With the arrival of General Douglas MacArthur in Australia in March 1942, protection of the Australian ports became a priority and, in May, a report was compiled as to the state of the coastal defences protecting Fremantle Harbour.
This report recommended the establishment of two 155mm batteries, one on Garden Island, the other at Cape Peron, as well as search lights for each battery to guard the flanks of the Cockburn Sound anchorage.
The two new batteries were given letters for identification, J for the Challenger Battery and K for the Cape Peron one, part of a practice that had seen existing batteries named from A to H to distinguish them.

Both new batteries were initially established on the East Coast of Australia, and the K Battery personnel arrived in Fremantle in late 1942, initially without their equipment.

The infrastructure constructed for the new battery was two gun emplacements, Panama mounts, an observation post on elevated ground, and a concealed operations centre.
Two 90 cm searchlights were also installed, one on Mushroom Rock, to the west, and the other at John Point, to the north.
Additionally, barracks were constructed for the battery personnel, which were completed by January 1943.

Of the two main 155mm guns, one was a 1917A1 model while the other was a 1918M1, both with a range of 18 km.
Australian improvements to the fire system meant that the guns could fire at a rate of six rounds per minute, up from four.
The two guns were from a batch of 68 that were send to Australia during the war from the United States, of which 52 arrived in the country.
At Cape Peron, the guns had a traverse of 270 degrees, allowing it to cover south as far as Safety Bay and north over Garden Island.

The battery also had two 18-pounder guns, which were a stop-gap until the construction of a battery at Collie Head on the southern end of Garden Island was completed.
Its task was to cover the straight between the mainland and Garden Island.

Because of the age of the main guns and, the decision was made to replace the 155mm guns with 5.25-inch naval coastal artillery/anti-aircraft guns but, by the time these arrived in Australia, Cockburn Sound was not used as a naval base anymore and this step was never carried out, with construction never started.

The battery had its guns withdrawn in December 1944, after the threat of attack on Fremantle had passed, and its personnel moved to other batteries.
After World War II, the 155mm guns of the Peron Battery were stored at the Australian Field Ordnance Depot at Bushmead before being disposed off in the 1960s when the coastal defence system of Australia was dismantled.
With the arrival of General Douglas MacArthur in Australia in March 1942, protection of the Australian ports became a priority and, in May, a report was compiled as to the state of the coastal defences protecting Fremantle Harbour. This report recommended the establishment of two 155mm batteries, one on Garden Island, the other at Cape Peron, as well as search lights for each battery to guard the flanks of the Cockburn Sound anchorage. The two new batteries were given letters for identification, J for the Challenger Battery and K for the Cape Peron one, part of a practice that had seen existing batteries named from A to H to distinguish them.
Both new batteries were initially established on the East Coast of Australia, and the K Battery personnel arrived in Fremantle in late 1942, initially without their equipment.
The infrastructure constructed for the new battery was two gun emplacements, Panama mounts, an observation post on elevated ground, and a concealed operations centre. Two 90 cm searchlights were also installed, one on Mushroom Rock, to the west, and the other at John Point, to the north. Additionally, barracks were constructed for the battery personnel, which were completed by January 1943.
Of the two main 155mm guns, one was a 1917A1 model while the other was a 1918M1, both with a range of 18 km. Australian improvements to the fire system meant that the guns could fire at a rate of six rounds per minute, up from four. The two guns were from a batch of 68 that were send to Australia during the war from the United States, of which 52 arrived in the country. At Cape Peron, the guns had a traverse of 270 degrees, allowing it to cover south as far as Safety Bay and north over Garden Island.
The battery also had two 18-pounder guns, which were a stop-gap until the construction of a battery at Collie Head on the southern end of Garden Island was completed. Its task was to cover the straight between the mainland and Garden Island.
Because of the age of the main guns and, the decision was made to replace the 155mm guns with 5.25-inch naval coastal artillery/anti-aircraft guns but, by the time these arrived in Australia, Cockburn Sound was not used as a naval base anymore and this step was never carried out, with construction never started.
The battery had its guns withdrawn in December 1944, after the threat of attack on Fremantle had passed, and its personnel moved to other batteries. After World War II, the 155mm guns of the Peron Battery were stored at the Australian Field Ordnance Depot at Bushmead before being disposed off in the 1960s when the coastal defence system of Australia was dismantled.
Peron Battery