Fort Dorset

In the early 1900s coastal defence needs were being re-examined, and as a result two new batteries were to be constructed, one in Wellington at Point Dorset, and one in Auckland at North Head. By the end of the First World War, Fort Dorset was the main battery defending Wellington, and the only one to mount modern heavy guns. Fort Dorset is also believed to have fired the first shot of the WW2.

Fort Dorset Battery

This was the first emplacement to be built at Point Dorset. The 6-inch battery and its fire control post occupied a high point overlooking both the channel and the approaches to the harbour entrance. The emplacements were of a standard Imperial design, open concrete emplacements over a large magazine complex, with shell and cartridge hoists. The design is almost identical to the 6-inch battery built at the same time at North Head in Auckland. The guns themselves were mounted by January 1911. During the First World War the battery was the only one to mount modern guns in Wellington, though the older forts were used in a supporting role. In 1937 a new, semi-sunken, BOP was built for the battery, due to the inadequacies of the original BOP. The new one was used as the night BOP, the older one becoming the Day BOP. During WW2 the emplacements received overhead covers, similar to those that remain at Fort Opau today. At the end of the war the 6-inch guns were removed and replaced with 3.7-inch guns which served through till 1957 when all coastal defences in NZ were scrapped.

The Gap Battery

The Gap Battery was built in 1938, and originally consisted of four 4-inch Mk-VII's. These were four of the six guns that had been at the Saluting Battery at Point Jerningham. (The other two went to Battery Point, in Lyttelton). The guns themselves had originally come from the Battle Cruiser HMS New Zealand. They were mounted on open gun platforms. A magazine was built semi-sunken into the side of the hill. Two of the guns were removed to Fort Ballance in 1941. The guns eventually had gun shields added to them.

The 12pdr Batteries

The first 12pdr to be installed at Fort Dorset had been quickly emplaced during WW1 on small concrete pads, on the hillside about 60 yards behind the 6-inch battery. Later in the war they were removed and placed on merchant ships. The guns were returned later, but were not re-emplaced until 1925, probably at the same site. In September 1935 the guns were moved yet again, to the more formal emplacements at the Steeple Battery. During the war the emplacements gained a new Command Post, BOP, steel shields and overhead covers. The last 12pdr Battery to be built at Fort Dorset was the Beach Battery, ironically also the only one to remain in any form. The two guns were mounted in February 1942. Behind it a 2-storeyed combined magazine/command post was added in May. The emplacement was abandoned in late 1944 when the Twin 6pdr became operational at Fort Ballance.

Demolition 1959-2003

The first instances of demolition occurred around 1958, after the removal of the guns, a new road was cut over two of the 4-inch emplacements for unknown reasons. Further work was not carried out till late 1970. A request was lodged with the Ministry of Works for estimates of cost regarding removal of several old defence structures at Fort Dorset. Initially this included the main 6-inch battery, the Steeple Point 12-pdr Battery, two searchlight emplacements and one pillbox. Eventually this was expanded to include the rest of the searchlight emplacements and pillboxes. The estimates given for this work came to $11,500. It was intended to demolish and bury the rubble of the 6-inch battery on site. The other facilities marked for demolition faced a similar fate, either buried on site, or buried nearby. Demolition would have been carried out in late 1970, possibly early 1971.

In 2003 the camp buildings were demolished, Seatoun School was relocated to the site and the rest of the camp area was redeveloped as housing. The areas containing the gun emplacements were turned into a reserve and are publicly accessible.