Preserving our military heritage, which is part of history, is fundamental and proof of this is that the populations that have carried out initiatives in this regard have enjoyed general support. Not the case, at the moment of the Paloma Alta artillery complex, in Tarifa, Cádiz, made up of three giant cannons that protected the coast from possible attacks and that were acquired in 1927, in the time of Primo de Rivera
Is about three Vickers, model 1926, 381 mm, or 15 inches in English, specially adapted for Spanish settlements, capable of hitting targets 35 km away, with a projectile weighing 885 kg, which could penetrate the shells of the most powerful armored ships, Inside their 17 meters of tube fit a person. They were almost twins of those carried by the famous HMS Hood, HMS Vanguard or HMS Warspite, among many other ships of the British fleet, with the
difference that, the Spaniards, being three calibers longer, could go further than those shipped. Its fire and movement control systems were state of the art. Their direction of fire and their rangefinders had a very high precision and supposed a very important advance in the artillery systems of the time in Spain.
The acquisition of this type of weapon dates back to the 1920s, now a century ago, when, as a consequence of the 1998 disaster and the advances in the development of armored ships and cruise ships in Western countries. Our main naval bases in Ferrol, Cartagena and Menorca, and even Cádiz, they were at the mercy of whoever wanted to attack them from the sea first.
A total of 18 units were purchased and installed on different coasts, although the one from Cádiz was not among them until the beginning of the Second World War, when it was decided to strengthen it, with a total of 62 fire hydrants brought from all over Spain. This deployment would be completed with a network of fortifications of all kinds that make the Campo de Gibraltar in one of the areas with the largest amount of historical military heritage per square meter in the world.
The area of Paloma Alta, in Tarifa, was armed with three pieces, which made it the only battery in the world of this caliber that had three cannons.
With the passage of time, and the introduction of modern defense systems, these giants of the coasts fell into disuse and given their size and uniqueness, they have been the object of desire in the towns where they were located, to transform them into museums. Those of Paloma remained operational until 2008. However, unlike what happened in other areas of Spain, where investments have been made to turn them into museums, nothing has been done so far, although there are projects that have remained that. Currently, the canyons and attached facilities are exposed to vandalism and looting.
There has been, since 2019, a project to restore the three imposing Vickers cannons from 1926 and the bunker of the operations center which, together with the rehabilitation of the ten abandoned barracks buildings, would house two exhibition rooms and a Nature and Interpretation Center. of history. It would be a reference Ecotourism Environmental Complex, where one could enjoy the excellence of the flora and fauna of the Strait Natural Park, learning about the civilizations that have inhabited the area and the military presence in Campo de Gibraltar. The project has been presented in different forums, where it has been very well received, although the final decision is still pending.
The Conde de Gazola Association presented in 2019 to the Junta de Andalucía the master plan to undertake the rehabilitation of the Paloma Alta enclave, as an Environmental Complex; It came to have an initial approval in 2021, with financing via EAFRD. However, so far no materialization has been reached. “It is an unfortunate reality that the more time passes, the greater the deterioration of the facilities, due to the inclement weather and the vandalism to which it is subjected, for which the resolution of the Junta de Andalucía is urgently needed”, underline from the aforementioned association. It is the last installation of this type that remains to be rehabilitated in Spain and due to its unique character and the singularity of the place in which it is located, “it deserves to continue as a perpetual guardian, this time of the incomparable natural environment that surrounds it and of the artillery tradition present in the Strait of Gibraltar since time immemorial”.