WWII Coastal Defense Battery

During World War II, there was a very different kind of danger at Cape Spear. On a direct route from Europe to the North American continent, Cape Spear took on a whole new significance. A coastal defense battery, equipped with two 10" guns was constructed at the tip of the Cape to protect the entrance to St. John's Harbour. German submaries and raiders off the coast of the Island posed a considerable threat. Underground passages connected the gun sites to magazines and equipment ready rooms. From 1941 to 1945, Canadian and American troops were statiioned here, and barracks, mess halls, and canteens were built.