Cliffe Fort
Cliffe Fort is a British fortress in the marshland of the village of Cliffe ( Borough of Medway , Kent , South East England ) on the banks of the Thames on the Hoo Peninsula . Directly opposite, on the left bank of the river about 1.5 km away is the Coalhouse Fort .
history
In the 1860s, at the instigation of the Royal Commission on the Defense of the United Kingdom, the construction of the fort began in the marshland in front of Cliffe for coastal protection purposes. The fort was completed around 1870. It was part of a defense network designed to protect the British capital, London . The construction turned out to be difficult due to the soil conditions. Cliffe Fort was armed with RML 12.5 inch 38 ton guns and RML 11 inch gun cannons. Modernization measures were carried out between 1895 and 1906. Much of the masonry with the casemates and the rails on which the cannon limbs were pushed have been preserved to the present day.
In 1890, launch pads for Brennan torpedoes used for defense were added. The ramps are visible at low tide. During the First World War , Cliffe Fort was under arms and during the Second World War it was used as an anti-aircraft base. Currently the fort, which is heavily overgrown with plants, is difficult to access. Not far from the fort lies the wreck of a Finnish schooner on the beach ⊙ .
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Individual evidence
Coordinates: 51 ° 27 ′ 49.1 " N , 0 ° 27 ′ 20.6" E