Fort Saumarez
| Fort Saumarez | ||
|---|---|---|
 Martello tower of Fort Saumarez with the German observation tower from WWII |
||
| Creation time : | 1804 | |
| Castle type : | Coastal fort | |
| Conservation status: | well preserved | |
| Standing position : | English royal family | |
| Construction: | Quarry stone | |
| Place: | Saint Pierre de Bois | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 27 '28.4 " N , 2 ° 39' 21.8" W | |
| Height: | 19 m ASLTemplate: height / unknown reference | |
|
||
Fort Saumarez is a Martello tower in the parish of Saint Pierre du Bois on the Channel Island of Guernsey . It is located on a promontory, the most northern point of the peninsula L'Eree forms and get to the Lihou - dam extends.
Martello tower
The Martello Tower was built in 1804, after the beginning of the coalition wars and during the tenure of Lieutenant Governor Sir John Doyle , on the site of an existing battery. Doyle named the tower after a well-known Guernsey-born captain of the Royal Navy James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez , who was in command of the British Navy in the Channel Islands at the time. To make matters easier, Doyle hired a local builder named Gray to build the tower and two others called "fieldwork" to bypass the Ordnance Corps .
Fort Saumarez, like the other two Martello Towers on Guernsey, Fort Gray and Fort Hommet , was intended as a donjon for the respective battery in which they were built. The Martello Towers in Guernsey are smaller than those in Great Britain; Fort Saumarez and Fort Hommet are again smaller than Fort Gray. A carronade was mounted on the roof of each of these towers to protect the battery. Fort Saumarez and Fort Hommet still have external stairs up to the 2nd floor.
Doyle was also responsible for building extensive forts elsewhere in Guernsey, including the other two Martello Towers. Because of its location, Fort Saumarez also served as one of the 6-10 optical telegraph stations that were created around the coast of the island to warn of approaching ships.
In 1852 the battery at Fort Saumarez received 32 pounder cannons and 8 ”grenade launchers in place of some of their 24 pounder cannons.
Langenberg base
During the Second World War , during the occupation of the Channel Islands, the Germans recognized the good tactical position of this stretch of coast and erected a four-story observation tower made of concrete on top of the existing tower. At some point the battery around Fort Saumarez was demolished. Fort Saumarez is now privately owned and not open to the public.
On the headland, the Germans installed a casemate for a north-facing 4.7 cm anti-tank gun 36 (t) and one for a 10.5 cm K-331 (f) . A 60-cm-searchlight was constructed near the grave system that also includes a Tobruk - trenches with a 3.7-cm-tank gun 36 contained in a rotating turret. A bunker for an M19 machine grenade launcher , a 5 cm anti-tank gun 38 , a bunker for the operating crews, a casemate for a 4.7 cm anti-tank gun 36 (t) and one for a 10.5 cm K-331 ( f) point south, along with another 60 cm searchlight.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Paddy Dillon: Channel Island Walks . Cicerone Guide, 2011. ISBN 1-85284-288-1 . Pp. 76-77.
- ↑ Fort Hommet and Fort Saumarez are 10.2 meters in diameter and 5.1 meters high; Fort Gray is 10.8 meters in diameter and 7.8 meters high.
- ^ William H. Clements: Towers of Strength: Martello Towers Worldwide . Pen & Sword, London 1998. ISBN 978-0-85052-679-0 . P. 169.
- ^ A b William H. Clements: Towers of Strength: Martello Towers Worldwide . Pen & Sword, London 1998. ISBN 978-0-85052-679-0 . P. 87.
- ^ Ernie Gavey: German Fortifications of Guernsey . Guernsey Armories. ISBN 978-0-953163-10-6 . P. 35.
