The Vickers cannons of Monte de San Pedro

The Batería de San Pedro stands as a significant monument to the power of coastal defense. Spain purchased these Vickers cannons from the factory in Barrow-in-Furness in 1929. Transporting the massive structures from the port to the peak of Monte de San Pedro required immense effort. Laborers laid detachable rails to drag the heavy equipment across the incline, managing to move them just 200 metres every day.

After a complex assembly, the cannons had their baptism of fire on December 19, 1933. Each barrel measured over 17 metres in length and possessed the capability to hurl a projectile of nearly a tonne over 38 kilometres. This long range guaranteed almost total protection of the rías and the coast of Ferrol and A Coruña. To calculate their shots, the installations were equipped with telluric stations, a calculating table to obtain firing data, and a tracing table to represent the trajectories of the shots and the targets.

This former military zone now serves as a public park for everyone to explore. Visitors can tour the restored bunkers and examine the two original cannons that fired only 19 times before their last shot on October 24, 1977. The site offers a clear view of the city and invites us to examine a part of the history of the first half of the 20th century.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons