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142
Appendix No. 4.
BA...
ADEN.
Hedjif Battery and Little Pass
Barrier.
1 9-in. M.L.R. gun.
4 64-pr. M.L.R. gun.
Cost-
Work
£
5,000
the sea, affords a good site for a battery, though a good deal of levelling on the top of the hill may be required, and it could easily be rendered perfectly secure by scarping the cliff.
Guns placed here would command the road leading from the Main Pass, and cover the retreat of the garrison of the crater if driven out; and on the other side would flank the beach towards Steamer Point and prevent any raid by boats in that direction.
Armament (9-in. in store) 2,200
Total
..
7,200
Garrison-
Men.
Artillery
50
..
•
Infantry
25
Total
**
Little Pass Gate.
2 Machine guns.
Cost-
Work
Armament
Garrison-
Total ..
Infantry
带着
75
In connection with this work, too, could be placed the barrier-gate and drawbridge across the road, as proposed by General Tremeñhere. One heavy gun placed at the extreme northern end would also command the upper end of the bay, and to a greater 1,200 extent than a gun placed on Flint Island.
£
600
1,800
Men.
50
The armament of this battery would be :---
One 9-inch muzzle-loading rifled gun at northern salient. Two 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifled guns on western side. Two 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifled guns on eastern side.
The cost may be estimated at:-
Works
Armament (9-inch gun in store)..
Two machine guns
Drawbridge and barrier
Total
45
::::
::::
£
5,000
2,200
600 1,200
•
9,000
GARRISON.
Blockhouse on heights above Gold
Mohur Valley.
Infantry Cost-
Work and scarping
Submarine Mines.
Cost
Engineers
Two gun-boats..
Four torpedo launches
**
For the guns, 50 men of whom would be artillery Infantry, in addition
Total
04
::
Men.
75
50
125
To accommodate these men a guard-room would be required in connection with the barrier-gate.
In Telegraph Bay landing would be prevented by the work at Tarshayne; there is also good landing on the beach in both divisions of the Gold Mohur Bay, and it would be possible for a body of men, landed there, if unopposed, to climb up the western slopes of the Shum Shum Range at the head of the Gold Mohur Valley, and by occupying the ridge somewhere at the point A marked on plan, turn the defences of the Little Pass, and also seriously incommode by musketry fire the defenders in the sea batteries.
That the ascent of the hill is practicable, is proved by the fact that two companies of British infantry made the ascent some time ago when only one man fell out on the
way.
To provide against this, the ground should be carefully examined, and all acces- sible places scarped; the sides of the Gold Mohur Valley near the sea should also be scarped to prevent an enemy advancing along the shore; it would be desirable to establish a small block-house at some point on the ridge (A. A. on plan) between the 150 valley and the descent to the low ground east of the Little Pass, in which a few men £
stationed in time of attack would effectually prevent any attempt at a surprise in that 2,000 direction.
Men.
The Steamer Point position would thus be complete in itself, and fortified against any attack by sea or land.
£
2,000
The configuration of the harbour and its approaches is not such as to permit of the Men. employment of submarine mines on any regular system.
A few detached groups of
£
50 electro-contact mines or ground mines, fired singly by one observation, would be useful if laid in the offing and in positions where ships would probably manoeuvre against the batteries. A sum of 2,000l. expended for this purpose would probably be sufficient.
In addition to the two gun-boats recommended for the defence of the inner harbour, 26,000 and to act against boats coming round by the shallow water on the north shore out of
4,000
range
of the batteries, a few swift torpedo launches, say four, as recommended for Hong Kong and Singapore, would afford great assistance to the defence.
For the Steamer Point Defences, therefore, are recommended :-
Steamer Point Defences. Summary.
-
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f
e
1
e
t
A work at Ras Morbut
23
Ras Tarshayne Hedjif
Total
3
Ras Morbut
>
Ras Tarshayne
Hedjif and Little Pass Gate
:::
:::
:
143