Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove), Loch Ewe, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland.

BATTERIE · Ross and Cromarty · Scotland · United Kingdom

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove), Loch Ewe, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Loch Ewe Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove). 308 Independent Coast Battery (Jan-Sep 42).

154 Independent Coast Battery (Sep 42-Apr 44) Cove Battery..

1 x Battery observation post.

2 x Gun emplacements.

2 x Searchlight emplacements.

3 x Engine rooms.

Many x Hut bases.

2 x 6inch Mk. VII guns on Naval mounts from HMS Iron Duke installed July 1941.

Put into Care & Maintenance April 1944.

21 April 2024

Ships assembling in Loch Ewe.
Ships assembling in Loch Ewe.
Naval ships assembling.
Naval ships assembling.
Royal Artillery Cap Badge.
Royal Artillery Cap Badge.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

 

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
The gun position is right at the top of the peninsula, there was no hard road, just a postman's track. The army brought in Royal Engineers to widen the track to a usable road. Traffic would have gone from (for the locals), the postman, a fisherman, to hundreds of soldiers and sailors, together with heavy guns, ammunition, NAAFI wagon and much more. There was also an influx of women from both ATS & WRNS. They were employed to monitor radar and running the telephone/teleprinters, etc, in addition the naval contingent crewed small boats, signaled to the ships and so much more. Around 300 army personnel were working at Rubha nan Sasan and in addition anti-aircraft batteries including the the control building at Poolewe, whilst the naval personnel were at HMS Helicon Aultbea. So many people coming from all over the world to this sparsely populated fishing community. Ships would assemble at the anchorage in the Loch. The Naval ships would be on the north side of the Loch between Isle of Ewe and Aultbea. Here they could be watered, victualed, armed and repaired, ready for their voyages to Russia, America and anywhere around the world.
Loch Ewe.
Loch Ewe.
HMS Scorpion in action..
HMS Scorpion in action..
Womens Royal Navy (WRNS)
Womens Royal Navy (WRNS)
ATS.
ATS.
Gunner.
Gunner.
The navy.
The navy.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Air photo.
Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Guard room.
Guard room.

AA Battery E3, Tournaig Farm Loch Ewe

AA Battery E3, Tournaig Farm Loch Ewe

Plan Historic Environment Scotland.
1 - Gun emplacements.
2 - Battery observation.
3 - Searchlights.
4 - Engine house.
7 - Rocket Projector battery.
8 - Engine house.
10 - Engine house.
11- Magazine.
12 - Magazine.
13 - Rocket Projector battery.
14 - Machine gun post.
18 - Triangulation station.
24 - Coal store.
42 - Outfall sewer & settling tanks.
51 - Drain & outfall.
AA - NG895W 22 Anti-aircraft battery or gun. (Bofors?).
The rest are just buildings (barracks)..

Taken from the interpretation board

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
The road to the battery.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
On the right a large hut, it may have been the the HQ or the operations/plotting room hut.

21 April 2024

Ops plan.
Ops plan.
The red mark is where the concrete plinth was.
The red mark is where the concrete plinth was.
US Army plotting room.
US Army plotting room.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Unknown item that shows up on the huts plan.
It may have been a datum to accurately align the the guns.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Steps to the hut.

21 April 2024

It may have been a wooden hut like this one..
It may have been a wooden hut like this one..
Plan.
Plan.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Information board.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

21 April 2024

Plan.
Plan.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
I think this was the guard room. I have no idea what type of huts were here, if anybody knows or has photos, please can you let me know.

21 April 2024

WW1 Guard room for the Cheshire regiment. How it may have looked..
WW1 Guard room for the Cheshire regiment. How it may have looked..
Tin hut.
Tin hut.
Nissen hut.
Nissen hut.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Hut base.

21 April 2024

Plan.
Plan.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
One of the memorials to the gunners.

21 April 2024

.
.
Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Fuzing shells.
Fuzing shells.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Coal store, this may be just for the few huts around it. They also dug up a lot of peat to burn and you can see this in the peat bogs around the site.

21 April 2024

Plan.
Plan.
Peat cutting.
Peat cutting.
Trying to keep warm.
Trying to keep warm.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Looking back.

21 April 2024

Bedford OY.
Bedford OY.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Ammunition delivery (not here I am afraid). These look like 25pounder shells, but it gives an idea of ammunition re supply.

Unknown

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Path to the first searchlight.

21 April 2024

Plan.
Plan.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Hut base probably for the searchlight crew.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
18 - Triangulation station.

21 April 2024

Plan.
Plan.
Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun..
Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun..

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

18 - Triangulation station.
There was also a light anti-aircraft gun up here.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
View of the Loch.

21 April 2024

How it would have looked.
How it would have looked.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
8 - Engine house.

21 April 2024

Engine.
Engine.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

8 - Engine house.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
8 - Engine house.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

8 - Engine house.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
3 - Searchlight.

21 April 2024

Scapa Flow search light in its position.
Scapa Flow search light in its position.
xx
xx

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

3 - Searchlight.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
3 - Searchlight.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

The battery [position}.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
3 - Searchlight.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Battleships firing and using searchlights to illuminate their targets. This is exactly what the two searchlights here would have done.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Memorial.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
2 - Battery observation.

21 April 2024

Foundations.
Foundations.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

2 - The battery observation.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

2 - The battery observation.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
2 - Battery observation. Entrance and crew room at the rear.

21 April 2024

Army crew.
Army crew.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

2 - Battery observation.
Observation room.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
2 - Battery observation. Rifle slit embrasure.

21 April 2024

Barr & Stroud Gk5 6 x 42 director binoculars.
Barr & Stroud Gk5 6 x 42 director binoculars.
Observation.
Observation.
Ranging binoculars.
Ranging binoculars.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

2 - Battery observation.
Observation room.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

A battery observation somewhere in Britain, showing what it may have looked like inside.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Women observers.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
1 - Gun emplacements.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

1 - Gun emplacements.
The steps down into the rear entrance

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
1 - Gun emplacements. View to the gun room.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

1 - Gun emplacements.
Ready ammunition magazine inside the gun room.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
1 - Gun emplacements elevation.

Canmore

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
HMS Iron Duke. Built at Portsmouth Dockyard, ‘Iron Duke’ was laid down January 1912 and completed March 1914, at a cost of £1,945,824.  ‘Iron Duke’ was also the first British battleship to be armed with anti-aircraft guns when, in 1914, two 12-pounder guns were fitted. By the start of the WW2 she was reduced to a training & depot ship and sat the war out in Scapa Flow disabled. Two of her guns were removed in 1940 and used here.
Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
6inch Mk.VII original model of 1898. The 6 inch coast gun first entered service in 1882 as the “80 pdr”. It was the first gun in British service to use the interrupted screw breech. A large number of variants were produced over its service but by 1939 only a few remained in use as the role of the gun had reduced to close defence and Examination Batteries. During the war a small number of Naval 6 inch guns of an advanced design were used in coastal defence. These guns were able to achieve an elevation of 45º allowing them to fire at extreme range. They were emplaced on the South East and East coasts of England coupled with coast watch radar. This allowed long range engagement of enemy shipping in the English Channel as well as their usual defence duties.
Loading..
Loading..
1942.
1942.
BL 6inch Mk.VII Newhaven Fort.
BL 6inch Mk.VII Newhaven Fort.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
1 - Gun emplacements. View out of the very large embrasure.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

1 - Gun emplacements.
Guns hold fast and still with its nuts in place.
The gun was dismantled by a true engineer, leaving the nits on, to stop damage to the threads and also ready to use again if necessary.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
1 - Gun emplacements. Gun room with a very long and strong I beam made by Dorman Long. The company was founded by Arthur Dorman and Albert de Lande Long when they acquired West Marsh Iron Works in 1875. In the 1920s Dorman Long took over the concerns of Bell Brothers and Bolckow and Vaughan and diversified into the construction of bridges. In 1938 Ellis Hunter took over as Managing Director and he continued to lead the business until 1961.

21 April 2024

Dorman Long logo..
Dorman Long logo..
Advert.
Advert.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

1 - Gun emplacements.
The roof sticking out over the embrasure is zig zagged to aid with camouflage.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
4 - Engine house. Standby set engine house.

21 April 2024

Standby set engine and dynamo..
Standby set engine and dynamo..
Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

4 - Engine house.
The concrete stands for the generator and engine.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
11- Magazine.

21 April 2024

Ammunition handling..
Ammunition handling..

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

11- Magazine inside.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
Hut base. possibly an ablutions block. 42 - Outfall sewer & settling tanks.

21 April 2024

Plan.
Plan.

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

42 - Outfall sewer & settling tanks.
Always finish at the end with the sewage outlet, straight into the sea.

21 April 2024

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).

Emergency Coastal Battery, Rubha nan Sasan (Cove).
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21 April 2024