1795 Fort
Wynyard Bunkers and the disappearing Gun
On June
11, 1795, a squadron of British warships anchored in False Bay. In reaction the
commander of the Cape forces ordered that a new battery, Kijk-in-de-pot
Battery, be built on a hillock overlooking what is now Granger Bay.
Kijk-in-de-pot
referenced the blubber pots of the whaling station in Granger Bay directly
below the battery.
On 13
September of the same year the Dutch forces at the Cape capitulated.
In 1827 the British decided to dismantle the
Kijk-in-de-pot Battery, but after the outbreak it was rearmed on April 12,
1861.
The
Kijk-in-de-pot battery was improved in 1862 and renamed after
Lieutenant-General Robert Henry Wynyard. It remained operational until August
15, 1945.
On 14
May 1976 Fort Wynyard was proclaimed as a national monument.
In 1992
the fort became the headquarters of the Cape Garrison Artillery.
Most of the 1880 guns around the world – similar to this one – had all
been demolished. “The 22000kg gun has a hydraulic mechanism which raised the
barrel to the top of the pit, which was covered by a shield, only the top part
of the gun would stick out to fire and would go back in and gunners would
reload it which would take about a minute. The gun could swivel as it has
wheels,”
Comment:
Easy educational adventure walking Tour with a touch of Military History
suitable for all. Operating when the Military feels like it. Maximum 25
participants.
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