There are two big long Magazines of equal size. The overhead rail system for
transporting the 12-inch shells in one of them tells us which was the Shell
Room and which was the Powder Room.
Not much of the rail remains anchored to
the ceiling anymore.
The entrance to the
Shell Room.
Here is a 1941 photo of a Shell Room in
operation. The left side rail goes down to the end, loops around, then
comes back on the other side of the magazine. (See the 2nd winch to the
right). Also, at the far end notice the air vent in the center. The dark
green paint job on the walls is waist level.
At the end of the Shell Room, note the
ceiling track where the rail looped around plus the air vent in the
center. The paint job is also waist level. The room width looks the
same. I cannot say if this magazine is the one in the 1941 photo but it
could be a match.
Looking out the Shell Room entrance where
a section of overhead rail still exists.
The entrance to the Powder Room. Hinges
indicate there were originally doors here.
The view at the end of the Powder Room.
Note no rail track in the ceiling and the air vent is offset.
Across from the Powder Magazine is the
Plotting Room. The metal sliding door now lies on the floor.
Looking into the Plotting Room. At the
rear (right side), a tunnel goes down through the floor out to the gun.
Rear (left side) would be under the Battery Control Station on top of
the hill.
Standing at the rear of the Plotting Room
looking back toward the door. In the far left corner are cable conduits
below floor level.
It’s time to get out of here. You can either go back the way you came or
take the tunnel directly out to the gun platform.
Looking down the steps to the tunnel.
Go straight ahead to the light and up the
metal ladder to the surface.
Here are a few final views of Battery Hearn.
Salamat po to Batteryboy for making us aware of the 1945 aerial photo.
Today Battery Hearn is on the Day Tour route. Busloads of visitors stop
here for five to ten minutes and take their “looking goofy in front of a
big gun photos”. Soon they are gone and it is all quiet again. None of
them get to explore as we have just done. Actually, I expect not many of
them would want to.
I rarely meet people off road and that’s the way I like it. History
lurks everywhere on this island.
John Moffitt
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