The type of steel needed was virtually unobtainable in New Zealand so Stony Batter’s three batteries were redesigned locally as tunnelled rather than built structures, with the depth of the excavations rather than concrete and steel providing overhead protection. British batteries at the time included a system of layers of concrete and steel burster slabs used on the surface of a fortification to detonate projectiles before they could penetrate deeply enough to cause damage, so protecting the underground magazines and services. However, the situation in New Zealand at this time required another more localised engineering solution. It had been usual to this date for coastal defences, like the battery on Motutapu Island, to be built using designs sent from Britain. The design work was placed in the hands of New Zealand’s Public Works Department (PWD). Delivery dates were set and work on the 9.2-inch batteries began. This altered the priorities of the British manufacturer. As part of the planned counter-offensive in the Pacific the Hauraki Gulf was to be used as a secure fleet anchorage, which required extended coastal defences. In a significant development for New Zealand’s future international relations, this problem was resolved by the United States Navy. However, there was a new problem in carrying out Williams’ recommendations, because there was no guarantee of a firm delivery date from the over-stretched British manufacturers of the equipment. An important part of this report was the recommendation to start construction of the larger 9.2-inch batteries shelved earlier because of cost. Three months before Pearl Harbour a report had been written by General Sir Guy Williams (1881–1959) giving a higher priority to coastal defence, mostly as a precaution against raiders. The situation completely changed in December 1941 with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour and the subsequent entry of the United States of America into the war. For this reason the batteries were not built immediately and Auckland’s main defence throughout the Second World War came from a modern 6-inch battery built on Motutapu Island in the late 1930s. These guns were the largest commonly used for coastal defence but they were very expensive. The most impressive of these planned fortifications were to be 9.2-inch batteries. The main concern for military planners was that these older defences were too close to the ports they were meant to defend, and modern war ships could have shelled the city with little fear of counterattack.Auckland’s defences needed to be upgraded and plans were prepared for a new chain of forts to protect the harbour.
Many of the forts dated from the 19th Century and the most modern installation was a 6-inch battery at North Head built in 1905. Simply put: Although the military handles the firing, launching, engaging, and dropping of weapons, you handle the thinking, planning, and designing of them.By the 1920s, like others around New Zealand, Auckland’s coastal defences were obsolete. You also act as a Project Manager who delegates tasks to Engineering Technicians and Engineering Technologists to make sure weapons are designed, tested, and manufactured on time and on budget. To do this, you integrate mechanical, electrical, and computer systems – including radar, sonar, explosives, and ballistics – into designs for missiles, bombs, rockets, and mines. Using computer-aided design (CAD) software, you address questions of weight, shape, velocity, aerodynamics, and impact in order to design weapons that hit their target and fulfill their mission, efficiently and effectively. All of that requires the expertise of a Weapons Engineer.Īs a Weapons Engineer, you’re like all Engineers in that your job is all about scientific and mathematical problem solving. Today, the weapons used in war are a lot more sophisticated, consisting not only of tanks and torpedoes but also of technology, including computers, GPS, radar, and even robots. And during the Industrial Revolution, cannons and guns were the norm. In the Middle Ages, battering rams, catapults, and crossbows were common.
In Greco-Roman times, they were fought with swords and shields. In prehistoric times, wars were fought with clubs, axes, and spears. Employed by the Department of Defense, the military, or a private defense contractor, they’re essentially Engineers – usually Mechanical Engineers, although they might also be Electrical Engineers, Nuclear Engineers, Aerospace Engineers, or Chemical Engineers – who specialize in developing technologies for use in national security. Weapons Engineers design, develop, test, and manage weapons and weapons systems on behalf of the federal government.