RN gun and missile test question

[Bernard Woolley]

Folks, since my Google-Fu has failed me, I am hoping that the combined wisdom of the board will be able to help. The RN had a site on the coast where it mounted a number of gun mounts (Mark 6 & 8 4.5inch for example), radars and stuff like Sea Dart launchers (IIRC) for test firings. I am trying to find where that was.

Thanks in advance.

[GBR001]

Aberporth I believe is what your looking for.

[Bernard Woolley]

Thank you. I have seen pics of gun mounts on shore pointing out to sea, but can’t find them now.

[Craiglxviii]

Thank you. I have seen pics of gun mounts on shore pointing out to sea, but can’t find them now.

A friend’s dad, when a member of the Welsh Rocket Society, managed to blow up a Sea Slug launcher at Aberporth…

[Davion Highlander]

Thank you. I have seen pics of gun mounts on shore pointing out to sea, but can’t find them now.

A friend’s dad, when a member of the Welsh Rocket Society, managed to blow up a Sea Slug launcher at Aberporth…

Deliberately or by accident?

[Paul Nuttall]

Thank you. I have seen pics of gun mounts on shore pointing out to sea, but can’t find them now.

A friend’s dad, when a member of the Welsh Rocket Society, managed to blow up a Sea Slug launcher at Aberporth…

To be fair, a launch from a Sea Slug did look like it was blowing itself up.

[Bernard Woolley]

Thanks for the help!

Also, got to love the Sea Slug. It’s the only RN missile to have brought down a UFO!

[Bernard Woolley]

I think one of the sites I was thinking of is seen in this film from 4:46 and 9:42 minutes. Anyone recognise it?

[Craiglxviii]

Thank you. I have seen pics of gun mounts on shore pointing out to sea, but can’t find them now.

A friend’s dad, when a member of the Welsh Rocket Society, managed to blow up a Sea Slug launcher at Aberporth…

Deliberately or by accident?

By accident. It was a Rocket Society job; they’d tried to launch from a golf course, except the Heddlu (police) turned up and after asking, “Ello Ello Ello, what’s occurin’ ‘ere then?”… they were instructed to take the whole kit & caboodle to Aberporth, where the MoD kindly lent them a twin rail launcher for their efforts.

Then it went big badda boom.

His next job was designing Concorde’s bomb bay… apparently the stress structure under the fuselage was designed to permit a potential “rebuild” if necessary.

[Craiglxviii]

I think one of the sites I was thinking of is seen in this film from 4:46 and 9:42 minutes. Anyone recognise it?

I <think> that’s my brother’s old Commanding Officer!

[Paul Nuttall]

A friend’s dad, when a member of the Welsh Rocket Society, managed to blow up a Sea Slug launcher at Aberporth…

Deliberately or by accident?

By accident. It was a Rocket Society job; they’d tried to launch from a golf course, except the Heddlu (police) turned up and after asking, “Ello Ello Ello, what’s occurin’ ‘ere then?”… they were instructed to take the whole kit & caboodle to Aberporth, where the MoD kindly lent them a twin rail launcher for their efforts.

Then it went big badda boom.

Sounds like it could have been the inspiration for the Yes Minister episode where Bernard Woolley discusses a cover-up, he mentions a torpedo landing on "Sandwich Golf Course," to which Hacker replies he didn't read about it in the paper, prompting a joke about the members finding a new bunker on the 7th fairway the next day.

[Davion Highlander]

Deliberately or by accident?

By accident. It was a Rocket Society job; they’d tried to launch from a golf course, except the Heddlu (police) turned up and after asking, “Ello Ello Ello, what’s occurin’ ‘ere then?”… they were instructed to take the whole kit & caboodle to Aberporth, where the MoD kindly lent them a twin rail launcher for their efforts.

Then it went big badda boom.

Sounds like it could have been the inspiration for the Yes Minister episode where Bernard Woolley discusses a cover-up, he mentions a torpedo landing on "Sandwich Golf Course," to which Hacker replies he didn't read about it in the paper, prompting a joke about the members finding a new bunker on the 7th fairway the next day.

The older I get the more I fear that Yes Minister wasn't satirical!

[Pdf27]

I think one of the sites I was thinking of is seen in this film from 4:46 and 9:42 minutes. Anyone recognise it?

image_2026-03-16_203616659.png

Appears to be the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment on a hill above Portsmouth - there is now a Type 45 radar set there instead.

image_2026-03-16_204427533.png

image_2026-03-16_204648399.png

I think these are more or less the same view, but the misty day makes it hard to be sure.

[pengolod_sc]

Sounds like it could have been the inspiration for the Yes Minister episode where Bernard Woolley discusses a cover-up, he mentions a torpedo landing on "Sandwich Golf Course," to which Hacker replies he didn't read about it in the paper, prompting a joke about the members finding a new bunker on the 7th fairway the next day.

Here's the clip

[Straker]

Agree with everyone here.

Looks like what is now the Maritime Integration & Support Centre (MISC) at Portsdown Hill. Along the ridge line from Royal Armouries Fort Nelson museum, you can see it when you walk up from Portchester if you go on the train. It has an Artisan radar set now as well.

The dome for the radar shown in your first picture still exists and looking at the imagery I'd say it was taken somewhere close to here on the car park at the corner of aerial road. https://maps.app.goo.gl/x149C118fbGQR3KV6

[Bernard Woolley]

Thanks again, folks.

EDIT: Been doing a bit of playing with range rings on Google Earth, and theoretically, a T42, or T45 in the Firth of Clyde could shoot down targets over the Forth and Carlisle! Not to mention a good bit of Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man!

[Craiglxviii]

Deliberately or by accident?

By accident. It was a Rocket Society job; they’d tried to launch from a golf course, except the Heddlu (police) turned up and after asking, “Ello Ello Ello, what’s occurin’ ‘ere then?”… they were instructed to take the whole kit & caboodle to Aberporth, where the MoD kindly lent them a twin rail launcher for their efforts.

Then it went big badda boom.

Sounds like it could have been the inspiration for the Yes Minister episode where Bernard Woolley discusses a cover-up, he mentions a torpedo landing on "Sandwich Golf Course," to which Hacker replies he didn't read about it in the paper, prompting a joke about the members finding a new bunker on the 7th fairway the next day.

That was actually a real incident; a Sting Ray prototype fell off the testing heli and excavated a few square yards of fairway!