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526:, the St. David's Battery was involved in what could have been a severe international incident. The BMA had been instructed to fire a memorial salute from one of the two 4.7 inch guns at Saint David's Battery. This salute was to consist of seventy blank rounds, one for each year of the King's life, fired at one-minute intervals. Because of the difficulty of storing ammunition in Bermuda's humid climate, there proved to be only twenty-three rounds of blank ammunition in stock, and the remainder used were all headed ammunition. As the firing was to commence at 7am (on 21 January), and it was thought unlikely any vessels would be in the danger area, it was decided to proceed with the salute, ensuring the guns were elevated for maximum range (8,000 yards), out to sea. The firing began at 08:00, and was over seventy minutes later. What the BMA gunners were unaware of, however, was that the
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box-shaped armour shields, providing protection from the front, the sides, and above. Intact in the early 1990s, these barbettes had subsequently suffered such damage that they were removed. The area is currently public parkland (Great Head Park), and the Park
Service has made some repairs, and painted the guns to protect them from further corrosion. The breech blocks of the two 9.2 inch guns have been replaced with newly manufactured ones. The barracks and other buildings to the rear of the battery are currently used by a kindergarten school and for private accommodation. A number of apartment buildings have been built around them, and on the hillside dropping down to the North of the battery. Although the magazines are locked, the guns of the battery can be visited by the general public without restriction or cost.
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325:, itself at the East end of the archipelago of Bermuda. Bermuda sits just inside the southern perimeter of a circular barrier reef (the rim of the caldera of a submarine volcano). The reef parallels the South Shore at a distance of less than a quarter of a mile. To the North, it extends up to 18 miles from shore. There are no usable harbours on the South Shore, but large sheltered ones accessible from the lagoon within the reef to the North. This lagoon, however, can only be accessed by large vessels via a channel through the reefs which brings them near to the Eastern coast of St. David's Island. Passing St. David's, vessels can either enter into
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561:. Beneath the guns were extensive magazines, which fed ammunition up to the firing parties by conveyor belt-like lifts. The magazines below the 6 inch guns were placed completely below ground, as a slope (surfaced to form a water catchment) rises to the back of the gun positions. The magazines of the 9 inch guns, however, opened to a courtyard to the rear. A short distance behind the battery was a barracks and a small parade ground. Behind these, on Skinner's Hill, was the Fire Commanders Post, which gave orders for
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352:, and the primary Royal Naval base in the Western Atlantic (although a base in Brazil served South Atlantic waters). Protecting this base was the primary reason for the British Army's large garrison in Bermuda, with its numerous forts and batteries. Of all of these, St. David's Head occupied the most decisive position, watching over the bottle-neck through which any force large enough to conceivably seize the archipelago would have to travel (although smaller vessels might pick through the reefs to land
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cliff as it lowers towards the water on the northern side of the 6 inch battery (these being the Search Light
Emplacement and the Search Light Direction Building), although these would have been difficult to spy (at least, as long as the search light was not operating). On the southern side, and a short distance to the rear, of the No. 1 9.2 inch gun is a raised concrete platform for a
534:, was at the receiving end of their barrage. The British-built destroyer was under the command of a retired Royal Naval officer (part of the British Naval Mission to Colombia), and was arriving at Bermuda to undergo repairs at the HM Dockyard. Although the ship's crew members were alarmed to find themselves on the receiving end of an artillery barrage, the ship fortunately was not hit.
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The guns were emplaced so that they were difficult, at any great distance, to discern from the slope which fell gently to the top of the cliffs before them. Other than the guns, the only other parts of the battery in direct sight from enemy vessels were two small buildings perched on the edge of the
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In 1953, the last
Imperial Defence Plan was issued, under which the local units were tasked. The decision had been taken in 1951 to close the dockyard, other than a small supply base (HMS Malabar); a process which stretched from 1951 to 1958. As a result, the last regular soldiers (a company of the
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was taken out to meet ships arriving off
Bermuda, along with the pilot who would steer the vessel through the reef. The ships were stopped under the watchful eyes of the gunners at St. David's Head. In that position, the naval officer had the task of examining the vessel and its documents before it
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arrived on the 8th. Having no radio, the crew were unaware of the declaration of war. Finding all of the buoys and other navigational aids missing, they attempted to pick their own way in through the
Narrows, the channel that threads through the barrier reef. This took them directly to the fore of
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Today, St. David's
Battery is intact, but derelict. The two 9.2 inch and the two 6 inch guns remain emplaced, but have been allowed to suffer considerable corrosion damage. The two 6 inch guns, which had originally been emplaced without any kind of gun shield, had been retrofitted later with
455:, the regular gunners were steadily reduced, until the BMA took over complete responsibility for maintaining and operating the colony's coastal artillery (although search lights at the battery, used for night-time firing, were operated by the
573:) were to be withdrawn in 1957, and the last coastal artillery, the two 6 inch guns of St. David's Battery, removed from use immediately. The BMA retasked as an infantry unit, although it remained nominally part of the Royal Artillery.
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arrived the next day. The
America's Cup was cancelled for that year. The Shamrock IV and Erin proceeded to New York, where the racer was laid up 'til 1920. The Erin returned to Britain. Most of the crew were members of the
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to
Bermuda to meet them and escort them to the US. The British crews had received word of the declaration by radio. Among the first things done in Bermuda on the declaration was to remove all maritime navigational aids.
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The Search Light
Direction Station, built into the cliff face at St. David's Battery, communicated with the Search Light Emplacement to direct the beam of the Defence Electric Light
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had built up a large naval base in
Bermuda, including the dockyard, an Admiralty House, and various subsidiary facilities. This became the headquarters of the
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Whereas the batteries and forts built prior to this, all of which housed coastal artillery, were originally designed to be equipped with cannon, or
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guns (although some were later redesigned to house RBL guns), St. David's Battery was the first designed specifically for rifled breech loaders.
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St. David's Battery, where the gunners were on a war footing and opened fire. This was just a warning shot, which had the desired effect.
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and fortified gun batteries built by the British Army primarily during the course of the 19th Century (many others had been built by the
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Initially, the battery was manned by full-time gunners of the Royal Garrison Artillery, supported by a part-time reserve, the
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No. 2 9.2-inch gun at St. David's Battery (or the Examination Battery), in 2011. Two 6 inch guns are visible behind.
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at the St. David's Battery, ca. 1944. Left-to-right: Bdr. A. Caisey, Sgt. Maj. R.C. Smith, and Bdr. C.E. Esdaille.
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699:"The Bermuda Volunteer Engineers", by Jennifer Hind, author of "Defence, Not Defiance: A History of the BVRC".
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The Search Light Emplacement that housed the Defence Electric Light at St. David's Battery
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remained in active use. Although another battery, with two 6 inch guns, was built at
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Ministry of the Environment, Telecommunications and E-Commerce, Department of Parks
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The Andrew and the Onions : The Story of the Royal Navy in Bermuda, 1795-1975
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666:(2 ed.). Old Royal Navy Dockyard, Bermuda: Bermuda Maritime Museum Press.
598:(2 ed.). Old Royal Navy Dockyard, Bermuda: Bermuda Maritime Museum Press.
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Rear view of the magazine for the two 9.2 inch guns (visible atop) in 2011
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that together make up St. David's Head), at the East end of the Island of
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It would not be long before the battery fired its first shot during the
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was allowed to proceed inwards to the lagoon, or any of the harbours.
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Bulwark of empire : Bermuda's fortified naval base 1860-1920
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of the Royal Naval Examination Service worked with the battery
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626:(1 ed.). Bermuda: Bermuda Maritime Museum Press.
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visible beyond, and the barracks to the right, in 2011
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