Scarred and pockmarked from endless barrages of bombs and artillery shells like so many other fortifications on the island, Battery crockett stands as a mute witness to the ravages of war.
A bomb crater on the seond level of Battery Crockett shows how close the "disappearing" gun (on the extreme right) came close to taking direct hit. To the left and lying at ground level, is a spare barrel. These huge artillery pieces had to be replaced afer firing a certain number of rounds.
Update: It is unfortunate that a certain government agency has opted to relocate this spare gun barrel to a walkway along an artificial beach that has recently been created along Roxas (formerly Dewey) Boulevard in Manila. The purpose? To set up some sort of a prop -- a gun battery pointing out to sea as possibly some sort of tourist attraction. The same thing has happened to the spare gun barrel in Battery Hearn.
This full shot of the first of Battery Crockett two guns shows the mechanism that allowed this "disappearing" gun to swing itself over its protective ramparts at the moment of firing After launching its projectile, the gun could then return to its original position, once again hidden from view .
This lateral view of the same gun gives us a better idea of how this massive weapon could hide itself after firing.
Like its twin, Battery Crockett's other gun points out to sea. Crockett's guns were used extensively in the early part of World War II, as can be geaned from the sign below.
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