Ripplin said:

HotRod said:
So let me get this right...Once the Rebels evacuate Hoth...They leave this bad boy behind?
No wonder they're always scrounging for ships etc....What a waste!!!

Good thinking. But you just know there's probably some EU story out there that mentions them going back. :p If not, maybe some lurker here will add it to a story someday. "Star Wars: Ion Cannon Retrieval"

I thought there was a story about the Rebels who stayed behind to blow it up, but apparently I was wrong. It's featured in Dark Forces IV: Jedi Knight III: Jedi Outcast II: Jedi Academy as being fully functional 10 years later. I was right about Rebels staying behind (from Alderaan even), but they just stayed behind to man it until the last minute.