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Old 08-22-2020, 02:19 AM
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ChalkLine ChalkLine is offline
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This one will be a bit long.Don't go to its website as it's been hacked.

I'm posting some info on Port Scratchely. Now, this is as far from the battlefields of Twilight 2000 as you can get but it's a good basic plan for a coastal fortification built on a headland.
It's a Victorian-era coastal battery guarding a port. It was updated during The Second World War. I won't go into its history. Its usefulness lies in that it is representative of a lot of fortresses just like this and could be found anywhere in the world.



The Aboveground Section

1. Entrance to Fort Scratchley
2. Dry Ditch and Defensive Wall - the ditch was a major obstacle for any attack against the fort from the landward side.
3. The Old Guardhouse - Contained two cells for locking up misbehaving soldiers and was the crew station for soldiers guarding Fort Scratchley - it was converted into a communications centre during World War 2.
4. The New Guardhouse - Built during World War 2 to replace the Old Guardhouse, it also contains two cells and had an Anti-Aircraft machine gun mounted on the roof during, World War 2.
5. The Laboratory - a safe area where shells and cartridge bags were filled with gunpowder from the wooden barrels that the powder was transported in.
6. Ablutions and Stores Block - Added before World War II to provide additional shower and toilet facilities as well as more storage space for rations and clothing.
7. The Gunner's Toilets - originally this block housed the toilets for the gunners and the Non Commissioned Officers at Fort Scratchley.
3. Searchlight Engine Room - Built during World War 2 to house and protect a Lister diesel powered D.C. Generator used to power a searchlight, which was mounted below the fort.
9. Mine Firing Station - Range-Finding and Control Position for the remote controlled minefield, which could be laid across the harbour entrance in times of war.
10. The Barracks - accommodation area for the Permanent Military Forces personnel. (The militia forces had to sleep in tents outside the fort walls when they had their annual training camps.
11. Canteen and Stores Block - contained the soldier’s canteen or mess (dining area). 12. Kitchen Block - contained the kitchen, washhouse, storerooms and offices.
13. Commandant's Cottage - residence for the senior Permanent Military Forces Officer, his family and servants. During World War 2, it was the Officer's Mess and their Barracks.
14. The Western Barbette - an 80 pounder Rifled Muzzle Loading (R.M.L.) Gun was mounted in this gun pit from 1882 to 1907. The main 9 inch R.M.L. Guns at Fort Scratchley were mounted in similar pits to this, facing out to sea, when the fort was first constructed in 1882.
15. The Battery Observation Post - constructed in 1914 and extended during World War 2, this was the command centre and range finding position for the fort and the new 6 inch Mark VII guns. In 1943 it was extended to house the Searchlight Directing Station.
16. Casemate Air Shafts - these wrought iron covers protect the airshafts leading down to the, casemate battery. These, shafts also gave access for the installation and later removal of the guns from the underground casemate battery.
17. The Parade ground - area for the parading and drilling of the gunners.
18. No.'s 1 & 2 Guns - these 6-inch Mark VII Breech Loading (B.L.) Guns were installed in & 1910-11 and helped to protect Newcastle during both World Wars. On the morning of 19th June 1942, they were used to fight off a Japanese Submarine attacking Newcastle.
20. Flagpole - replica of the original flagpole for National and Signal Flags.
21. Entrance to the Underground Passageways.
22. The Artillery Store - Main Storeroom for the fort.
23. Searchlight Directing Station - 1941 to 1943 the fort's three, searchlights were controlled from this position, and it was transferred to the Battery Observation Post in 1943.
24. Auxiliary Searchlight Engine Room - a wartime measure, this position mounted a Gardener No. 9 Heavy Oil Engine and a belt driven D.C. Generator for additional power during the war.



The Underground Sections

1. Entrance to the original Gun Emplacements and Magazines. (The Tunnels)
2. Artillery Store - The Fort's Storeroom (oils, paint, tools, uniforms, tools and other stuff@. 3. Small Arms Store - original storage area for the Martini-Henry Rifles used by the troops.
4. Side Arms Store (1890 - 1937) - storage area for gun sights, breech fittings and loading tools for the disappearing gun.
5. Gun Emplacement No. 1 (1882 to 1937)
1882 - 1890 One, 9 inch Rifled Muzzle Loading (R.M.L.) Gun in an open barbette 1390 - 1937 One, 6 inch Breech Loading (B.L.) Gun on a Hydro-Pneumatic (H.P.) "Disappearing" type mounting.
1940 - 1962 Pit roofed over after removal of gun-used for additional shell storage area. 6. Ammunition Lift -- used to bring Shells and/or Cartridges up from the magazine level 7. Gun Emplacement No. 2 (1882 - 1937)
1882 - 1940 As for Gun Emplacement No. 1 (See 5)
1940 - 1945 Roofed over and used as gun crew-sleeping area during World War 11.
8. Lamp Room - used to store, maintain and light the kerosene, lamps used in the tunnels. 9. Crew area - No. 2, 6 inch Gun was manned 24 hours/day during wartime as the "Examination Gun" to enforce the Naval Control of shipping entering and leaving the harbour during World Wars 1 & 2.
10. Gun Emplacement No. 3 (1882 - 1910)
1882 - 1910 As for Gun Emplacement No. 1 (See 5).
1910 - 1962 gun removed, pit roofed over to serve as main shell store for the new &inch Mark VII B.L. Guns
11. Shell Store - shell storage area for the original R.M.L and later Disappearing Guns. 12. No. 1 Casemate Battery (1882 to 1962)
1882 - 1898 One, 80 pounder (pdr) R.M.L. Gun.
1898 - 1910 one, 1.5 inch Nordenfelt Quick Firing (Q.F.) Gun (Anti-Torpedo Boat Gun). 1910 - 1962: Converted to a Cartridge Magazine for the No. 2, 6 inch Mark VII Gun.
13. No.'s 2 & 3 Casemate Battery (1882 to 1918)
1882 - 1898 As for No. 1 Casemate Battery (See 12).
1898 - 1918 one, 1.5 inch Nordenfelt Quick Firing (Q.F.) Gun (Anti-Torpedo Boat Gun).
14. Expense Magazine - ready use ammunition for the Casemate Battery Guns.
15. Shell Store - ready use shells for the Casemate Battery Guns.
16. Time Gun Ammunition Store - a time gun was fired at 1 o'clock each day from the fort.
17. Casemate Gun Ports - The Casemate Battery guns provided short-range defensive fire to protect the harbour entrance and the minefield across the channel.
18. Ventilation Passage - allowed the circulation of air to prevent dampness coming through the walls and effecting the gunpowder stored in the magazines.
19. Lamp Passage - external access to the kerosene lamps used to light the magazines
20. Lamp Recess - glassed in fittings for the kerosene lamps to ensure that the flame from the lamps couldn't ignite the gunpowder cartridges stored and handled around the magazines.
21. Main Magazines (1882 - 1962)
1882 - 1892 Gunpowder cartridges for the 9-inch & 80 pdr R.M.L. Guns.
1892 - 1910 Gunpowder and Cordite Cartridges for the 6 & 8 inch Disappearing Guns. 1910 - 1962 Cordite Cartridges for the 6 inch Mk VII B.L. Guns.










Here are its Google Maps coordinates so you can get an idea of how it relates to its surroundings

Last edited by ChalkLine; 08-22-2020 at 02:41 AM.
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