Coastal fortifications of New Zealand

File:New Zealand locator map blank.svg

The New Zealand coastline
is 15,134 km long.

Coastal fortifications were constructed in New Zealand in two main waves: around 1885 as a response to fears of an attack by Russia, and in World War II due to fears of invasion by the Japanese.

The fortifications were built from British designs adapted to New Zealand conditions. They typically included gun emplacements, pill boxes, fire control or observation posts, camouflage strategies, underground bunkers, sometimes with interconnected tunnels, containing magazines, supply and plotting rooms and protected engine rooms supplying power to the gun turrets and searchlights. There were also kitchens, barracks, and officer and NCO quarters.

The "Russian-scare" forts of 1885

In the 1870s New Zealand was a young self-governing colony of Britain. It had developed no coastal defences of any consequence and was becoming increasingly sensitive to how vulnerable its harbours were to attack by a hostile power or opportunistic raider. In the aftermath of the Crimean war, Tsarist Russia seemed particularly suspicious.

(In 1873 an Auckland editor perpetrated) ...what has been hailed the greatest spoof in the country's history. The Monday, 18 February 1873 edition of the Southern Cross reported the sudden declaration of war between England and Russia. As a result, the Russian warship Kaskowiski – whose very name should have made sober readers suspicious – had allegedly entered Auckland Harbour on the previous Saturday night and proceeded to capture a British ship, along with the city's arms and ammunition supply, and hold a number of leading citizens for ransom. The 954-man Russian vessel obviously meant business, with a dozen 30-ton guns as well as a remarkably new advance in warfare, a paralysing and deadly "water-gas" that could be injected into enemy ships from a great distance.

The Southern Cross article created panic and the Government commissioned its first reports on the colony's defences. It was now clearly understood that Britain would protect its territories and vital shipping routes, but the defence of individual ports was the responsibility of each self-governing colony. Then Russia declared war on Turkey in 1877 producing another "scare". The decision was taken to construct fortifications and purchase naval boats which would protect the harbours at Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton and Port Chalmers. These coastal artillery fortifications or land batteries were to be based on British designs. Heavy artillery pieces and ammunition was ordered from Britain. By 1885 work started in earnest on the construction of what eventually became seventeen forts, further encouraged by yet another Russian scare.

Artillery

BL 8-inch Armstrong disappearing gun at North Head.

In 1885 the New Zealand Government bought ten Armstrong BL 8-inch and thirteen Armstrong BL 6-inch guns on disappearing carriages. The disappearing gun was the very latest in military technology in the 1880s. It was "disappearing" because as it fired the recoil pushed the gun back underground where it could be reloaded under cover. The total costs of this artillery plus the costs of installation including land, emplacements, magazines and barracks was about £160,000.

Following the "second Russian scare" a number of additional RML 7-inch and 64-pr guns were also installed

Artillery circa 1890	Number	Range	Notes
Armstrong BL 8-inch Mk VII disappearing guns	10	4 miles	Weighed 13.5 tons and fired a 180-pound shell.
Armstrong BL 6-inch disappearing guns	13	3 miles	Weighed 5 tons and fired a 100-pound shell.
RML 7 inch 7 ton guns	11		Weighed 7 tons.
RML 64-pr Mk 3 guns	9	2 miles	Weighed 64 cwt

The forts

Fort	Harbour	Way- point	Ordnance circa 1890	Range (miles)	Dates	Notes
North Head	Auckland		1xBL 8in gun RML 7in guns 64-pr guns		1870	At Devonport, divided into three sub-forts: North Battery (to defend Rangitoto Channel) South Battery (with a 7in gun to protect the inner harbour) Fort Cautley (with the 8in gun on the summit).
Bastion Point	Auckland		2xBL 6in guns		1885–	In Mission Bay. Not completed.
Fort Resolution	Auckland		2xBL 6in guns		1885	In Parnell.
Fort Takapuna	Auckland		2xBL 6in guns		1886–
Fort Victoria	Auckland		1xBL 8in gun		1885	On Mount Victoria, Devonport. The gun fired only once because of complaints from residents whose windows were broken.
Fort Ballance	Wellington		2x7" RML guns 1x6" BLHP gun 2 x QF 6 pounder Nordenfelt guns		1885	(1885–1886) Point Gordon. At Miramar. Wellington's primary military fort until 1911 when Fort Dorset opened.
Fort Buckley	Wellington		2x64-pr RML guns	2		At Kaiwharawhara.
Haswell Battery	Wellington		1xBL 8in gun		1889	At Miramar.
Fort Kelburne	Wellington		2xBL 8in guns		1885	At Ngauranga.
Battery Point	Lyttelton		2x7in RML guns 1x QF 6 pounder Nordenfelt guns		1885	On the north side of Lyttelton Harbour, 3 miles from mouth.
Fort Jervois	Lyttelton		2x8in BL guns 2x6in BL guns		1886	On Ripapa Island on the south side of Lyttelton Harbour (often called 'Ripa') Fort Jervois is an internationally rare 1880s “Russian Invasion Scare” structure, which has retained a high level of authenticity of both structure and hardware (6” and 8” disappearing guns). It is one of only five examples of this type of fortification in the world. The Island has been managed by the Department of Conservation since 1990.
Spur Point Battery	Lyttelton		1x64-pounder RML gun		1885	Site of battery, quarried away as part of land reclamation during the 1970s to build Cashin Quay.
Lawyer's Head Battery	Port Chalmers				1885	Eastern Ocean Beach, Dunedin South.
Ocean Beach Battery	Port Chalmers				1886
St Clair Battery	Port Chalmers				1885	On a spur of Forbury Hill above Second Beach, Dunedin. No remnants remain; the area was cleared and subdivided for residential housing.
Fort Taiaroa	Port Chalmers		1xBL 6in gun		1885	Otago Harbour. This Armstrong Disappearing Gun was installed in May 1889 and was recommissioned during World War II. It is the only one of its kind working and is still in its original gun pit.

World War II coastal fortifications

File:NZ-StonyBatter1.jpg

Tunnel layout for a three gun emplacement system.

The second main wave of building coastal fortifications occurred during World War II. This was mainly a response to a perceived threat of invasion by the Japanese after the attack on Pearl Harbor. From 1942 until 1944, when the threat receded, 42 coastal artillery fortifications or land batteries were either developed using historical fortifications or were built from scratch. The fortifications were built from British designs adapted to New Zealand conditions. Radar was installed which allowed long range shooting at night and replaced the traditional fortress system of range finding.

Ordnance

File:NZ-StonyBatter3.jpg

9.2 inch gun emplacement at Stony Batter.

The fortifications were equipped with both old and new ordnance, mostly British. Some World War I ordnance was requisitioned from museums and recommissioned.

Ordnance used during World War II	Number	Range	Notes
9.2 inch guns	6	18 miles
BL BL 6 inch Mk 24 guns	3	14 miles
BL 6 inch Mk 21 guns	6	13 miles
6 inch Mark 7 guns	32	12 miles
6in EOC gun	2	6 miles	Elswick Ordnance Company
5 inch naval guns (USA)	6	10 miles	51 calibre MkVII 1912
4.7in guns	1	6 miles
4 inch Mark 7 guns	11	9 miles
155mm guns	2	9 miles
75mm guns	2
QF 12 pdr guns	8	8 miles
QF 6 pdr guns	12	5 miles
Bofors 40mm guns	48	4 miles
CASLs	48		Coastal Artillery Searchlight

The fortifications

The fortifications were administered by the Royal New Zealand Artillery, which grouped them into four areas. Each area was under the command of a heavy artillery regiment. Within each regiment the fortifications were grouped into batteries.

Seven of the now historic Russian scare fortifications were also used.

Upper North Island

Under the command of the 9th Heavy (Coast) Regiment.

Battery	Name	Way- point	World War II Ordnance	Range (miles)	Dates	Notes
60	Motutapu Island		3 x 6in Mk 21 guns 2 x CASLs	13	1936 -1945	Consisted of a battery, camp, gun emplacement, pill boxes and US naval magazines. Its remains are administered by DOC.
61 RHQ	North Head [Russian scare]		2 x 4in Mk 7 guns 2 x 12pdr guns 4 x 6pdr H&N 6 x CASLs	9	1870 -1957	Part of Auckland's coastal defence system from the Russian scare in 1885 to World War I. By World War II, with ships' guns able to fire long distances, the old fort was too close to the city it was meant to defend. New batteries were built at Motutapu, Castor Bay, Whangaparaoa and Waiheke Island and North Head became the centre of administration. A complex of tunnels, guns, searchlights and other fortifications remain and it is now a historic reserve managed by the Department of Conservation.
61	Bastion Point [Russian scare]		2 x 12pdr gun Twin 6pdr guns 3xCASLs	8	1885–	Located in Mission Bay. The fortification were buried in the 1940s when the Massey Memorial was built, and effectively forgotten. In recent years, the underlying tunnels were rediscovered.
61	Great Barrier Island		6in Mk 7 gun 4in Mk 7 gun 4 x 40mm Bofors	12
61	Manukau		1x4.7in gun	6	1942	Built by American Forces [unknown unit] at the end of Harvey Road, Manukau Heads, approximately 100 m north of lighthouse site, this open fronted fortification had one gun, and an observation post inland. Accommodation was at the end of Harvey Road, with only concrete pads remaining for some buildings. Due to the erosive nature of these compacted sandhills the gun emplacement was undermined and slipped down the cliffs in the early 1980s. According to local residents, the gun was only fired 6 times, cracking the concrete abutments.
61	Motuihe Island		2 x 4in Mk 7 guns	9	1872–	During World War II (1941) the Motuihe buildings became HMNZS Tamaki naval base, a training establishment. Now in the care of the Department of Conservation.
62	Fort Takapuna [Russian scare]		2 x 4in Mk 7 guns 2 x CASLs	9	1886–	Also known as HMNZS Tamaki, and Narrow Neck. In 1963 the RNZN moved its New Entry Training School HMNZS Tamaki from Motuihe Island to the fort. The navy built a new Gunnery School and set up an Officer Training School. Previously officers had been sent overseas for training. Only the Officer and Trade Training schools remain. Has been under the care of the Department of Conservation since 2000.
63	Castor Bay		2 x 6in Mk 7 guns 2 x CASLs	12	1942 -1944	File:J F Kennedy bunker.jpg Bunker at Castor Bay Notable for its camouflage strategies during World War II.
64	Whanga- paraoa		2 x 6in Mk 7 guns 2 x CASLs	12		SE tip of peninsula
163	Whanga- paraoa		2 x 9.2in guns	18		SE tip of peninsula
164	Stony Batter		2 x 9.2in guns	18	1942–	Waiheke Island. Now in the care of the Department of Conservation.
68	Moturoa Island		4 x 6in Mk 7 guns 8 x 40mm Bofors	12		Bay of Islands
68	Whangaroa		6in Mk 7 gun	12		South Head of harbour.
139	Bream Head		5in Mk 7 gun (USA)	10	1942 -1944	Entrance to Whangarei harbour. Remaining structures are the (Colchester) gun shelter, engine room, and observation post. The most significant feature is the spotting mural with compass bearings painted above the slit window in the observation post.

Lower North Island

Under the command of the 10th Heavy (Coast) Regiment.

Battery	Name	Way- point	World War II Ordnance	Range (miles)	Dates	Notes
70	Palmer Head		3x6in Mk 21 guns 4xCASLs	13	1936 -1957	At the entrance to the Wellington Harbour. The abandoned gun pits were blown up in the late 1960s. The only remains are the underground plotting rooms, which are closed for safety reasons.
71 RHQ	Fort Dorset		2x6in Mk 7 guns 2x4in Mk 7guns 4x12pdr guns 7xCASLs	12	1908 -1991	At the inner entrance to Wellington harbour. The fort was demolished in 1998.
72	Fort Ballance [Russian scare]		2x4in Mk 7guns Twin 6pdr guns 2x75mm guns 6xCASLs	9	1885– 1945	(1885–1886) Point Gordon By Mount Crawford, Karaka Bays, Wellington's primary fort until 1911 when Fort Dorset opened, Fort Ballance was closed in 1945 but remnants remain.
73	Fort Opau		2x6in Mk 7 guns	12	1942 -1944	On a high headland above Makara, on Wellington's west coast, protecting Cook Strait. The fort was built in 1941, and comprised two covered 6" gun emplacements, a battery operations post, and an observation post and a radar post, with a large barracks several hundred metres inland.
165	Wrights Hill Fortress		2x9.2in guns	18	1942 1957	This British-designed fortress was similar to the 9.2 inch fortresses built at Whangaparaoa and Stoney Batter. 2,030 feet (620 metres) of interconnecting tunnels were dug. Two 185 hp diesel generators provided power to manoeuvre the guns. Each gun weighed 135 tons and could fire a 380-pound (172 kg) shell across Cook Strait or up to Plimmerton. The fortress was used for training purposes up to the mid-1950s. In early 1960 the guns were sold for scrap, ironically, to the Japanese. The Wrights Hill Fortress Restoration Society is restoring the coastal battery to its former state.
77	Bluff Hill		2x6in Mk 7 guns 4x40mm Bofors	12		At Napier. Also a signal station during World War II, although never a lighthouse, despite being situated on Lighthouse Road.
77	Titirangi (Kaiti Hill)		5in Mk 7 gun (USA)	10		Located at Gisborne.
78	Moturoa		2x155mm guns 4x40mm Bofors	9		At New Plymouth.
140	Languard Bluff		5in Mk 7 gun (USA)	10		At Wanganui.

Upper South Island

Under the command of the 11th Heavy (Coast) Regiment.

Battery	Name	Way- point	World War II Ordnance	Range (miles)	Dates	Notes
80 RHQ	Godley Head		3x6in Mk 24 guns 2xCASLs	14	1939 -1963	At the northern entrance to Lyttelton Harbour, the last NZA to be decommissioned. It last fired a gun in 1959. In its heyday in World War II, it was staffed by over 400 men and women and was a self-contained community. It is ranked in the top ten New Zealand coastal defence heritage sites. It is now under the care of the Department of Conservation and the Godley Head Heritage Trust.
81	Battery Point [Russian scare]		2x4in Mk 7guns Twin 6pdr guns 5xCASLs	9	1886–	On the northern side of Lyttelton Harbour, 3 miles from mouth.
81	Fort Jervois [Russian scare]		6in EOC gun	6	1886	On Ripapa Island on the southern side of Lyttelton Harbour. It is an internationally rare 1880s “Russian Invasion Scare” military defence structure, which has retained a high level of authenticity of both structure and hardware (6” and 8” disappearing guns). It is one of only five examples of this type of fortification in the world. The island has been managed by the Department of Conservation since 1990.
84	Tory Channel entrance		6in Mk 7 gun 12x40mm Bofors	12		Queen Charlotte Sound
84	Maraetai		6in Mk 7 gun	12		In Tory Channel, Queen Charlotte Sound.
84	Blumine Island	;	2x6in Mk 7 guns	12	1942 -1945	Guarding the northern entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound, the guns are positioned separately on the two northern points of Blumine Island. Associated with each emplacement are a magazine, observation post and accommodation camp.
84	Post Office Point		6in Mk 7 gun	12		In Pelorus Sound.
84	Maud Island		6in Mk 7 gun	12		At the entrance to Pelorus Sound. Under the care of the Department of Conservation.
84	Port Hills		6in Mk 7 gun	12		In Nelson.
85	Smithfield Freezing Works		2x6in Mk 7 guns 4x40mm Bofors	12	1942– 1944	In Timaru. The No 2 (Colchester type) gun shelter is in an excellent state of preservation
134	Westport		5in Mk 7 gun (USA) 4x40mm Bofors	10	1942– 1944	On South Spit. The gun emplacement is no longer there but the battery observation post is visible on Google Earth.
134	Cobden		5in Mk 7 gun (USA) 4x40mm Bofors	10	1942– 1944	At Greymouth. Establishment: 2 Officers, 1 WO, 3 Sergeants and 26 ORs. Grey District Council destroyed part of this site, without consultation, in 2007 to make way for a sewer line
143	Wainui		2x6in Mk 7 guns 4x40mm Bofors 2xCASLs	12	1942– 1944	At Akaroa Harbour on Banks Peninsula

Lower South Island

Under the command of the 13th Heavy (Coast) Regiment.

Battery	Name	Way- point	World War II Ordnance	Range (miles)	Dates	Notes
RHQ	Dunedin
82	Fort Taiaroa [Russian scare]		6in EOC gun 5xCASLs	6		Armstrong disappearing gun at Taiaroa Head Close to Taiaroa Head at the northeastern tip of Otago Peninsula. Restored, and open to the public. Includes what is believed to be the only 1889 Armstrong Disappearing gun remaining in working condition in its original gun pit.
82	Rerewahine		2x6in Mk 7 guns	12		Otago Peninsula.
82	Tomahawk		2x6in Mk 7 guns	12		Dunedin
82	Harington Point		2xTwin 6pdr guns 2x6pdr H&N			Dunedin
141	Cape Wanbrow		5in Mk 7 gun (USA)	10	1942–	Under the care of the Oamaru Coastal Defence Restoration Group
142	Bluff		6in Mk 7 gun	12

Post war

The advent of air warfare and missiles made these forts redundant and most were decommissioned by the 1950s. Godley Head continued because of compulsory military training and last fired a gun in 1959. The Department of Conservation has the remains of around 30 installations on land it manages.

Postscript

None of the forts fired a gun in anger, though in 1939 a Battery Point gun accidentally sank the fishing boat "Dolphin" and killed its skipper.

In 1972 the United States declassified a contingency plan for invading New Zealand. This plan consisted of a 120-page intelligence document called Naval War Plan for the Attack of Auckland, New Zealand. The intelligence for the report was gathered during the visit of the Great White Fleet to Auckland over six days in 1908. The plan advocated Manukau Harbour as the best invasion point and landing heavy guns on Rangitoto Island to shell the forts on the North Shore. The plan was not very realistic and may have been an exercise to keep young officers busy.

See also

• Early naval vessels of New Zealand
• Coastal defences of Australia during World War II
• Coastal Forces of the Royal New Zealand Navy
• Axis naval activity in New Zealand waters
• British hardened field defences of World War II
• British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
• Seacoast Defense (US)

Bibliography

• Cooke, Peter (2002) Defending New Zealand: Ramparts on the Sea 1840s–1950s. (Wellington). Two volumes. ISBN 0-473-08923-8. Peter Cooke is a desktop publisher who has collated images of and commented on extensive source documents and period photos he has found in various archives.
• Corbett, Peter D. (2003). A First Class Defended Port: The History of the Coast Defences of Auckland, its Harbour and Approaches. ISBN 0-478-22452-4 (Available from Auckland Conservancy, Department of Conservation).
• Glackin, Russell (2009) In defence of our land: a tour of New Zealand's historic harbour forts, Penguin, ISBN 0-14-301186-3.

External links

• NZ coastal artillery units of World War II
• Coast Artillery Defences
• Map of Coastal Defence Sites around Auckland
• Hauraki Gulf Defences
• Capital Defence – Coastal Defence Sites around Wellington
• Wellington's Coastal Defences
• World War II Fortifications in Canterbury and Westland
• Artillery pieces in New Zealand
• Bunkers, tunnels, fortifications in Australia during World War II