Reveal Secrets Of Wellington Fortress

Northern Advocate, 5 September 1945, Page 4

Reveal Secrets Of Wellington Fortress

(P.A.) WELLINGTON This Day. Now that hostiliti'-s have ceased, some i the secrets of a powerful row fortress built in a Wellington peak during the war have been revealed. Few people can have a conception of the magnitude of the undertaking, which turned th“ interior of a h’il into a maze ox corcreb tunnels and chambers, reminding one of a portion of the Magi not Line, The hi!! is honeycombed with long con crete passages. lined with cables and hydraulic power, lines. Flights of concrete stops between ‘the higher and lower levels, steel doors and spacious vaults crammed with switchboards and powerful Diesel aim electric motors, are part of the cquipmeml All that can be seen above ground arc two huge coastal guns, a few small sheds and the concrete cowls of the extensive ventilation and compressed air systems. These guns are long range weapons designed to fight off any vessel which mav approach to attempt the bombardment of the citv or harbour. Spotting is by forward observation posts, spread around the coast and containing range-finders and other equipment, either visually or radarcontrolled.

It was 1942 before the first equipment for the fort began to arrive and finally the site was selected. Guns with barrels weighing 28 tons were hauled up the hill and installed. A picked team of New Zealand Army officers and non-commis-sioned’officers. who had been sent to Australia for experience, installed them. At its height. Wellington’s coastal artillery was manned by 750 men and women. Seen there will be only 41 on the job, keeping it in order.