Corregidor - Battery Hearn

Battery Hearn existed of a 12-inch (305 mm) gun with a range of 27 km. Although capable of a 360-degree-traverse, this gun, due to their flat trajectories, was not effective for use against targets on Bataan.

The construction lasted from September 1918 to June 1921. Originally, the battery consisted of Smith 1 and 2. The guns were so far apart that they operated tactically as two separate batteries. Thus, they were split up into two batteries: Smith 1 was renamed Smith and Smith 2 was renamed Hearn.

Positioned to guard Manila Bay, the heavy guns on the island of Corregidor dated to the era of gunboat diplomacy, and fell quickly when in March 1942 Japanese forces overran the island, which lies off the coast of Bataan in the Philippines.

Independent travelers to Corregidor can walk the islands many concrete roadways and paths, often under a canopy of jungle foliage.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: Tracesofwar + Matthew Stevenson
• Photos: Matthew Stevenson