Saluting Battery (Valletta)

Last updated

Saluting Battery
Batterija tas-Salut
Part of the fortifications of Valletta
Valletta, Malta
Malta - Valletta - Pjazza Kastilja - Upper Barrakka Gardens - Saluting Battery 01 ies.jpg
The Saluting Battery as seen from the Upper Barrakka Gardens in 2013
Saluting Battery logo.png
Logo of the Saluting Battery
St. Peter & Paul Bastion Valletta map.png
Map of the Saluting Battery within St. Peter & Paul Bastion
Coordinates 35°53′40.61″N14°30′44.89″E / 35.8946139°N 14.5124694°E / 35.8946139; 14.5124694
Type Artillery battery
Site information
Owner Government of Malta
OperatorFondazzjoni Wirt Artna
Open to
the public
Yes
ConditionIntact
Website www.salutingbattery.com
Site history
Built1560s
Built by Order of Saint John
British Empire
In use1560s–1954
Materials Limestone
Battles/wars Siege of Malta (1798–1800)
World War II

The Saluting Battery (Maltese : Batterija tas-Salut) is an artillery battery in Valletta, Malta. It was constructed in the 16th century by the Order of Saint John, on or near the site of an Ottoman battery from the Great Siege of Malta. The battery forms the lower tier of St. Peter & Paul Bastion of the Valletta Land Front, located below the Upper Barrakka Gardens and overlooking Fort St. Angelo and the rest of the Grand Harbour.

Contents

The Saluting Battery was mainly used for firing ceremonial gun salutes and signals, but it also saw military use during the blockade of 1798–1800 and World War II. The battery remained an active military installation until its guns were removed by the British in 1954. It was restored and opened to the public in the early 21st century, and it is now equipped with eight working replicas of SBBL 32-pounders which fire gun signals daily, Mon - Sat, at 1200 and 1600.

History

Hospitaller rule

Detail from a map of the Grand Harbour during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, showing the Order's strongholds of Birgu and Senglea and various Ottoman batteries. The battery at the top left of the image, overlooking Fort St. Angelo and flying a blue standard, stood roughly on the site of the Saluting Battery. DetalleSiegeMalta.jpg
Detail from a map of the Grand Harbour during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, showing the Order's strongholds of Birgu and Senglea and various Ottoman batteries. The battery at the top left of the image, overlooking Fort St. Angelo and flying a blue standard, stood roughly on the site of the Saluting Battery.

The origins of the Saluting Battery go back to the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. During the siege, Ottoman forces mounted cannon on the Sciberras Peninsula (now occupied by Valletta and Floriana) to bombard the Order of Saint John in Fort St. Angelo. One of the siege batteries was located close to where the Saluting Battery is now, since the area is on high ground and has clear views of St. Angelo and the rest of the Grand Harbour. [1]

In 1566, after the siege was lifted, the city of Valletta was founded. St. Peter & Paul Bastion began to be built in the same year, and was finished in 1570. The bastion has a multi-tiered artillery platform, from which guns could be mounted to command the full length and depth of the Grand Harbour. The Saluting Battery was built on the lower platform, while a loggia and a private garden were built on the upper part in the early 17th century. During the order's rule in Malta, the battery was used for both military and ceremonial purposes. By the late 18th century, the battery was armed with sixteen 12-pounder bronze cannon that fired stone spherical shots. [2]

During the French occupation of Malta and the siege of Valletta by Maltese insurgents, the armament of the Saluting Battery remained unchanged, but the guns' elevations were increased to be able to bombarded insurgent positions on Corradino Heights across the harbour. [3]

British rule

Soon after the British occupied Malta in 1800, the three daily gun signals (at sunrise, noon and sunset) began to be fired from the Saluting Battery instead of Saint James Cavalier, as they had been during the order's rule. When the battery was undergoing maintenance, the shots were fired from Fort St Angelo on the opposite side of the harbour. In 1803, two 24-pounder carronades and some 24-pounder cannon, which had been captured from the French during the French Revolutionary Wars, were added to the armament of the battery, and these remained in place until 1825.

In 1824, the loggia and garden on the platform above the Saluting Battery were opened to the public as the Upper Barrakka Gardens. By 1848, the battery was armed with four 12-pounder guns. Over the next few years, the armament was significantly increased. By 1852, the battery was armed with ten 24-pounders on the main parapet, four 32-pounders on the right flank, three 8-inch howitzers on the left flank, two 13-inch mortars at the back of the parapet, and two 56-pounder carronades at the salient angles. In 1854, Lascaris Battery was built adjoining St. Peter & Paul Bastion, below the Saluting Battery. [1] Henry Anderson Morshead (died 1831) was buried on the site of the battery. [4] [5]

In the 1860s, another 24-pounder was added, bringing the salute guns to eleven. In 1886, howitzers were replaced by RML 64-pounder guns, while the 32-pounders were removed. In the 1890s, all the armament was replaced with eleven 32-pounder Muzzle Loaders, which were used for saluting purposes only. In the early 20th century, the armament consisted of eight SBBL 32 pounders. The gun signals were not fired throughout World War I to conserve gunpowder, and they began to be fired again on Armistice Day in 1918. [6]

During the 1920s, the civilian authorities began pressing the government to cede the Saluting Battery in order to extend the Upper Barrakka. A second entrance to the battery was opened in 1924, linking it to the gardens. That same year, the armament was reduced to one SBBL 32-pounder, and four Ordnance QF 18-pounders. Part of the battery was given up to the public, and the guns were fenced off. [1]

Bofors 40 mm gun at the Saluting Battery in 1942 The British Army on Malta 1942 GM946.jpg
Bofors 40 mm gun at the Saluting Battery in 1942

In 1939, just before the beginning of World War II, the guns were all removed to be deployed for coastal defence. A single Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun was placed on the right salient of the battery to protect the Malta Dockyard. The battery was manned by the 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment of the Royal Malta Artillery. The Upper Barrakka and the Saluting Battery were significantly damaged by aerial bombardment. During the war, the Lascaris War Rooms were built in tunnels dug under the battery and gardens. [7]

After the war, the damage to the battery and gardens was repaired. Its armament was briefly replaced by four 25-pounder QF Mk I guns. These were removed a few years later in 1954, when the battery was shut down and transferred to the Royal Navy as part of its complex in Fort Lascaris. In 1965, the part of the battery that was still military property was handed over to the civil government and the whole area was turned into a garden. [1]

Restoration

One of the guns at the battery firing a salute Valletta Saluting battery Malta 2014 7.jpg
One of the guns at the battery firing a salute

Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, the Malta Heritage Trust, acquired the battery in 2004 and began to restore it to its late 19th century configuration. It now has working cannon, artillery stores, a gunpowder magazine, a collection of historic ordinance and a small museum. [8]

After restoration, the battery was initially equipped with eight original 24-pounder Blomefield cannon made between 1790 and 1810, [9] but these were transferred to a museum and replaced with eight working replicas of SBBL 32-pounders in 2011. During restoration works in 2011, about a hundred stone cannonballs were found at the site. [10]

The battery is now open daily, and guided tours are available. Gun salutes are fired every day at 1200 and 1600, and cruise liners visiting the Grand Harbour can also commission seven-gun salutes. [8] [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Rinella</span> Victorian battery in Kalkara, Malta

The Rinella Battery is 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Manoel</span> Star fort in Gzira, Malta

Fort Manoel is a star fort on Manoel Island in Gżira, Malta. It was built in the 18th century by the Order of Saint John, during the reign of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, after whom it is named. Fort Manoel is located to the north west of Valletta, and commands Marsamxett Harbour and the anchorage of Sliema Creek. The fort is an example of Baroque architecture, and it was designed with both functionality and aesthetics in mind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Saint Elmo</span> Star fort in Valletta, Malta

Fort Saint Elmo is a star fort in Valletta, Malta. It stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort Tigné and Fort Ricasoli. It is best known for its role in the Great Siege of Malta of 1565.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort St. Angelo</span>

Fort St. Angelo is a bastioned fort in Birgu, Malta, located at the centre of the Grand Harbour. It was originally built in the medieval period as a castle called the Castrum Maris. It was rebuilt by the Order of Saint John as a bastioned fort called Fort Saint Angelo between the 1530s and the 1560s, and it is best known for its role as the Order's headquarters during the Great Siege of Malta of 1565. A major reconstruction to designs of Carlos de Grunenbergh took place in the 1690s, giving the fort its current appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madliena Tower</span>

Madliena Tower, originally known as Torre della Paulina, is a small watchtower in Madliena, limits of Pembroke, Malta. It was completed in 1658 as the fourth of the De Redin towers. The British built an artillery battery next to the tower in 1908–1909, and the tower and battery remained in use until World War II. Today, the battery no longer exists but the tower is in good condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint James Cavalier</span>

Saint James Cavalier is a 16th-century cavalier in Valletta, Malta, which was built by the Order of St John. It overlooks St James' Bastion, a large obtuse-angled bastion forming part of the Valletta Land Front. St James was one of nine planned cavaliers in the city, although eventually only two were built, the other one being the identical Saint John's Cavalier. It was designed by the Italian military engineer Francesco Laparelli, while its construction was overseen by his Maltese assistant Girolamo Cassar. St James Cavalier never saw use in any military conflict, but it played a role during the Rising of the Priests in 1775.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Barrakka Gardens</span>

The Upper Barrakka Gardens are a public garden in Valletta, Malta. Along with the Lower Barrakka Gardens in the same city, they offer a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SBBL 32-pounder</span> Flank defence gun

The SBBL 32-pounder was a British smooth-bore breech loading gun made by converting older 32-pounder 42 cwt smooth-bore muzzle-loading guns.

The following is a history of the activities of the Royal Corps of Signals of the British Army while stationed in Malta. Signal troops were stationed in the country from 1923 to 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lascaris Battery</span>

Lascaris Battery, also known as Fort Lascaris or Lascaris Bastion, is an artillery battery located on the east side of Valletta, Malta. The battery was built by the British in 1854, and it is connected to the earlier St. Peter & Paul Bastion of the Valletta Land Front. In World War II, the Lascaris War Rooms were dug close to the battery, and they served as Britain's secret headquarters for the defence of the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lascaris War Rooms</span> WWII bunkers in Valletta, Malta

The Lascaris War Rooms are an underground complex of tunnels and chambers in Valletta, Malta that housed the War Headquarters from where the defence of the island was conducted during the Second World War. The rooms were later used by NATO and are now open to the public as a museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortifications of Malta</span> Defensive military constructions of the Maltese archipelago

The fortifications of Malta consist of a number of walled cities, citadels, forts, towers, batteries, redoubts, entrenchments and pillboxes. The fortifications were built over thousands 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Rocco Battery</span>

San Rocco Battery was an artillery battery in Kalkara, Malta, built by Maltese insurgents during the French blockade of 1798–1800. It was the last in a chain of batteries, redoubts and entrenchments encircling the French positions in Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour. It was built to control the entrance to the harbour as well as the French occupied Fort Ricasoli. The battery was continually being fired upon from the French at Ricasoli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mistra Battery</span>

Mistra Battery, formerly also known as Despirasse Battery, is an artillery battery in Mistra Bay, Mellieħa, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John in the 18th century as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the coasts of the Maltese Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tas-Samra Battery</span>

Tas-Samra Battery was an artillery battery in Ħamrun, Malta, built by Maltese insurgents during the French blockade of 1798–1800. It was part of a chain of batteries, redoubts and entrenchments encircling the French positions in Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corradino Batteries</span>

The Corradino Batteries were a series of artillery batteries on Corradino Heights, near Paola, Malta, that were built by Maltese insurgents during the French blockade of 1798–1800. The batteries formed part of a chain of batteries, redoubts and entrenchments encircling the French positions in Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortifications of Valletta</span> Defensive walls in Valletta, Malta

The fortifications of Valletta are a series of defensive walls and other fortifications which surround Valletta, the capital city of Malta. The first fortification to be built was Fort Saint Elmo in 1552, but the fortifications of the city proper began to be built in 1566 when it was founded by Grand Master Jean de Valette. Modifications were made throughout the following centuries, with the last major addition being Fort Lascaris which was completed in 1856. Most of the fortifications remain largely intact today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortifications of Senglea</span>

The fortifications of Senglea are a series of defensive walls and other fortifications which surround the city of Senglea, Malta. The first fortification to be built was Fort Saint Michael in 1552, and the majority of the fortifications were built over the next decade when it was founded by Grand Master Claude de la Sengle. Modifications continued until the 18th century, but large parts of the fortifications were demolished between the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, all that remain of Senglea's fortifications are the seaward bastions and part of the land front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Malta Artillery</span> British artillery unit

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "A brief history". Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  2. Rix, Juliet (2010). Malta and Gozo. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 119. ISBN   9781841623122.
  3. "History time-line". Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  4. Lee, Sidney, ed. (1894). "Morshead, Henry Anderson"  . Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 39. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  5. "Britisharmy1". Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  6. "Recalling WWI armistice". Times of Malta . 11 November 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  7. "Lascaris War Rooms". Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Saluting Battery". visitmalta.com. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  9. Farrugia, Mario (2 September 2010). "The guns at the Saluting Battery, Valletta". Times of Malta . Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  10. "Large find of cannon balls at the Barrakka battery". Times of Malta . 8 February 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  11. Vella, Leslie (28 March 2013). "Valletta's Saluting Battery". The Malta Photoblog. Retrieved 20 March 2015.