Earlier, in 1879, they had mounted another such gun in Gibraltar at Victoria Battery. These two batteries, together with two in Malta (Cambridge Battery and Fort Rinella), were a response to the Italians having, in 1873, built the battleshipDuilio, which was to receive four Armstrong Guns of the same design. The British authorised the construction of Victoria and Napier of Magdala batteries in December 1878; they completed Victoria in 1879 and Napier of Magadala in 1883, at a total cost of £35,707. Because the British viewed the two batteries as part of the one large fortress that was the Rock of Gibraltar, the batteries lacked all-round protection and any of the close-in defences such as the dry moats with caponiers or counterscarp galleries that the British installed at Cambridge Battery and Fort Rinella, both of which were free-standing pentagonal forts.
The gun that is now at Napier of Magdala Battery originally armed Victoria Battery, but the British moved it to Napier when the original gun there split during firing practice. The gun at Napier Battery received the nickname, "The Rockbuster".
The "Rockbuster" was last fired in 2002 (with a very small signaling charge) to mark the 2002 Calpe Conference between Gibraltar and Malta.
Philately
In 2010 Gibraltar and Malta jointly issued a four-stamp set of stamps featuring the two countries' 100-ton guns. Two stamps show the gun at Napier of Magdala Battery, and two the gun at Fort Rinella. One of each pair is a view from 1882, and the other is a view from 2010. The stamps from Gibraltar bear a denomination of 75 pence, while those from Malta bear a denomination of 0.75 euros.
Gallery
Napier of Magdala Battery
100 ton gun firing from Napier of Magdala Battery in the 1880s
A replica of the 100-ton gun's 17.72 inch projectile
Fa, Darren; et al. (2006). The Fortifications of Gibraltar 1068-1945. Gibraltar Museum. p. 64. ISBN9781846030161.
Paco Galliano (2003). History of Galliano's Bank (1855 - 1987): The Smallest Bank in the World. Gibraltar: Gibraltar Books.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Napier of Magdala Battery.
January 10, 2023
napier, magdala, battery, former, coastal, artillery, battery, south, western, cliffs, british, overseas, territory, gibraltar, overlooking, gibraltar, also, overlooks, rosia, from, north, does, parson, lodge, battery, from, south, contains, surviving, armstro. Napier of Magdala Battery is a former coastal artillery battery on the south western cliffs of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar overlooking the Bay of Gibraltar It also overlooks Rosia Bay from the north as does Parson s Lodge Battery from the south 1 It contains one of two surviving Armstrong 100 ton guns Napier of Magdala Battery100 Ton GunPart of Fortifications of GibraltarRosia Bay GibraltarThe 100 ton gun at Napier of Magdala BatteryRear view of the 100 ton gunNapier of Magdala BatteryCoordinates36 07 22 N 5 21 15 W 36 1227 N 5 3541 W 36 1227 5 3541TypeCoastal batterySite informationOwnerGovernment of GibraltarControlled byGibraltarOpen tothe publicYesConditionGoodSite historyBuilt byBritish GovernmentEventsCalpe Conference 2002 Garrison informationGarrisonRoyal Gibraltar Regiment Contents 1 History 2 Philately 3 Gallery 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksHistory EditIn 1883 the British Government installed a single 100 ton gun a 450 mm rifled muzzle loading RML gun made by Armstrong Whitworth at the battery by Rosia Bay that they named Napier of Magdala Battery after Field Marshal Robert Napier 1st Baron Napier of Magdala who had served as Governor of Gibraltar from 1876 to 1883 2 Earlier in 1879 they had mounted another such gun in Gibraltar at Victoria Battery These two batteries together with two in Malta Cambridge Battery and Fort Rinella were a response to the Italians having in 1873 built the battleship Duilio which was to receive four Armstrong Guns of the same design The British authorised the construction of Victoria and Napier of Magdala batteries in December 1878 they completed Victoria in 1879 and Napier of Magadala in 1883 at a total cost of 35 707 Because the British viewed the two batteries as part of the one large fortress that was the Rock of Gibraltar the batteries lacked all round protection and any of the close in defences such as the dry moats with caponiers or counterscarp galleries that the British installed at Cambridge Battery and Fort Rinella both of which were free standing pentagonal forts The gun that is now at Napier of Magdala Battery originally armed Victoria Battery but the British moved it to Napier when the original gun there split during firing practice The gun at Napier Battery received the nickname The Rockbuster During World War II the British Army stationed a battery of four 3 7 and two Bofors quick firing anti aircraft guns at the site In 1945 they almost fired upon an Iberia Airlines Junkers Ju 88 that had wandered into Gibraltar s airspace while on a flight from Malaga to Tetouan 3 The Rockbuster was last fired in 2002 with a very small signaling charge to mark the 2002 Calpe Conference between Gibraltar and Malta Philately EditIn 2010 Gibraltar and Malta jointly issued a four stamp set of stamps featuring the two countries 100 ton guns Two stamps show the gun at Napier of Magdala Battery and two the gun at Fort Rinella One of each pair is a view from 1882 and the other is a view from 2010 The stamps from Gibraltar bear a denomination of 75 pence while those from Malta bear a denomination of 0 75 euros Gallery EditNapier of Magdala Battery 100 ton gun firing from Napier of Magdala Battery in the 1880s A replica of the 100 ton gun s 17 72 inch projectileNotes Edit Finlayson 2006 p 34 Moreman T R May 2008 Robert Napier Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press Galliano 2003 p 76 References EditFa Darren et al 2006 The Fortifications of Gibraltar 1068 1945 Gibraltar Museum p 64 ISBN 9781846030161 Paco Galliano 2003 History of Galliano s Bank 1855 1987 The Smallest Bank in the World Gibraltar Gibraltar Books External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Napier of Magdala Battery Gibraltar gov s site on the Napier of Magdala Battery Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Napier of Magdala Battery amp oldid 1116147594, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
