O'Hara's Battery is an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of

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. It is located at the highest point of the Rock of Gibraltar, near the southern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, in close proximity to Lord Airey's Battery. It was constructed in 1890 at the former site of a

watchtower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...

that had earned the name O'Hara's Folly. The battery and tower were both named after the

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

Charles O'Hara. The first gun mounted on the battery was a 6-inch breech loading gun, which was replaced with a 9.2 inch Mark X BL gun in 1901. The battery was in use during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and was last fired during training exercises in 1976. O'Hara's Battery has been refurbished and is open to the public. The battery and its associated works are listed with 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 ...

Early history

O'Hara's Battery is in Gibraltar, the British Overseas Territory at the southern end of the

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. The artillery battery is located near the southern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, near Lord Airey's Battery, at the highest point of the Rock of Gibraltar, . The

emplacement Emplacement may refer to: * A place where something is located * Fortification ** Artillery battery ** Casemate, fortified gun emplacement ** Redoubt, enclosed defense emplacement * The geological process of pluton emplacement See also * * * P ...

is in the Upper Battery area, which also includes Lord Airey's Battery and Spur Battery, although the gun of the latter was removed in Project Vitello. It is positioned at the southern terminus of O'Hara's Road, known as O'Hara's Point. The battery and road were named after the Governor of Gibraltar General Charles O'Hara (1740–1802). He served as governor from 1795 until his death in February 1802. O'Hara was replaced as governor later that year by Prince Edward, the

Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has been held by Prince Edwar ...

, and future father of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

. O'Hara had believed that if he were successful in constructing a watchtower on the highest point of the Rock, the Garrison would be able to observe the enemy at the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

port of Cadiz. While O'Hara's Tower was eventually built, it was not successful in its intended purpose and was nicknamed O'Hara's Folly. In 1888, the tower was scheduled for demolition. A bet ensued between the gunners of the Garrison and the officers of HMS Wasp. Ultimately, it was the men of the Wasp who brought down the tower with their sixth shot. O'Hara's Folly was not the only nickname associated with the governor. O'Hara himself was frequently referred to as the Old Cock of the Rock. The handsome, flamboyant officer who wore the garb of an earlier era has been described as "the most perfect specimen I ever saw of the soldier and courtier of the last age." He was popular with the Garrison and lavished hospitality on even the humblest of guests. Although never married, O'Hara had at least two mistresses, and fathered four illegitimate children. After the demolition of the tower, construction of O'Hara's Battery was completed by 1890, with the first 6-inch BL gun on a

Vavasseur mounting Vavasseur mountings were several mounting devices for artillery and machine guns. They were invented and patented by Josiah Vavasseur. The mountings were used in Barton's Point Battery in Sheerness, on the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent Kent is a ...

installed that year on the battery. In 1901, it was replaced by a 9.2 inch Mark X BL gun with a range of , to defend the Strait of Gibraltar. The range meant that, in theory, it was capable of reaching the African shore, only 14 miles away. The gun was exposed to the elements for more than three decades. In 1934, a steel shield was installed which afforded protection from small arms fire and splinters. The battery continued in active use during World War II. O'Hara's Battery features a narrow stairway ''(pictured below)'' which leads to the door of an underground magazine. A concrete enclosure contains a portion of the shell hoist and surrounds the gun turntable, which provides support to the 9.2 inch gun and rotates it as needed. Large black steel doors in the enclosure provide access to the turntable. A path ''(pictured below)'' which leads down from O'Hara's Battery turns up to the nearby Lord Airey's Battery. That pathway features an extra gun barrel ''(pictured below)''. The tunnel ''(pictured below)'' between the engine room and the gun not only provides access, but also stores pumps, hoists, and shells.

Recent history

O'Hara's Battery is one of four television broadcasting sites in Gibraltar; the others are at Signal Hill; the

North Mole, Gibraltar Harbour The North Mole is a breakwater located in the northern section of Gibraltar Harbour, in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. The North Mole, with the rest of harbour, is just north of the eas ...

; and Tower Blocks. In May 2012, the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority finalized a contract with United Kingdom-based

Arqiva Arqiva () is a British telecommunications company which provides infrastructure, broadcast transmission and smart meter facilities in the United Kingdom. The company is headquartered at the former Independent Broadcasting Authority headquart ...

to establish digital broadcasting on the Rock. The new transmitters will operate from one location on the Upper Rock, replacing two of the existing sites: O'Hara's Battery and Signal Hill. Having the infrastructure at a single site is also expected to reduce the environmental impact. Map of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve

The guns from O'Hara's Battery and Lord Airey's Battery were last fired on 7 April 1976 during a training exercise. More recently, the gun and infrastructure at the O'Hara's Battery site were refurbished. In 2009, visiting servicemen from regiments of the Territorial and Regular Armies spent weeks restoring O'Hara's and Lord Airey's Batteries. For years, O'Hara's Battery had been classified as an excluded site, where entry was a criminal offence. However, in May 2010, the Government of Gibraltar opened O'Hara's Battery to the public. The site is under the supervision of the Gibraltar Tourist Board, but managed on a day-to-day basis by a private company. In September 2012, soldiers of the 10 Signal Regiment arrived in Gibraltar to temporarily replace the Royal Gibraltar Regiment that was training at Exercise Jebel Sahara. The 10 Signal Regiment worked at O'Hara's Battery, clearing the gun pit. O'Hara's Battery is one of three surviving 9.2 inch gun emplacements at the upper ridge of the Rock, the others being Lord Airey's Battery and

Breakneck Battery Breakneck Battery is an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located on Ministry of Defence property at the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, north of Lord Airey's Battery. It is one of a dozen batteries in Gibra ...

, the latter on Ministry of Defence property. O'Hara's Battery, including the 9.2 inch gun, magazine, engine room, and extra gun barrel, is listed with the Gibraltar Heritage Trust.

Gallery

File:O'Hara's Battery's Control Room and Observation Post.jpg, O'Hara's Control Room and Observation Post File:O'Hara's Battery Engine Room.jpg, The Engine Room File:9Tunnel cut into the Rock leading from Engine Room.jpg, Tunnel from engine room to gun at
O'Hara's Battery File:Spare gun on the rock.jpg, Spare gun barrel along path to Lord Airey's Battery from O'Hara's Battery File:O'Hara's Battery Stairway.png, Stairway to underground magazine; gun and enclosure in background File:O'Hara's Battery Path.png, Path from O'Hara's Battery to Lord Airey's Battery
at top left File:O Hara S B.jpg, The gun File:Breech of O Hara.jpg, Breech of the gun

References

External links

Google map of O'Hara's Battery

Video of O'Hara's Battery

Photograph of 9.2 inch Mark X BL gun at O'Hara's Battery
{{Fortifications of Gibraltar Batteries in Gibraltar Coastal artillery Articles containing video clips