180-mm battery on Osmussaar (south) Fortification

The island of Osmussaar is situated off the north-west coast of Estonia. This 180-mm coastal battery is located, in turn, in the north-western part of the island.

The battery comprised two twin 180-mm guns. Some sources state that the battery was ready for combat by 1 September 1941, four months ahead of schedule. Others claim that only the 180-mm gun facility to the south had been set up by this time. The fact that the gun to the north was seldom used is confirmed by its ammunition stock being more full than that of the gun to the south. In September 1941 a military hospital was established in the northern facility. It contains over one hundred beds. The hospital’s outhouse was built next to the tower from red brick. Both gun facilities were blown up during the retreat from Osmussaar in December 1941. Its turrets were turned into scrap in 1945.

The gun structure is in better condition at the northern facility, bearing less damage than its counterpart to the south. The water level varies in the battery, but the upper floor is accessible.