Most recently, TOPWAR published an interesting article about how the British crown got Gibraltar or "The Rock" - a rocky cliff - in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, which eventually became … an overseas territory of Great Britain, which is contested by Spain, and includes how, in fact, The Rock of Gibraltar, and the sandy isthmus connecting it to the mainland.
Gibraltar today: aerial view.
It must be borne in mind that this is not the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula, as most people think, no. The southernmost point of the peninsula is Cape Marroki, but it is nearby. In the north, this territory borders on Spain (with the city of La Linea de la Concepcion) and is actually part of the Algeciras metropolitan area. In the east, Gibraltar is washed by the waves of the Mediterranean Sea, in the south, directly in front of it is the Strait of Gibraltar, separating it from North Africa, in the west is the Gulf of Gibraltar. The area of Gibraltar is only 6.5 km². As for the height of the rock, it is 426 meters, that is, in principle, it is not very high.
Aircraft AWACS P-3C "Orion" over Gibraltar.
One of the reasons for the dispute between Spain and Great Britain is (as is very often the case) inaccuracies in the wording of the definitions of what Spain actually ceded to Great Britain. The Treaty of Utrecht did not contain any maps or specific descriptions of the territories that the British Crown received, which allows the parties to interpret "Article X" of this treaty, according to which Great Britain was supposed to own the city and castle of Gibraltar along with the port, fortifications and forts. There is a controversial site - on the isthmus and in the area of the forts Torre del Diablo (Devil's Tower) and El Molino.
Battery "Queen Charlotte". These are the cannons that the British fired at the French and the Spaniards in 1727.
Spain does not recognize British sovereignty over Gibraltar, as it believes that Great Britain has the right only to the fortified perimeter of the city, and this agreement does not apply to the rest of the territory. When the British began to build barracks for soldiers on the isthmus in 1815, Spain declared that construction was illegal. Then, in 1938, during the Civil War, Britain went even further and built an airport in the disputed territory. Therefore, the word "border" is not used here, and since the time of Franco, the term "Frontier" has been used.
Gibraltar. Photo of 1886.
Great Britain, in turn, believes that it owns the territory de facto, but recognizes the very existence of a dispute on a territorial issue with Spain. But Spain and England use the Gibraltar airport jointly.
Interestingly, in 1729, according to the Treaty of Seville between England, France and Spain, Britain has an "undoubted right" to a distance of two cannon shots between the British and Spanish fortifications, and this territory was now considered a "neutral territory". True, this land is, in fact, not considered the territory of Gibraltar.
"Harding's Battery" with muzzle-loading guns from 1856.
Interestingly, Gibraltar is one of the many international offshore zones. So if you register your company here, then … you will not have to pay turnover taxes. The main thing is that you do not live here yourself, but so … invest in the bank of the island at least as many billions as you like - you will have to pay a fixed amount only once a year, something about £ 1000 for the prolongation of the agreement and that's it!
And here is the already restored 12.5-inch muzzle-loading rifled gun of the Armstrong company from 1876. Impressive, isn't it ?!
However, we are primarily interested in, so to speak, the military component of Gibraltar, at least the one that is in plain sight, for who can know what is inside the rock, dug by underground passages and casemates, like Maasdam cheese. And, it should be noted that what is no longer a secret, the British did not hesitate to turn into profitable objects of the tourist business "places of interest" ("interesting places"), which are necessarily visited by numerous tourists, although some of them are not easy to get to.
Each such weapon was mounted on a rotary gun carriage with 360-degree shelling.
Let's start with the fact that at the end of the XIX century. in the era of huge muzzle-loading guns of the Armstrong firm, Gibraltar also received such guns. For example, the Harding battery, originally built back in 1859, was equipped with just such weapons. Then it was abandoned and buried under a layer of sand for many years, so much so that it served as an observation platform for tourists watching the strait. But in 2010 it was dug up, found a tool buried there and restored in all its splendor. It turned out that her 12.5 inch guns were installed on her around 1878. But then they became outdated, it was too expensive to dismantle them, and the battery was simply abandoned. And then everything was overgrown with bushes, and the wind from Africa covered it with sand!
6-inch MK-7 gun behind an armored shield.
On the very crest of the cliff there is a so-called "Rip-Head Battery", next to which there are also "Lord" and "O'Hara" batteries. It got its name from the stairs leading to it, which go down the steep cliff on which it stands. And she herself is at such a height and in such a place that her head is really spinning there. After all, all these three batteries are located on the very crest of the Rock of Gibraltar with a magnificent view of the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf and the Strait of Gibraltar. The battery is armed with a 9.2-inch cannon, one of three surviving, with the remaining two on the Lord and O'Hara batteries. The last battery is the highest point on the cliff - 1,398 feet (426 m). The 9.2-inch cannons installed there have a range of 29,000 yards - enough to cover the strait with fire to Africa.
The bolt of the gun on the O'Hara battery.
In 1902, a number of batteries were upgraded with 6-inch MK guns. In VII with a range of 6000 yards. These guns remained in service both during the First World War and during the Second. In 1954, the battery ceased to exist, but its 6-inch guns were kept as a tourist attraction.
The threat from aviation led the British army in Gibraltar to acquire anti-aircraft guns in 1941. In particular, the exposure on the White Rock battery shows a 3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun.
3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns in Gibraltar in November 1941.
9.2-inch guns in Gibraltar. Photo of 1942
In the years leading up to World War II, the British army received rapid-fire 5.25-inch dual-use guns, that is, they could perform the functions of anti-aircraft guns and fire at naval targets. Their service continued until 1956, when all the old coastal batteries were disarmed. Four cannons of this type remained only here. These are believed to be the only surviving specimens.
The Princess Anne battery with its 5.25 cannons.
So fans of military history and, above all, coastal artillery will have something to see on the "Skala", but since this is an offshore zone, the goods here are all very cheap! By the way,during the Second World War, Hitler wanted to destroy the fortifications of Gibraltar with fire … the Dora cannon! It was he who was the number one target for her, but Francisco Franco did not agree to let her through his territory, although he also very much wanted to take Gibraltar from the British!
Armored turret of the battery "Princess Anna" close-up.
The Levanter battery, in addition to the cannons, had a whole “battery” of rangefinders and anti-aircraft Bofors, capable of covering the entire “Skala” from above. It was from here that the firing distance at enemy ships going through the strait was reported. And this is how she looks today, at the moment when the clouds begin to creep over her.
