British military legacy of the Faroe Islands, Part 4 - Strendur Battery

In April 1940 a peaceful occupation force of British Soldiers were deployed to the Faroe Islands. After mainland Denmark capitulated to German forces, the fall of the Faroes would help Germany cut off vital cross-atlantic shipping routes and isolate Britain and Western Europe even further. Up to 5,000 British troops would see this remote archipelago as their home until the end of the war, and the construction of artillery batteries, radar stations, barracks and an airfield would forever change the landscape. In this series of 4 videos, I travel to the North Atlantic islands and document some of the more significant sites that remain. North of Tórshavn was Skálafjørður; a large natural harbour identified as having great strategic importance for the Royal Navy. One of the first tasks to protect the fjord was the construction of a 5.5-inch battery at Naes and a 12-pounder battery at Strendur. The decision to mount the guns here was taken in August 1940 after it was found that the only suitable location for the 5.5-inch guns wasn’t suitable for close defence of the Skålefjord narrows. The Strendur anti motor torpedo boat (MTB) Battery to the west of the entrance to Skala Fjord, armed with two 12-pounder guns and two 16° moving lights. Today the battery remains practically untouched, with the Battery Observation Post (BOP), two emplacements, the magazine and one of two search light emplacements standing.