Chinese coastal batteries

[YC Chen]

Hello all,

Would like to start a thread on coastal batteries of China since late 19th century. Any information is welcome, especially contemporary maps/photos or photos of the remains of these batteries.

I'll start from my city - Nanjing. Battery of Qingliang Hill, photos taken by myself:

[YC Chen]

RML built in Kiangnan Arsenal in Shanghai, 1882. Once placed on Taku Forts, now at the military museum in Beijing. Photos taken by myself.

[YC Chen]

This well-preserved Krupp 12cm is from a battery in Guangxi Province, and now in the Military Museum in Beijing. Photo taken by myself.

That is also a large Krupp barrel in the museum, perhaps 24cm or 28cm.

[YC Chen]

Fortress guns in Liugong Island, Weihai, Shandong Province. The remains of an Armstrong disappearing gun(the Krupp guns there are all replicas). Photos taken by myself.

[YC Chen]

Two broken RMLs at West Battery, Yingkou, Liaoning Province. One of them also has Kiangnan Arsenal mark on it. Photos from http://www.cnhi.org/b

[kstdk]

Hello

Nice Photos, and interesting to see these Chinese emplacements and weapons.

Thanks for sharing, and I hope that you and others will continue this topic

Regards
Kurt
kstdk

[YC Chen]

Thanks for your kind remarks. I hope more people can attribute - not necessarily about these forts, but also information about the guns themselves(their original designation, etc). It seems that the information on these 19th century coastal guns are not easy to find.

Here are some photos of 800 pdr Armstrong RML in Woosung Forts from 1920s and 30s. Little remains of these batteries today.Photos from expired auctions on Ebay and some Chinese auction sites.

[forttravel]

Hi YC Chen, this is my own panorama picture with both emplacements of 28 cm L/40 Krupp guns on fort Hulishan in Xiamen.
Please consider to keep it here or to replace to Amoy fort's old topic.

[YC Chen]

Hello,

Wonderful picture! I'll just keep it here.

Chinese coastal defence is a quite obscure but interesting subject, I hope more people can contribute.

Regards,
YC Chen

[forttravel]

One more nice picture from Xiamen area. This time an aerial view of fort Yuziwei (picture from internet).
Many other coast fortifications you can see on old pictures here: http://60.250.180.26/theme/index-23.html (Weihai, Yantai, Taku, Qingdao aod others).

[forttravel]

This is very interesting view - old XIX century emplacement rearmed with very popular sowjet B-13 130 mm coast and naval gun. I suppose it is area of Lushunkou (Port Artur)?

[forttravel]

One more view (location for me unknown), picture from chinesse internet webpage, small calibre Krupp gun.

[forttravel]

And next one interesting picture. location unknown again, guns looks like sowjet MU-2 152 mm guns with full armed turrets.

[YC Chen]

One more view (location for me unknown), picture from chinesse internet webpage, small calibre Krupp gun.

Krupp 12cm on Jinji Hill battery(金鸡山炮台) in Shipu, Guangxi Province. It is the same type as the Military Museum gun I posted.

A great number of 19th century batteries and fortress guns survive in Guangxi Province, this is a relatively remote part of the country.

Here is an interesting thread on a Chinese forum on Krupp guns in Guangxi: http://www.cnhi.org/b/viewthread.php?tid=68
This thread also says the Krupp 28cm in Weihai is a replica, but I can't verify this claim(perhaps it has some original parts?)

[YC Chen]

And next one interesting picture. location unknown again, guns looks like sowjet MU-2 152 mm guns with full armed turrets.

This photo and the B-13 photo above are of Russian batteries in Lueshun(旅顺, Port Arthur), Liaoning Province. This fortress was returned to China by Russia only in 1954.