Fort Mosta | |
---|---|
Il-Fortizza tal-Mosta | |
Part of the Victoria Lines | |
Mosta, Malta | |
Coordinates | 35°55′21.52″N14°25′34.1″E / 35.9226444°N 14.426139°E |
Type | Polygonal fort and artillery battery |
Site information | |
Owner | Government of Malta |
Controlled by | Armed Forces of Malta |
Open to the public | No |
Condition | Intact |
Site history | |
Built | 1878–1880s |
Built by | British Empire |
In use | 1880s–present |
Materials | Limestone and Concrete |
Fort Mosta (formerly written as Fort Musta, [1] Maltese : Il-Fortizza tal-Mosta) is a polygonal fort in Mosta, Malta. It was built between 1878 and the 1880s by the British as part of the Victoria Lines. It is still in use today by the Armed Forces of Malta as an ammunition depot.
Fort Mosta was built by the British as part of the Victoria Lines, a line of fortifications along the northern part of Malta, dividing it from the more heavily populated south. It is one of three forts built along the lines, the other two being Fort Binġemma and Fort Madalena.
The fort is the most strategically placed land fort along the Victoria Lines, occupying the cliff face at the mouth of Wied il-Għasel. According to Giorgio Grognet de Vassé, the site has had strategic value since ancient times and it was previously occupied by a Bronze Age citadel and village, and there were archaeological remains there. [2] When the British requisitioned the site to build the fort, they probably destroyed the Bronze Age remains, although no proof of their existence is known. Despite this, catacombs dating to the 4th or 5th century AD were found under the fort and they still exist. [3]
The fort was last of the three major forts of the Victoria Lines to be built. Its construction was approved in 1873, but while construction the other forts began in 1875 (Fort Binġemma) or 1878 (Fort Madalena), work on Fort Mosta had not commenced by the February 1878 visit of General Lintorn Simmons (who became Governor of Malta in 1884). Construction began soon after his visit.
The fort consists of two parts, a pentagonal keep, which is surrounded by a ditch, and a battery outside the keep. These were linked together with a sally port. Unlike the two other forts, Fort Mosta did not have RML guns since it was not intended for coastal defence. It was initially armed with 64-pounder smooth-bore muzzle loading guns, but later 6-inch breech-loading guns were installed.
The Victoria Lines were abandoned in 1907, just eight years after they were completed, as they were deemed to be of dubious defensive value. Although Fort Binġemma and Fort Madalena remained in use for coastal defence, Fort Mosta lost most of its military value. By 1940 it became an ammunition depot. [1]
Fort Mosta is still used as an ammunition depot by the Armed Forces of Malta. It falls under the responsibility of the Ammunition Depot Guards, part of the Ammunition & Explosives, Storage & Disposal Squadron of the 3rd Regiment AFM. [4] The Dog Section of the Malta Police Corps is also housed within Fort Mosta. [5]
Since it is still used by the army and police, the fort is not open to the public. [6]
Although the Armed Forces have made efforts to keep it in good condition, the fort requires special attention since it is built mainly on blue clay, and this is damaging the structure. [1]
Mosta is a small but densely populated city in the Northern Region of Malta. The most prominent building in Mosta is the Rotunda, a large basilica built by its parishioners' volunteer labour. It features the world's 3rd largest unsupported dome, and displays a replica of a German bombshell that famously crashed through the dome but did not detonate upon impact.
The Rinella Battery was a Victorian battery in Kalkara, Malta. It is commonly referred to as Fort Rinella, although it was never classified as a fort while in use. It was armed with an Armstrong 100-ton gun, which survives; the only other surviving gun is at the Napier of Magdala Battery, Gibraltar.
The Armed Forces of Malta is the name given to the combined armed services of Malta. The AFM is a brigade sized organisation consisting of a headquarters and three separate battalions, with minimal air and naval forces. Since Malta is the guardian of the European Union's southernmost border, the AFM has an active role in border control.
Fort San Lucian, also known as Saint Lucian Tower or Fort Rohan, is a large bastioned watchtower and polygonal fort in Marsaxlokk, Malta. The original tower was built by the Order of Saint John between 1610 and 1611, being the second of six Wignacourt towers.
This page list topics related to Malta.
The Victoria Lines, originally known as the North West Front, are a line of fortifications that spans 12 kilometres along the width of Malta, dividing the north of the island from the more heavily populated south.
The De Redin Towers are a series of small coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Order of Saint John between 1658 and 1659. Thirteen towers were built around the coast of mainland Malta to act as watchtowers. Eight of the towers still survive.
The Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta is the naval component of the Maltese military. The Maritime Squadron has responsibility for the security of Maltese territorial waters, maritime surveillance and law enforcement, as well as search and rescue. It is based at Hay Wharf in Floriana.
Fort Tigné is a polygonal fort in Tigné Point, Sliema, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John between 1793 and 1795 to protect the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour. It is one of the oldest polygonal forts in the world. The fort, extensively altered by the British in the 19th century, remained in use by the military until 1979.
The fortifications of Malta consist of a number of walled cities, citadels, forts, towers, batteries, redoubts, entrenchments and pillboxes. The fortifications were built over hundreds of years, from around 1450 BC to the mid-20th century, and they are a result of the Maltese islands' strategic position and natural harbours, which have made them very desirable for various powers.
Cambridge Battery is a Victorian-era battery in Sliema, Malta. It is commonly referred to as Fort Cambridge, although it was never classified as a fort while in use. It originally contained an Armstrong 100-ton gun.
Fort Madalena, also known as Fort Madliena, is a polygonal fort in Madliena, in the limits of Swieqi, Malta. It was built between 1878 and 1880 by the British as part of the Victoria Lines. The fort now falls under the responsibility of the Armed Forces of Malta and is used by the St John Rescue Corps.
Fort Pembroke is a polygonal fort in Pembroke, Malta. It was built between 1875 and 1878 by the British to defend part of the Victoria Lines. The fort now houses the Verdala International School.
Pembroke Battery was an artillery battery in Pembroke, Malta. It was built by the British between 1897 and 1899, and most of it was demolished in the 1980s.
Fort Binġemma is a polygonal fort in the limits of Rabat, Malta. It was built between 1875 and 1878 by the British as part of the Victoria Lines. The fort has been illegally occupied by the Buttigieg family since 2009, who occasionally use it as a restaurant. It is set on a hill of around 180m above sea level. Before the building of the fort, there was a Roman village on the site.
Hay Wharf or Haywharf is a naval base in Marsamxett Harbour, in Floriana, Malta. The wharf has been the main base of the Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta since 1977, and a new facility was built between 2015 and 2016.
The Falca Lines, also known as the Falca Gap Entrenchment, are an infantry entrenchment in northern Malta, located on the limits of Mġarr and St. Paul's Bay. The lines were built in the 18th century by the Order of Saint John, and today lie in ruins.
Tarġa Battery is an artillery battery on the boundary between St. Paul's Bay and Mosta, Malta. It was built in 1887 by the British as part of the Victoria Lines. The battery is now in the hands of the Mosta Local Council, who intend to restore it and open it to the public.
The RML 13-pounder 8 cwt gun was a British Rifled, Muzzle Loading (RML) field artillery gun manufactured in England in the 19th century, which fired a projectile weighing approximately 13 pounds (5.9 kg). "8 cwt" refers to the weight of the gun.
The Royal Malta Artillery (RMA) was a regular artillery unit of the British Army prior to Malta's independence. It was formed in 1889, having been called the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery from 1861 until 1889.