Lascaris Battery
The Lascaris Battery is a fortification in Malta . It was built from 1854 during the British rule over the islands. It is located on the east side of Valletta and connects to St Peter's Bastion on the Valletta Land Front .
Immediately after the British took over the islands in 1800, the fortifications built by the Order of St. John were used almost unchanged. In accordance with the military theoretical ideas of the time, the Royal Navy operating in the Mediterranean was seen as the most reliable protection against an invasion of the islands. However, Governor Sir William Reid called for coastal batteries to be built inside Grand Harbor during his tenure . These batteries were intended to fight ships that had breached the barrier formed by Fort St Elmo and Fort St. Angelo and entered the port area. Construction of the complex began in 1854. The battery, a high walled bastion, was built in front of St Peter's Bastion on the harbor side. The irregularly shaped system with rounded corners is trapezoidal and ends on the right flank in a gun position. Inside the facility there was a parade ground. The two-story casemates were converted into accommodation from 1868 onwards. In doing so, they received galleries that were open to Paradeplatz. Above the gun emplacements is the salute battery of St Peter's Bastion , which has a rectangular floor plan.
At the beginning of the 1860s the battery was equipped with a total of fourteen RML 8 inch 9 ton guns. The salute battery had twelve SBML 24 pounders . In addition, four RML 10 inch 18 ton guns were set up on the left flank of the battery. On another platform below the left flank of the salute battery, three 10-inch howitzers were located .
In 1884 the battery was armed with seven RML 64 pounder 64 cwt guns, which were placed in the battery's casemates. These guns were protected by the approximately 1.3 m thick wall. As these weapons were obsolete, they had to be replaced with more modern designs. An RML 9 inch 12-ton gun was placed on the battery , which was very exposed with its open barbed position. The powder store with a capacity of 30,500 lbs was protected only by walls and a roof that were 3 m thick. Overall, the construction of the battery was outdated, the system could no longer counter the effects of modern artillery. The salute battery was equipped with five RML 64 pounders at that time .
During the Second World War , the Lascaris War Rooms were set up in the battery casemates .
See also
literature
- Quentin Hughes : Malta. A guide to the fortifications , Said International, 1993. ISBN 9990943 07 9
- Charles Stephenson: "The Fortifications of Malta 1530-1945", Osprey Publishing Limited, 2004, ISBN 1-84176-836-7
- Denis Castillo: "The Maltese Cross, a Strategic History of Malta"
Web links
Coordinates: 35 ° 53 ′ 38.3 " N , 14 ° 30 ′ 46.2" E