five 12-inch muzzle loading guns in open emplacements. A new battery was to be built on the southwestern end, of 21 9-inch guns in an arc of stone casemates with iron shields. The work was not complete in 1880. Six 12-pounder quick firing guns were added in 1897 and three 6-inch guns became the main armament in 1901; the original muzzle loaders were dumped under a pile of earth. Finally, in 1942, a modern twin 6-pounder gun was installed. Recent history Following World War II Drake's Island remained under the administration of the War Office, which, despite having announced in 1956 that it was no longer needed for defence purposes, did not finally vacate the island until 1963, when Plymouth City Council obtained a lease from the Crown with the aim of establishing a youth adventure training centre there. This centre was opened in 1964, the year in which a mains water supply finally reached the island. On 1 May 1987 the island got its first telephone line, using a cable attached to the mains water pipe. The telephone number was Plymouth 63393. The warden had previously used the Ministry of Defence system. Drake's Island Adventure Centre, under the custody of the Mayflower Centre Trust, operated until 31 March 1989, when the Mayflower Trust surrendered their lease to the Crown and sold off the boats and sports equipment. In 1995, Drake's Island was put up for sale by the Crown Estate, with an asking price of £235,000, and had numerous offers. In the end, a bidding war commenced between the then Plymouth Argyle chairman, Dan McCauley, and a Cheshire-born businessman who wanted to open it to the public. McCauley's bid was successful and he bought the island for £384,000 in 1995, with plans to turn it into a hotel complex. In 2003, Plymouth City Council turned down a planning application from McCauley to build a hotel and leisure complex complete with helipad. As of 2014, the island contained derelict military barracks and buildings from the Napoleonic era, and an MoD radio mast. In May 2005 the island attracted British media attention when one of the empty buildings on the island was squatted by a group of anti-nuclear protestors, Trident Ploughshares. With planning consent secured in April 2017, details were released showing how the Grade II-listed Island House, barracks block and ablutions building could be linked to form a £10 million-plus