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Appendix No. 4.
SINGAPORE.
(Confidential.)
Inclosure 9 in No 74.
Report on Blakang Mati South, Blakang Mati East, and Mount Scrapong.
HAVING visited the proposed site of a battery on the south part of Blakang Mati Island (to be called Blakang Mati South), Mount Serapong, and Fort Blakang Mati East, we beg to report as follows:-
2. We have carefully considered the nature of the localities, the present capabilities of Blakang Mati East, and the Report by Captain McCallum,* especially Articles 53, 54, and 55, and 74, 75, and 76.
3. Having in view the proposed strengthening of the artillery at Mount Siloso, the possibility of considerably increasing the power of Blakang Mati East, the advantage of Mount Serapong against a landed force, the disadvantageous nature of Blakang Mati Island for the purposes of landing by an enemy, the isolated position of Blakang Mati South, and the great expense that its construction would involve, we are of opinion as follows:-
(1.) That no works should be undertaken at Blakang Mati South;
(2.) That Blakang Mati East should undergo several alterations; and,
(3.) That some additions should be made to the defences of Mount Serapong.
4. By increasing the power of the guns at Mount Siloso, and by arranging a fire of four guns from the right flank of Blakang Mati East, we believe that the position would be sufficiently protected against any attack not partaking of the character of a siege, and the dead angle off Blakang Mati South would be removed.
5. We are fully convinced of the utility and importance of such a work as Blakang Mati South, but consider that its establishment would be going rather beyond the sphere of the present scheme.
6. The alterations in Blakang Mati East would be as follows:-
(a.) The right flank of the battery to be lengthened so as to allow two extra guns bearing on the south side of Blakang Mati Island to be placed there. One of these to be an armour-piercing gun, the other a 64-pounder. The armour-piercing gun to fire through an arc of 165 degrees, having Mount Serapong as its extreme right fire and St. John's Island as its extreme left. (b.) The present No. 1 gun, having an all-round fire to be replaced by an armour-piercing gun mounted on a land service dwarf traversing platform D pivot, so as to fire just clear of the new guns on the right flank (this being the extreme right of the angle of fire), and from there round to the left through an arc of 270 degrees.
(c.) Nos. 2 and 3 guns, at present 7-inch 6-tons, to be replaced by armour-piercing guns, their
emplacements to be lowered 4 feet and the angle of training increased 10 degrees.
(d.) Nos. 4 and 5 guns, 7-inch 61-tons, to have their emplacements lowered 4 feet, but otherwise
to remain unchanged.
(e.) No. 6 gun, at present a 64-pounder, with an all-round fire, to be replaced by an armour-piercing gun mounted on a land service dwarf traversing platform D pivot, firing through an angle of 270 degrees from Peak Island on its right round to the south of Blakang Mati, extreme left fire to be in direction of Middle Island.
(f) Several alterations will be necessary in order to protect the battery against a fire from the
southward and also from Mount Serapong.
(g) As a musketry-fire from Mount Serapong might make it difficult to work the present No. 6 gun, a rifled howitzer should be placed so as to command the redoubt on the mount. A mortar to be used until a rifled howitzer could be supplied.
7. By these changes three armour-piercing guns and one 64-pounder would be brought to bear over the south part of Blakang Mati Island, whilst at the same time two armour-piercing guns and two 7-inch guns would direct their fire over the eastern approaches to the New Harbour.
8. The approaches to Mount Serapong, available for a force which had landed near Blakang Mati South, would be commanded by two guns from Blakang Mati East, but the redoubt on the mount should be strengthened.
9. The term "armour-piercing gun
a distance of 3,000 yards.
""
is used to denote a gun that will pierce 8 inches of armour at
10. The following Table will show the proposed increase of guns, &c., in Blakang Mati East:-
At present Proposed
::
64-pr.
7-in.
Armour- piercing.
Rifled howitzer.
Semanggo tembung
21
4
2
0 5
0
(Signed)
Singapore, December 28, 1880.
C. JOHNSTONE, Commander, H.M.S. “Egeria.” GEORGE G. HANNEN, Major, R.A.
E. F. RHODES, Lieutenant, Commanding R.E.
To Lieut,-Colonel H. Parnell, C.B., Commandant,
President of the Singapore Defence Committee.
* Inclosure 15 in No. 74.
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