What is the historical significance of Devil's Gap Battery in Gibraltar?

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Devil's Gap Battery is a coastal artillery battery above Gibraltar's town that guarded the Bay from the 1870s until 1956, and its two 6-inch guns are still in place. The gap itself was widened in the late 18th century so heavy guns could be hauled up the Rock.
Devil's Gap Battery is a coastal artillery battery on a rocky outcrop above the town of Gibraltar, looking out over the Bay of Gibraltar. It served as a coast defence position from the 1870s until coast artillery was abolished in 1956, and its two 6-inch breech-loading guns from the early 1900s are still in place. The Ministry for Heritage lists it among the Queen's Road Batteries.
The outcrop was known in Spanish times by a name meaning Devil's Point. A shepherd's trail up the escarpment was widened in the mid-16th century, when Charles V Wall and Philip II Wall were built. In the late 18th century Gibraltar's Chief Engineer, Colonel William Green, widened the gap further so that heavy guns could be hauled up the Rock. Gun rings used for this are still visible on Devil's Gap Steps and on the footpath into town.
Records show mortars placed at Devil's Gap in August 1779, at the start of the Great Siege (1779 to 1783), but there is no further evidence of artillery there until the 1870s. A 9-inch gun was test fired there in April 1871, two 9-inch guns were mounted in June 1881 and two 12-pounder quick-firing guns in 1896. Work on the two 6-inch guns began in 1900 and was largely complete by July 1902.
On the night of Saturday 2 June 1917 the battery sank an enemy submarine close inshore off Algeciras. It was manned again at the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and through the Second World War, until Genista Battery took over its examination duties in January 1944. On Sunday 11 September 2022 a salute was fired from the Devil's Gap saluting platform to mark the proclamation of King Charles III.
Devil's Gap is one of three entry points to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, with a ticket office, and is reached on foot. The Nature Reserve's Devil's Gap Path climbs Devil's Gap Steps, painted in Union Flag colours, and leads to Devil's Gap Battery and the nearby Genoese Battery. In September 2023 the Government announced plans to restore the battery as an interpretation centre and cafeteria and to repair the final stretch of the Charles V Wall steps linking the Devil's Gap footpath to the town centre. Check access and opening times with the Nature Reserve before you go.

What is the historical significance of Devil's Gap Battery in Gibraltar?

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