Fort St. Catherine, or ''Fort St. Catherine's'' (as it is usually referred to), is a

coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form o ...

fort at the North-East tip of St. George's Island, in the

Imperial fortress Imperial fortress was the designation given in the British Empire to four colonies that were located in strategic positions from each of which Royal Navy squadrons could control the surrounding regions and, between them, much of the planet. His ...

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

. Successively redeveloped, the fort was used first by Bermudian Militia and then by regular

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

units from 1612 into the 20th century. Today it houses a museum.

Militia forts

John Smith 1624 map of Bermuda with Forts 01

The first fort was built on the site from wood in 1612. This was replaced by a stone fort in 1614. It was one of a number of forts built immediately following the

Virginia Company The Virginia Company was an English trading company chartered by King James I on 10 April 1606 with the object of colonizing the eastern coast of America. The coast was named Virginia, after Elizabeth I, and it stretched from present-day Mai ...

being given official sanction in 1612 for its possession of Bermuda, which it had occupied since the wreck of the

Sea Venture ''Sea Venture'' was a seventeenth-century English sailing ship, part of the Third Supply mission to the Jamestown Colony, that was wrecked in Bermuda in 1609. She was the 300 ton purpose-built flagship of the London Company and a highly unusual ...

in 1609. The first forts were built around St. George's Harbour, followed closely by forts on

Castle Harbour Castle Harbour is a large natural harbour in Bermuda. It is located between the northeastern end of the main island and St. David's Island. Originally called ''Southampton Port'', it was renamed as a result of its heavy fortification in the early ...

, the Castle Islands Fortifications. These forts include the oldest surviving buildings, the oldest surviving fortifications, the oldest surviving house (a fort commander's house), also the first stone forts, the first stone house, and the first coastal artillery built by the English in the New World. While most of these forts were designed to prevent an enemy entering St. George's Harbour, either directly from the open Atlantic, or via Castle Harbour, Fort St. Catherine's, was placed in a location to prevent vessels which had entered through the reefline from the open Atlantic via the main shipping channel from rounding St. George's Island and moving to Westward. Vessels passing this way are constrained by the surrounding reeflines, and must travel near to shore, and cannot take evasive manoeuvres, making the site a very useful one for coastal artillery.

Use by the Regular Army

RML 10 inch Mk II gun closeup Fort St Catherine

The fort was rebuilt five times, the last time at the end of the 19th century, by when Bermuda had become the premier base for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

in the Western Hemisphere, requiring a large military garrison with numerous forts and batteries to protect it. Ultimately, the fort's exposed position made it more vulnerable than later forts, often designed to be protected from fire, and obscured from view, by earthworks. These included Fort Victoria and Fort Albert, on the hill directly behind Fort St. Catherines. In the 20th century, forts fell out of favour, and most of the coastal artillery still in use was placed in batteries with only minimal fortification, like the St. David's Battery, Alexandra Battery, and Warwick Camp Battery. The 10 inch RMLs at Fort St. Catherine were not replaced as the 9.2 inch RBLs placed at Fort Victoria made St. Catherine's and Fort Albert unnecessary. the RMLs were pushed over the side of the fort in the 1940s and have lain since rusting on the surrounding slopes and shoreline. The 10 inch RMLs now mounted in the fort were taken from Fort Albert in the 1960s.

Post-Military Use

In the 1950s, a production of Macbeth was staged at Fort St. Catherine's starring Charlton Heston. Today, the fort houses a museum dedicated to Bermudian history, particularly the military aspect. As a result of their historical significance, with fortifications spanning the full four centuries of English settlement in the New World, the forts at the East End of Bermuda, together with St. George's Town (or the Town of St. George), have been made a UNESCO

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

(the Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications).

References

Bibliography

* ''Defence, Not Defiance: A History Of The Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps'', Jennifer M. Ingham (now Jennifer M. Hind), The Island Press Ltd., Pembroke, Bermuda. * ''The Andrew And The Onions: The Story Of The Royal Navy In Bermuda, 1795 – 1975'', Lt. Commander Ian Strannack, The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, The Bermuda Maritime Museum, P.O. Box MA 133, Mangrove Bay, Bermuda MA BX. * ''Bermuda Forts 1612–1957'', Dr.

Edward C. Harris Edward Cecil Harris, is a prominent Bermudian archaeologist. He is best known for the "Harris matrix", developed in February 1973 and considered by some to be the "industry standard" for stratigraphic archaeology. This was followed by a five- ...

, The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, The Bermuda Maritime Museum. * ''Bulwark Of Empire: Bermuda's Fortified Naval Base 1860-1920'', Lt.-Col. Roger Willock,

USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

, The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, The Bermuda Maritime Museum. {{ISBN, 978-0-921560-00-5 Installations of the British Army Fortifications in Bermuda Batteries in Bermuda World Heritage Sites in Bermuda Museums in Bermuda Military and war museums St. George's Parish, Bermuda 1612 establishments in the British Empire