Alternative Names World War I And Ii; Car Ness Battery
Site type COASTAL BATTERY (20TH CENTURY)
Canmore ID 2477
Site Number HY41SE 51.00
NGR HY 4679 1446
Council ORKNEY ISLANDS
Parish KIRKWALL AND ST OLA
Former Region ORKNEY ISLANDS AREA
Former District ORKNEY
Former County ORKNEY

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Archaeological Notes

HY41SE 51.00 centred 4679 1446

For Wellington Battery see HY41SE 52.00

HY41SE 51.01 HY 47662 14432 and HY 46766 14419 Gun-emplacements
HY41SE 51.02 HY 46758 14451 Observation post (Battery observation Post)
HY41SE 51.03 HY 46756 14430 Magazine
HY41SE 51.04 HY 46757 14416 and HY 46748 14426 Store; Building
HY41SE 51.05 HY 46863 14395 and HY 46843 14432 Searchlight battery
HY41SE 51.06 HY 46789 14371 Engine house
HY41SE 51.07 c. HY 4677 1440 Gun-emplacement

Carness Battery: Two 12 pounder gun emplacements with magazines and observation post. One 12 pounder was from Links Battery (HY20NE 77) and one from Balfour Battery (ND49SW 19). There are the remains of a First World War gun emplacement at this site.
J Guy 1993; NMRS MS 810/2; WO/192/115 PRO

The World War I and II Carness Battery is situated to the E of the track leading to the head of Car Ness. The battery is in a relatively complete condition and includes two 12-pounder gun-emplacements (HY41SE 51.01), Battery observation Post (BoP), (HY41SE 51.02), magazine, searchlight platform, store and crew shelter buildings, engine house (HY41SE 51.03-51.06) and the remains of a First World War gun-emplacement (HY51SE 51.07). All that remains of the crew accommodation camp immediately to the S are several concrete hut bases.
The battery faces NE and was built to provide artillery and anti motor torpedo defence in addition to Wellington Battery (HY41SE 52.00), over the approaches to the Bay of Kirkwall.
The Public Record Office (PRO), hold the gun record book (WO 192/115) for this battery and there is a 'plan of the fort', scale 1:1875 showing the layout of the buildings. The battery was manned in 1941 by 535 Regiment (PRO WO 199/2627).
Visited by RCAHMS (DE, GS, SW), August 1999

Dorman, J (1996) Orkney Coast Batteries London
Page(s): 11

Hamilton-Baillie, J R E (1979) Coast defences of Orkney in the two world wars, The Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham

Hewison, W S (1985) This great harbour: Scapa Flow, Aspects of Orkney series, 3 Stromness
Page(s): 277 Held at RCAHMS D.9.3.SCA