Pinto Battery ( mt, Batterija ta' Pinto), also known as Għżira Battery ( mt, Batterija ta' Għżira) or Kechakara Battery, is a former

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...

Birżebbuġa Birżebbuġa (; sometimes shortened to B'Buġa) is a seaside town in the Southern Region of Malta, close to Marsaxlokk. It is approximately from the capital Valletta, and it has a population of 9,736 as of March 2014. The town is popular amon ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. It was built by the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

between 1715 and 1716 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the coasts of the Maltese Islands. The battery has been heavily altered over time, and the blockhouse now houses a bar and a garage, while the gun platform and parapet have been largely destroyed, with only the general outline still visible.

History

Pinto Battery was built in 1715-1716 as part of the first building programme of coastal batteries in Malta. It was part of a chain of fortifications that defended Marsaxlokk Bay, which also included six other batteries, the large Saint Lucian Tower, two smaller

De Redin towers The De Redin Towers ( mt, Torrijiet ta' De Redin) are a series of small coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Knights Hospitaller, Order of Saint John between 1658 and 1659. Thirteen towers were built around the coast of Malta (island), mainl ...

, four redoubts and three entrenchments. Construction of the battery cost 1109 scudi. The battery originally consisted of a semi-circular gun platform, with a parapet containing eight embrasures. Its gorge had a large rectangular blockhouse protected by a

redan Redan (a French word for "projection", "salient") is a feature of fortifications. It is a work in a V-shaped salient angle towards an expected attack. It can be made from earthworks or other material. The redan developed from the lunette, ...

. The battery's entrance was located within the redan. It was originally armed with cannons.

Present day

The battery has undergone major alterations over time, being largely destroyed in the process. The redan has been destroyed, while the blockhouse is a bar and a garage. The general outline of the semi-circular gun platform can still be seen, although the parapet with embrasures no longer exists.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Batteries in Malta Hospitaller fortifications in Malta Military installations established in 1715 Birżebbuġa Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 18th-century fortifications 1715 establishments in Malta 18th Century military history of Malta {{Malta-struct-stub