Travel:

Castle San Felipe del Morro
(El Morro)

Walking Tour: Battery de Santa Barbara

article and photos by Russ Lockwood



From the casemate above the Santa Barbara Battery. The island across the entrance to San Juan Bay at the top left of the photo contained Fort San Juan de la Cruz (El Canuelo). The two forts caught any ships trying to enter the bay in a crossfire, as the tugboat opportunely demonstrates as it heads for port.

13. This is the most powerful cannon battery of the fortress, called "Bateria de Santa Barbara", in honor of the patron saint of artillerymen.

14. Firing steps allowed musketeers to shoot over the fort walls. Thick walls protected the troops from enemy fire while they reloaded.

15. Sentries peering through gunners' loopholes could watch the base of El Morro's walls to prevent enemy sappers from undermining the fort.

16. Sentry boxes served as sheltered lookout posts to keep watch along the fort walls.

17. The observation deck you see here today was a World War I gun emplacement equipped with a 4.7 inch Armstrong cannon. From 1942 until the end of World War II, a 90mm anti-aircraft gun sat here. Look below the flags at the observation posts built during the 1940s. They spotted targets at sea for coastal artillery.

18. One of the first-built defenses of San Juan was this "water battery". Cannon placed here, so close to sea level, could damage the hulls of enemy ships trying to enter the harbor. Gunners in this battery engaged the ships of Sir Francis Drake in the 1595 attack. On the other side of the water battery, you see a 48-million-dollar breakwater built by the US Army Corps of Engineers from El Morro to San Juan Gate to preserve this historic site from wave erosion.

The Battery facing across the entrance to San Juan Bay, with the Artillery Ramp in the background.

The same battery, taken from one of the casemates in the upper level of the fort. The water is the entrance to San Juan Bay.

The Battery from its southern end, looking north. The modern observation tower ruins the silouette, but shows the addition for WWII.

Castle San Felipe del Morro (El Morro) San Juan, Puerto Rico

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