Horse Sand Fort

Horse Sand Fort
Horse Sand Fort today
Coordinates: 50 ° 45 ′ 0 ″  N , 1 ° 4 ′ 21 ″  W.
Location:	United Kingdom
Specialty:	British Coastal Defense Fort
Next city:	Portsmouth
Surface:	0.002.510 km²
Founding:	March 1888

Horse Sand Fort is one of the two larger Royal Commission- built four sea forts in the Solent off Portsmouth , Hampshire , England . It was part of the fortification ring built at the suggestion of Prime Minister Palmerston to defend the Portsmouth harbor entrance with the naval base and the Spithead . It is circular with a diameter of 80 meters and consists of a basement and two upper floors. The fort was an artillery fort for anti-naval combat and armored all around with steel plates. It was built between 1865 and 1880.

It was set up to accommodate 5 officers and 72 soldiers, and the cost of construction was £ 424,694 .

The "Horse Sand Fort" is built on a ring of concrete blocks that are arranged in the manner of the brick construction. This ring is in turn clad on the outside with granite blocks. The inside of the ring has been filled with clay and gravel and sealed with a thick concrete cover. The foundation walls are 19.6 meters thick. The structure is divided into three floors and has a diameter of 68.22 meters at the top. The cannons, ammunition and other necessities for the crew were housed on the individual floors. On the ceiling of the fort there is a lighthouse , as well as various chimneys and fans. An artesian well served as a fresh water supply . Access is via a wooden-covered entrance that stands on cast-iron pillars. The group of forts also includes Spitbank Fort , St Helens Fort and No Man's Land Fort .

Armament

A total of 24 × RML 10 inch 18 ton gun (caliber 25.4 cm), 25 × 12.5 inch guns in the casemates, and 10 × RML 12 inch in five turrets on the deck were provided as armament . In fact, the turrets were not installed and due to the lack of space, the 12.5-inch cannons could only fire with a reduced propellant charge. (There was probably not enough space for the return pipe.) The armament was then changed several times over the years.

• 1886

in the lower battery deck: 10 × 12.5 inch RML and 1 × 12 inch BL

in the upper battery deck: 12 × 10 inch RML

• 1893

in the lower battery deck: 7 × 12.5 inch RML and 5 × 12 inch BL

in the upper battery deck: 8 × 10 inch RML and 5 × 12 inch BL

• 1898

in the lower battery deck: 7 × 12.5 inch RML, 5 × 12 inch BL and 12 × 6 pdr QF for close defense

in the upper battery deck: 8 × 10 inch RML, 5 × 12 inch BL and 12 × 6 pdr QF

• 1912

3 × 6 inch BL and 9 × 12 inch BL (the latter were peeled off in 1918)

• 1925

on the top 2 × 6 inch BL and an unknown number of 3 inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft guns (the latter were withdrawn in 1941)

During the Second World War , a submarine barrier was built, which, consisting of concrete blocks, ran two meters below the waterline as a barrier from the fort to the coast at Southsea . This barrier, only provided with a narrow passage for small vessels, and another, shorter one from “No Man's Land Fort” to Ryde Sands, are still in place because of the cost of the removal, which is considered too high.

In 1957 it was given up as a military property and has been vacant since then.

In March 2012 the fort was taken over by a company (already owner of “No Man's Land Fort” and “Spitbank Fort”).

The current owner, AmaZing Venues, plans to open the fort, which has been converted into a museum, to the public in 2016.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Rifled muzzle loader - rifled muzzle loader guns
2. ↑ Breech loader
3. ^ Millionaire snaps up three forts off Portsmouth . In: BBC News , March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2012. 

Web links

Commons : Horse Sand Fort  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Victorian Forts data sheet (PDF; 570 kB)