The Andradas Fort ( pt, Forte dos Andradas, originally pt, Forte do Monduba) is a fortification in the Morro do Monduba, at

Guarujá Guarujá (; ) is a municipality in the São Paulo state of Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Baixada Santista. The population is 322,750 (2020 est.) in an area of . This place name comes from the Tupi language, and means "narrow pa ...

, in the state of São Paulo in Brazil.

Purpose

The fort was constructed, along with the Itaipu Fortress ( pt, Fortaleza de Itaipu), in order to defend Santos bay and its port. It was home to the 5th Independent Battery of Artillery of Coast ( pt, 5ª Bateria Independente de Artilharia de Costa).

Design

The fort hosts four

Krupp gun The Krupp gun is a family of artillery pieces that was used by several world armies from the nineteenth century onwards. History In 1811, Friedrich Krupp founded his cast-steel factory ''Gusstahlfabrik'', but it was his son, Alfred Krupp, who att ...

s, each with , ammunition with a range of . An observatory post, with a telescope and a pair of

telemeter Telemetry is the in situ collection of measurements or other data at remote points and their automatic transmission to receiving equipment (telecommunication) for monitoring. The word is derived from the Greek roots ''tele'', "remote", an ...

s, calculated distances and positions of the ships approaching the bay. Three underground arched tunnels, one and two long, connect the facilities together, as well as housing six ammunition depots and a power room (housing a 3-phase 139V generator), plus a kitchen, canteen and toilet facilities. It was designed so that most of the structure was underground and hidden behind an "invisible curtain" of trees.

Construction and operation

The fort was designed in 1934. Construction started in 1938 to provide protection of the port during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. It was inaugurated on 10 November 1942 as ''Forte do Monduba'' - the last fort in Brazil to be inaugurated. It was later renamed as the Andradas Fort after

José Bonifácio de Andrada José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

Antônio Carlos Ribeiro de Andrada Antônio Carlos Ribeiro de Andrada Machado e Silva (1 November 1773 – 5 December 1845) was a Brazilian judge (''juiz de fora''), appellate judge (''desembargador'') and politician. At the time of Brazilian Independence, he often used the pseud ...

and

Martim Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada Martim Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada (9 April 1775 – 23 February 1844) was a Brazilian politician who played a leading role in the declaration of Brazil's independence and in the government during the years that followed. He was twice Minister o ...

. It housed political prisoners, including

Eduardo Collen Leite Eduardo is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the male given name Edward. Another version is Duarte. It may refer to: Association football * Eduardo Bonvallet, Chilean football player and sports commentator * Eduardo Carvalho, Portuguese footba ...

, during the military dictatorship in the 1960s. The fortification was decommissioned in 1972, with the last 32 grenades launched in a training exercise with range on 28 January 1972. The military base continues to operate as support for the Peace Headquarters and the 1st Brazilian Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade.

Preservation

The fort is now preserved. It is located in the Morro do Monduba, a preserve that is part of the Atlantic Forest, on

. Tours of the fort started in 2016. Tours of the fort are free, and take place on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 09.00 and 14.00. They have to be scheduled in advance by phone or email. The entrance to the fortification is on Rua Horácio Barreiro, in Tombo.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , last1=AAAe , first1=1ª Bda , title=Visita ao Forte dos Andradas , url=http://www.1bdaaaae.eb.mil.br/index.php/visitacao-ao-forte , website=www.1bdaaaae.eb.mil.br , language=pt-br , accessdate=31 August 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119231253/http://www.1bdaaaae.eb.mil.br/index.php/visitacao-ao-forte , archive-date=19 November 2018 , url-status=dead {{cite news , title=Forte dos Andradas é opção de lazer a moradores e turistas - A Tribuna , url=http://www.atribuna.com.br/noticias/noticias-detalhe/guaruja/forte-dos-andradas-reabre-para-visitacao/?cHash=487e844620023044fb616bb1089cbc76 , accessdate=31 August 2018 , work=www.atribuna.com.br , language=pt-BR {{cite news , title=Forte dos Andradas, no Guarujá, tem visitas guiadas ao público , url=https://vejasp.abril.com.br/cidades/forte-dos-andradas/ , accessdate=31 August 2018 , work=VEJA SÃO PAULO , language=pt-BR Forts in Brazil São Paulo (state)