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The Coastal Defences of Cartagena |
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The Coastal Defences of Cartagena |
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Material in this section is taken from the book "Castillos y Fortalezas de Cartagena" by Aureliana Gómez Vizcaina (ISBN 84-922370-0-7) with permission of the author.
This book has been compiled by a group of enthusiasts of a group named AFORCA ( Asociación Sáncho Díaz Bustamente de amigos veteranos de los castillos cartageneros, sus fortalezas, murallas, viejas torres y baterías) registered in Murcia with the number 4.211/1 on 5th July 1995.
The material in the book deals with fortifications dating
from 15th Century to the present, and includes details of many of the castles
and other defensive installations.
The defence of Cartagena has been a preoccupation for the Spanish military for more than 500 years during which it was steadily improved - but paradoxically the present day sees the City practically unprotected from invasion. Cartagena occupies a special place in Spanish military history as headquarters for their Mediterranean naval fleet and there are always warships to be seen in it's vast natural harbour. The harbour is flanked by five hills all of which have been utilised for the defence of the Port.
The story starts more than 500 years ago during the reign of the Reyes Católicos; prior to 1492 the South of Spain was ruled by conquering Arabs who had their capital in Granada but the Region of Murcia managed to retain Spanish rule. However when the Arab rulers were vanquished the necessity to defend Murcia from attack from the South disappeared, but the possibility of conquest from the sea still remained. Ships of the Spanish Armada were already stationed here not only for defence but also to support military interventions throughout the Mediterranean and in North Africa.
Thus preparations were made for the defence of Cartagena which progressed in a haphazard way until present times with much vacillation by successive Monarchs and Governments, interspersed by times of frantic activity during which the massive city walls and castles were constructed, most of which can still be seen.
Cartagena entered the 20th century with inadequate defences against modern military technology. The "model" threat which could mount an attack was based on the new British armoured vessels which could steam at 18 knots, had armour plate of 229mm thickness and were equipped with guns of 305mm and 152mm caliber with a range of greater than 20Km. In contrast the existing shore defences of Cartagena had a range of only about 12Km and a poor rate of fire.
In 1912 the Government commissioned studies for new defences but despite numerous surveys and reports nothing was done until 1925 when the plan for the "Vickers Deployment" was put into effect. All of the arms were purchased from the British company of this name and equipped new shore batteries with guns of 38.1cm and 15.24cm caliber giving ranges of 35Km and 21Km respectively. Also anti-aircraft guns (also from Vickers) of 10.5cm were deployed with an operational ceiling of 7.000 metres. Cartagena's defences finally had a range greater than the perceived threat. These new deployments were effected not only at Cartagena but also at Ferrol and Mahón.
At this time the following facilities were enabled:-
This type of cannon has the only recorded military action during the service of the coastal batteries. A gun of this type deployed at battery C-3 (La Parajola - Algameca Grande) sunk the steamship "Castillo de Olite" betwen the Cape of Cabo de Aguas and the Island of Escombreras.and on 5th March 1939
During the Spanish Civil War (1936 - 39) the following facilities were added:-
(Photos and other material in this section are from the Artillery Museum (Parque de Artillería) in Cartagena.
381mm Armour Piercing Shells
These shells were used by the Vickers 381mm coastal cannon. The one on the left is nearly 1.8 metres high, and they fired a projectile weighing nearly 900Kg to a maximum range of 35Km. The warhead was charged with 18Kg of TNT.
Vickers Gunsight / Director
Used for the 152.4/50 Vickers coastal cannon. The device supplied range and bearing data of the target ship. The data was then modified by the predictors to account for the changes in distance and bearing of the ship during the trajectory of the shell.
Corrections were also made for wind speed, temperature of the powder and observed deviations. The gunsight required a crew of 5 persons.
Triple Hydraulic Pump for Vickers 381/45mm Canon
This pumped hydraulic fluid to an accumulator, and thence to the hydraulic machinery of the gun at a pressure of 77.3 Kg/cm
The accumulator weighed 75,000 Kg
Auxiliary Engine - Petter 25HP
This engine was situated in a motor house under the 381/45 gun.
It was used for starting the dynamo which generated 24 volts DC for lighting in the guns and magazines, for a compressor which supplied accumulators for starting, refilling the recoil mechanism of the gun and to power refrigeration equipment
Horizontal Large Baseline Rangefinder
Long base line rangefinders, also known as poliestáticos, were used to find distance by the resolution of an oblique angle triangle where the baseline is known (measured on the ground / map) and the two adjacent angles are measured by the equipment. It was planned to build a rangefinder of this type for the 381mm cannons at Castillitos by placing grafimetric stations at Jorel, Atalyon, La Aguja (in Portus Bay) and La Picadera (near Atalyon); however the project was never completed.
Breech Mechanism for Vickers 381mm Coastal Cannon
The round "finned" section fitted into the breech of the gun and locked into position with a fraction of a turn.
The breech was operated hydraulically but could be worked manually in an emergency.
At the end of the Civil War there started a progressive wind down of the old anti aircraft defences in favour of more modern systems. In 1993 the decision was made to also abandon the costal defence batteries at Cenizas, Parajola, Jorel, Aguillones and La Chapa and today they remain practically in ruins. The only remaining guns are at Cabo Tiñoso and Cenizas.
The Web pages which follow concern only Cenizas and the installations at Cabo Tiñoso which have become popular tourist attractions. However, both these locations have suffered gravely from wanton destruction, vandalism and idiotic graffiti. Whatever one may think about the military, these installations are part of the history of the Region of Murcia and should be preserved - if the present rate of destruction continues there will be little left for future generations
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