Fort Tas-Silġ (formerly written as Fort Ta Silc, ) is a

polygonal fort A polygonal fort is a type of fortification originating in France in the late 18th century and fully developed in Germany in the first half of the 19th century. Unlike earlier forts, polygonal forts had no bastions, which had proved to be vulnerab ...

Marsaxlokk Marsaxlokk () is a small, traditional fishing village in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta. It has a harbour, and is a tourist attraction known for its views, fishing and history. As of March 2014, the village had a populati ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. It was built between 1879 and 1883 by the British on high ground at the shoreward end of Delimara Point, above il-Ħofra-ż-Żgħira. Its primary function was as a fire control point controlling the massed guns of

Fort Delimara Fort Delimara () is a polygonal fort in Marsaxlokk, Malta. It was built between 1876 and 1888 by the British as part of a chain of fortifications intended to protect Marsaxlokk Harbour. Today, the fort is still intact but is in need of restoration ...

on the headland below. It was part of a chain of fortifications intended to protect

Harbour, along with

seaward along Delimara point, the north arm of Marsaxlokk Bay,

Fort San Lucian 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 Knights Hospitaller, Order of Saint John between 1610 and 1611 ...

on Kbira point in the middle of the bay,

Fort Benghisa Fort Benghisa () is a polygonal fort in Birżebbuġa, Malta. It was built between 1910 and 1912 by the British on high ground on the seaward face of Benghisa Point, the southern arm of Marsaxlokk Bay. It is the southernmost fortification in Malt ...

on Bengħisa Point, and the

Pinto Pinto is a Portuguese, Spanish, Jewish (Sephardic), and Italian surname. It is a high-frequency surname in all Portuguese-speaking countries and is also widely present in Spanish-speaking countries, Italy, India (especially in Mangalore, Karnata ...

and Ferretti batteries on the shores of the bay. Approximately 300 metres north of Fort Tas-Silġ is the Saint Paul's Battery, a much smaller polygonal style fortification, that is in much worse condition.

History

The first stone of Fort Tas-Silġ was laid down in 1879 after a suggestion by British military engineers, and it was completed in 1883. The fort is a classic example of a polygonal fort, and it had underground barracks and magazines, and a spacious parade ground. The fort is surrounded by a ditch, and the entrance was protected with gun ports on one side and a bridge leading to the door. The fort's design and location was criticized by a number of military engineers, and its armament of six

RML 64 pounder 64 cwt gun The RML 64-pounder 64 cwt gun is a Rifled, Muzzle Loading (RML) naval, field or fortification artillery gun manufactured in England in the 19th century, which fired a projectile weighing approximately . "64 cwt" refers to the gun's weight rounde ...

s was changed a number of times before being removed in 1903. In the 1950s, the fort was used by the RAF (100 Signals Unit). During this time the camp mascot was a dog named Dodger. Later, the dog Rusty and bitch Scrubber were pets on the unit. Scrubber gave birth to 14 puppies, all of which found homes elsewhere on Malta. One of the three Aerials on the camp was used in the 1953 war film ''

Malta Story ''Malta Story'' is a 1953 British war film, directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, set during the air defence of Malta during the Siege of Malta in the Second World War. The film uses real and unique footage of the locations at which the battles wer ...

''. The fort was finally decommissioned and handed to civilian authorities in 1960.

Present day

Since 1991, the fort has been rented to the Island Sanctuary as a refuge for dogs. The sanctuary pays the government an annual rent of €232 for use of the fort. The gatehouse, and the shoreward ditch are in fair repair, but there has been considerable collapse of the inner face of the north ditch. In 2015, the fort was shortlisted as a possible site for the campus of the proposed

American University of Malta The American University of Malta (AUM) is a private institution offering American-style liberal arts education, located in Cospicua, Malta. Announced in May 2015, the university was introduced as part of a broader initiative aimed at supporting ...

. It was not chosen, and the campus is to be split up between Dock No. 1 in

Cospicua Cospicua (Italian language, Italian) or Bormla (Maltese language, Maltese, ), occasionally also known by the Latin language, Latin name Cottonera, is a double-fortified harbour city in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region of Malta. It served as th ...

and Żonqor Point in

Marsaskala Marsaskala, sometimes written as Marsascala is a seaside town in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta. Originally a fishing village, it has grown into a tourist destination and a permanent hometown for an ever-growing population. ...

Gallery

Malta Tas-Silg one.jpg, Scarp and ditch Malta Tas-Silg two.jpg, Gatehouse and approach ramp Malta Tas-Silg three.jpg, Caponier Malta Tas-Silg four.jpg, Scarp collapse Malta Tas-Silg five.jpg, Scarp and ditch Malta Tas-Silg six.jpg, Ditch counterscarp and caponier Malta Tas-Silg seven.jpg, Gatehouse ditch Malta Tas-Silg eight.jpg, Caponier Malta - Marsaxlokk - Triq Delimara - Fort Tas-Silg - Sanctuary 01 ies.jpg, The Island Sanctuary sign Malta - Marsaxlokk (FortTas-Silg) 01 ies.jpg, View from the fort

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Tas-Silg Tas-Silg Marsaxlokk Tas-Silg Buildings and structures completed in 1883 Animal shelters Limestone buildings in Malta Military installations closed in 1960 19th-century fortifications