Trow Rock Disappearing Gun

Sitting up on Trow Rocks in South Shields is a special kind of gun. It's a bit magic as it can disappear, hence it being known as the Trow Rock Disappearing Gun.

During the Crimean War (1854-56) the gun and also the gunners were vulnerable to counter bombardment as they reloaded, so Captain CS Moncrief devised the idea of having the gun lower down into its concrete turret during the reloading process. Then it would just pop up as it was ready to be fired.

The original gun was designed and installed in 1877 and this version was mechanical meaning that the recoil would make it hide in the turret, but then the gunners would need to elevate it back once loaded.

There was exploration into using both hydraulic and pneumatic solutions, but were unsuccessful and the gun was eventually discontinued without being used in action.

A new battery was constructed a short distance away down the coast at Frenchman's Bay in 1903, however there is no trace of this today.

The gun you see today is actually a replica mounted by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) in the 1990's. Not a bad view either.

If you want to read more and look into the technical aspects with full diagrams, head over to the Trow Rock Disappearing Gun page on the Northumbrian Gunner website.