Fort Banks (Australia)

This article is about the fort in New South Wales, Australia. For other locations, see Fort Banks.

One of the 9.2 inch guns in May 1946

The same site as of 2008

Fort Banks (Eastern Command Fixed Defences) is an old World War II bunker and fortification complex that was used to protect the approaches to Botany Bay. The fortification is located north of Cape Banks in La Perouse, New South Wales, Australia.

History

Prior to World War II a portion of the land located on Cape Banks that belongs to the New South Wales Golf Club was utilized by the Australian Defence Forces for the construction of the Cape Banks Battery. This was part of the Sydney Coastal Defences built prior to & during World War II. The counter bombardment fortifications consisted of two breech loading 9.2 inch gun emplacements, underground plotting room, underground powder & shell magazine, hydraulic pump room, & some short tunnels linking the different sections. During this period the Henry Head Battery which was built much earlier was also re-utilized as a local defence post, to stop landing parties from landing at La Perouse to attack Cape Banks, and to deal with torpedo boat attack on Port Botany, and consisted of two breech loading 6 inch guns when built, but removed by 1910, but by World War II was armed with two 18pdr field guns, on pedestals, in newly built concrete emplacements.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Image gallery

A partially buried gun emplacement that formed part of Fort Banks
Inside the machinery / pump rooms

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Banks (New South Wales).

Barracks, batteries, bunkers and forts, Sydney and surrounds

City of Sydney	Dawes Point Battery Fleet Base East Fort Denison Fort Macquarie Fort Philip Hyde Park Barracks Victoria Barracks

Greater Western and South Western Sydney	Bankstown Bunker Camp Warwick Holsworthy Barracks Ingleburn Army Camp Wallgrove Army Base 118th General Hospital

La Perouse, Malabar and Clovelly	Bare Island Fort Banks Henry Head Battery Malabar Battery

Mosman and Manly	Beehive Casemate Bradleys Head Fortification Complex Georges Head Battery Lower Georges Heights Commanding Position Middle Head Fortifications Shelly Battery Sydney Harbour anti-submarine boom net

Watsons Bay, Vaucluse and North Bondi	Ben Buckler Gun Battery Anti-motor torpedo boat defensive battery Steel Point Battery Signal Hill Battery

City of Wollongong	Breakwater Battery Drummond Battery Flagstaff Hill Fort Illowra Battery (Hill 60) Smiths Hill Fort

See also	Coastal defences of Australia during World War II Sydney Harbour defences

Coordinates: 33°59′41″S 151°15′00″E / 33.9947°S 151.2499°E / -33.9947; 151.2499

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, December 22, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.