100 TON GUN
No visit to Gibraltar is complete without a visit to the 100 Ton Gun which is situated at Napier of Magdala Battery. The gun was manufactured by Sir W C Armstrong at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1870 and was one of twelve built. Eight were built for the Italian Navy, two were sent to Malta, and two to Gibraltar. The gun at Napier Battery is the only one in such good condition. The 17.72 inch Rifled Muzzle loader, or 100 Ton Gun, has a barrel length of 32.65ft, of which 30.25ft are rifled and was capable of firing up to 8 miles. Hydraulic power generated by a steam engine was used to elevate and traverse the gun. It took a minimum of 3 hours to develop the necessary head of steam to operate the mounting though this was quite acceptable since it took a Man O'War at least 3 hours to enter the bay of Gibraltar after being sited off the point of Tarifa in Spain.
No visit to Gibraltar is complete without a visit to the 100 Ton Gun which is situated at Napier of Magdala Battery. The gun was manufactured by Sir W C Armstrong at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1870 and was one of twelve built. Eight were built for the Italian Navy, two were sent to Malta, and two to Gibraltar. The gun at Napier Battery is the only one in such good condition. The 17.72 inch Rifled Muzzle loader, or 100 Ton Gun, has a barrel length of 32.65ft, of which 30.25ft are rifled and was capable of firing up to 8 miles. Hydraulic power generated by a steam engine was used to elevate and traverse the gun. It took a minimum of 3 hours to develop the necessary head of steam to operate the mounting though this was quite acceptable since it took a Man O'War at least 3 hours to enter the bay of Gibraltar after being sited off the point of Tarifa in Spain.