The Gun Museum
British 18th century naval muzzle loading cannon, Malay cannon, Japanese guns, British coastal artillery guns and the classic British 25 Pounder Gun Howitzer are all on display.
64 Pounder RML Guns
A 1993 photograph of two 64 Pounder RML Guns near the entrance to the Fort. The guns are mounted on an emplacement used during the Second World War for two Twin Lewis Guns. Prior to this, the emplacement held two 12 Pounder QF Guns. The Lewis guns formed part of the anti-aircraft defences of the Fort.
The original Magazine is beyond the guns.This emplacement is built on the site of one of the Fort’s first 7 Inch RML Gun Emplacements.
7 Inch RML Guns
Two barrels from 7-Inch RML Guns mounted on plinths close to the shop and Surrender Chamber. The 7 Inch Gun used for coastal defence was developed from the type used by the Royal Navy.
This type of 7-Inch RML Gun became known as ‘Bottle Guns’ because the shape of the barrel resembled the shape of lemonade bottles of the day.
13 Inch Trench Mortars
Trench Mortars were valued during sieges because of the high trajectory. A shot could be sent high in the air to drop beyond castle walls and other fortifications directly on to the target.
The five Trench Mortars on display were originally displayed in front of the Victoria Memorial Hall. Later they were moved to the National Museum, where they were placed outside. They were moved to the Fort 1n 1969.
The Carronade
A British Carronade presented to the Singapore Gun Museum Sentosa on 22nd October 1971 by Lt General Sir Peter Hunt, KCB, DSO, OBE, Commander Far East Land Forces.
The Carronade was originally a naval weapon designed to fire a heavy shot at short ranges. It was a short gun originally developed by a Scottish ironworks called the Carron Company in 1778. Half the weight of an equivalent long gun, it could throw a heavy ball of up to 42 Lbs (19Kg) up to 1200 yards (1100 metres). This lack of range was disadvantageous as it often allowed an enemy armed with conventional cannon to stand off at a safe distance and and fire without fear of being hit itself.
25 Pounder Gun Howitzers
Two 25 Pounders outside the Curators Office.
The 25 Pounder was first brought into service by the British Army in 1939. It was widely used by British and other forces for many years in counter-battery, anti-personnel and anti-tank roles. The 25 Pounder was probably the best artillery piece to see action anywhere during the Second World War.
8-Inch BL Gun
This 8-Inch BL Gun, shown here mounted at Siloso Point in 1993, was originally mistakenly identified by the Sentosa Development Corporation as being one of a batch manufactured by Armstrong in England for the French Government. They were said to have been unloaded in Singapore by mistake while en-route to French Indo China, and were never used in Singapore as they did not use standard British ammunition. The gun is actually one of four 8-Inch Guns emplaced in Singapore - Two on Mount serapong and two at Fort Tanjong Katong. Prior to this gun being displayed at Fort Siloso, it was mounted at Blakang Mati’s football field. It was brought to the Fort in 1974.
9.2-Inch BL Guns
Two 9.2-Inch BL Guns with an 8 Inch BL Gun between them on display outside the Casemates.
These are the two guns which are shown mounted in the Siloso 6 Inch Battery in the section about the Siloso 6-Inch BL Battery.
Japanese Guns
LEFT: The Seletar Guns. Four naval guns which were discovered in the forest reserve to the east of the Pierce Reservoir in 1979.
RIGHT: The Mandai Guns. These two guns were sdaid to have been found in the Mandai jungle in the north of Singapore by officer cadets of the Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute in 1966. However, David Tisdale contacted me and wrote, “In 1966 I was a student at Bourne School Singapore and undertook, along with many other pupils, jungle trekking as part of the Outward Bound courses held there. On one such expedition my party lost its way, I believe on what we called Mandai 2. Going off track we found one gun barrel semi burried which at first we mistook for a fallen tree. Shortly afterwards we discovered a whole gun standing in a small clearing in a dip in the ground. Two Raja Brookes butterflies were circling the raised gun barrel. There did not appear to be a breach block. We reported the find to our teachers and they in turn informed the British Army, who came to the school to ask us for more details. Unfortunately, being lost at the time, we could be of little help as to their exact location and I have no idea whether those particular guns were ever located.”
Now, were these the Mandai Guns, or some others? Does any one have any further information?
Muzzle Loading Cannon
LEFT: The Istana Guns used to be kept in the grounds of Istana, the residence of Singapore’s President. They were used as barriers to keep visitors off the grass.
Right: Malay Cannon. The art of manufacturing cannon such as these was already well established in the region by the early 15th century.