-1783

Great Siege of Gibraltar The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France to capture Gibraltar from the British during the War of the American Revolution. It was the largest battle in the war by number of combatants. The American war had end ...

it mounted at least one mortar, possibly more. In 1878 two

RML 9 inch 12 ton gun The RML 9-inch guns Mark I – Mark VIMark I – Mark VI = Mark 1 through to Mark 6. Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. Hence this article describes the six models of RML 9-inch guns. were lar ...

s were proposed and installed at the battery in June 1881, but later dismounted in 1900. In July 1896 work started on a new platform to the north of the battery for two QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval Mark I guns which were ready on 31 August 1896. In June 1900, it was proposed to mount two

BL 6 inch Mk VII naval gun The BL 6-inch gun Mark VII (and the related Mk VIII) was a British naval gun dating from 1899, which was mounted on a heavy travelling carriage in 1915 for British Army service to become one of the main heavy field guns in the First World War, ...

s on central pivot Mark II mountings with a range of capable of bearing on land batteries and on the bay. These were installed in 1902, with

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and shelters added in October 1903. In August 1917 one of the guns fired upon and sunk a

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travelling on the surface close to

Algeciras Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeci ...

, which was the only action seen by Gibraltar's coastal defences during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The guns were manned in 1936 during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

while Campamento and

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were being bombarded by

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naval units. During World War II the guns were the first to fire a '' bring to shot''. In 1954 the battery ceased its role of close defence examination but the 6-inch guns were retained and are still in position.

Underground Facilities

A small underground complex beneath the guns consisting of stores, magazines and

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hoists. The first area inside the entrance contains two shell hoists which serves the south gun. Both are in fair condition relative to their age although all moving parts are now seized with rust. The hatch for transferring ammunition from the magazine can be seen in the lower right photograph. A corridor runs through the entire length of the complex. Further in, there are two more shell hoists serving the north gun, again these are in various states of decomposition. The main corridor extends through a door and proceeds slightly downhill to further rooms which are below a much older battery.

Maintenance

The battery is maintained by a group of volunteers on behalf of the

Gibraltar Heritage Trust The Gibraltar Heritage Trust is a non-profit charity established by statute on 1 May 1989 to preserve and promote the cultural natural heritage of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Funding and responsibilities The Trust collaborates wit ...

. The battery is a Class A listed building as designated by the

Government of Gibraltar His Majesty's Government of Gibraltar is the democratically elected government of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The head of state is King Charles III who is represented by the Governor. Elections in Gibraltar are held every four ...

's Gibraltar Heritage Trust Act of 1989.

Gallery

File:Devil's Gap Battery, underground1.jpg File:Devil's Gap Battery, underground2.jpg File:Devil's Gap Battery, underground3.jpg File:Devil's Gap Battery, underground4.jpg File:Devil's Gap Battery, hatch.jpg File:Devil's Gap Battery, Gibraltar animation.ogv, Photo animation

References

{{Fortifications of Gibraltar Batteries in Gibraltar Coastal artillery Articles containing video clips