Installed 1911. Fired in anger 8 Jun 1942 at Japansese submarine I21 at 2.18am. Only fort in Australia with this distinction.
Fort Scratchley Historical Society
The Fort Scratchley Historic Site is a nineteenth century Coast Defence Fort, constructed in 1882 and extensively modernised in 1892 and then again in 1910. As a result, this single site shows the development of Australia's coast defences from the muzzle loading era through to its zenith during World War II. Remaining at the fort are most of the original gun emplacements and underground ammunition stores and magazines, as well as four 80 pounder rifled muzzle loading guns and two 6 inch Mark VII breech loading guns, which are examples of the earliest and the latest guns used at the fort.
Address:
Off Nobbys Road, Newcastle East, Newcastle, NSW
Tel:
0249293066
Hours:
12noon-4pm Sat, Sun and public holidays, closed Christmas Day and Good Friday
Admission:
Adults $1.50, children 50c, family $3
Facilities:
Shop, guided tours by arrangement
Collection:
2,200 books; 3,000 artefacts; 1,500 photographs. Combination of the site itself and military photographs, memorabilia and militaria, mainly concerned with the history of the site and applicable military history of Newcastle.
Items
Coast gun
Six Inch Mark VII Breechloading Gun
Creator:
Royal Gun Factory, Woolich, England
Description:
Standard medium coast gun on a land mounting service used by British Commonwealth 1898-1936.
Date:
1911-1965
80n PDR RML
Rifled Muzzle Loading Canon x 4
Creator:
Royal Ordinance Factory Woolich England
Description:
80 pdr orignal barrels on replica mountings
3 mounted in casemates, 1 mounted in Barbette
1.5 Nordendfelt Gun
Creator:
Nordenfelt Gun and Ammunition Co.
Description:
1.5" Breech Loading Nordenfelt Q,F Gun
3 x gun installed in casemates from 1898
Tunnels
Description:
The gun emplacements, connecting passages and magazines in various configurations
Date:
1880-1885
The tunnels were continually changed and upgraded as the weaponry changed and these are readily identifiable.
5.5 " Shell
Japanese 5.5" Shell
Creator:
Japanese Imperial Navy
Description:
5.5 Calibre high explosive shell rendered inert for public display (140mm)
This shell was fired by Japanese submarine I21 on 8th June 1942 at BHP plant. Was found in BHP grounds. It failed to explode