Helicopter and 12 men haul cannon to top of La Victoria

Alcudia has always been subject to pirate raids and in the 17th century, a cannon was placed at the highest point of the La Victoria peninsula, to strengthen its defences. But one day, vandals pushed it over the cliff. Yesterday, however, the cannon was put back in place, an operation which involved a helicopter which carried the gun carriage from Cap Gros to Penya Rotja while a group of 12 men hauled the cannon up to the top of La Victoria. The operation was supervised by Angel Aparicio, the head of the Group for the Study of Fortifications of the Balearics, and Miquel Lompart, the Alcudia councillor in charge of the heritage. The cannon, which weighs 410 kilos, had been pushed down the Penya Rotja ravine and was stuck on the slope. The team of 12 men used boards and pulleys to haul it to the top. The gun carriage was damaged when pushed over the ravine, and so the council decided to build a new one at a cost of 300'000 pesetas, which included the cost of helicopter transport.