Lascaris Battery
The Lascaris Battery is an artillery battery in Malta. The installation is located on the east side of Valletta and is connected to the St. Peter's Bastion of the Valletta Land Front. Construction began in 1854 during the period of British rule; its use as Britain's headquarters for the defence of the island during World War II was a well kept secret.[1]
History
The installation was named after Grand Master Giovanni Paolo Lascaris.[2] Immediately after the British took over the islands of Malta in 1800, they used the fortifications built by the Knights of St. John almost without alterations. Under the military theory of the time, the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean was regarded as the most reliable protection against invasion. However, during his time as governor, Sir William Reid ordered gun batteries to be added inside the Grand Harbour, in order to repel any ships which broke through the cordon of Fort St. Elmo and Fort St. Angelo and penetrated the harbour. Construction began in 1854.[3]
During the Second World War, the Lascaris War Rooms were dug under the Upper Barracca Gardens and the casemates of the Lascaris Battery, into rock.[2] The network of underground tunnels and chambers located 150 feet (46 m) below the Upper Barracca Gardens and the Saluting Battery were used as “The War Rooms” of Britain’s War HQ in Malta.[1][4] The facility later housed the headquarters of the Allied invasion of Sicily during mid-1943.[5]
Features
A high bastion was built on the harbour side of St. Peter's Bastion. It is an irregular trapezoid with rounded corners. A shooting platform extends from the right flank. The saluting battery of St. Peter's Bastion, located above the shooting positions, is rectangular. A parade ground was located inside the new bastion. Beginning in 1868, the two-storey casemates were converted to barracks, which, as a result, have open galleries facing the parade ground.[6]
At the beginning of the 1860s, the battery was equipped with fourteen 8-inch 9-ton RML guns. The saluting battery had 12 SBML 24-pounders. In addition, four 10-inch 18-ton guns were stationed on the left flank of the battery. On an additional platform beneath the left flank of the saluting battery were three 10-inch howitzers. In 1884, the battery was armed with seven 64-pound 64-cwt RML guns in the casemates, which were protected by a wall approximately 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) thick. Since these guns were outmoded, they had to be replaced by more modern artillery. A 9-inch 12-ton RML gun was mounted on the battery; on an open barbette, this was in a very exposed situation. The powder store, with a capacity of 30,500 pounds (13,800 kg),[7] was protected only by 3 metres (9.8 ft) walls and roof. Overall, the construction of the battery was outdated and the installation was no longer able to defend against modern artillery. At this point, the saluting battery was fitted with five RML 64-pounders.
References
- This article incorporates information from this version of the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Lascaris Battery". History. Lascariswarrooms.com. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rix, Juliet (15 June 2010). Malta and Gozo. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 119–. ISBN 978-1-84162-312-2. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ↑ Castillo, Dennis Angelo (2006). The Maltese Cross: A Strategic History of Malta. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-313-32329-4. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ↑ Holland, James (2004). Fortress Malta : An Island Under Siege 1940–1943. London: Phoenix. p. 170. ISBN 9780304366545.
- ↑ Holland, James (2004). Fortress Malta : An Island Under Siege 1940–1943. London: Phoenix. p. 416. ISBN 9780304366545.
- ↑ Hughes, Quentin (1993). Malta: a guide to the fortification. Said International. p. 139. ISBN 978-99909-43-07-8. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ↑ "Transport Statistics 2012". Government of Malta. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
Coordinates: 35°53′38″N 14°30′46″E / 35.89389°N 14.51278°E