Tarġa Battery ( mt, Batterija tat-Tarġa) is an

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 ...

on the boundary between St. Paul's Bay and

Mosta Mosta ( mt, Il-Mosta) is a small but densely populated city in the Northern Region of Malta. The most prominent building in Mosta is the Rotunda, a large basilica built by its parishioners' volunteer labour. It features the world's 3rd largest ...

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 in 1887 by the British as part of the

Victoria Lines The Victoria Lines, originally known as the North West Front, are a line of fortifications that spans 12 kilometres along the width of Malta, dividing the north of the island from the more heavily populated south. Location The Victoria Lines ru ...

. The battery is now in the hands of the Mosta Local Council, who intend to restore it and open it to the public.

History

Tarġa Battery was built in 1887 as part of the North West Front (later renamed the

), between the Dwejra Lines and

Fort Mosta Fort Mosta (formerly written as Fort Musta, mt, Il-Fortizza tal-Mosta) is a polygonal fort in Mosta, Malta. It was built between 1878 and the 1880s by the British as part of the Victoria Lines. It is still in use today by the Armed Forces of Malt ...

. The battery was built to protect the defensive line's low escarpment at Tarġa Gap, and it was meant to defend the area from enemy batteries which could be constructed on

Bidnija Bidnija is a rural hamlet between Mosta, St. Paul's Bay and Mġarr. It is located in the northern region of Malta and is home to roughly 308 people per 2008, the second least populated habitable zone on the Maltese islands after Mdina (306 peopl ...

Hill.

The battery has a pentagonal shape, and it contains a

caponier A caponier is a type of defensive structure in a fortification. Fire from this point could cover the ditch beyond the curtain wall to deter any attempt to storm the wall. The word originates from the French ', meaning "chicken coop" (a ''capon'' ...

, casemated gun emplacements, an escarpment and a ditch. An infantry

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...

was built at the rear of the battery. Some alterations were made to the structure between the 1890s and the first half of the 20th century. In 1888, when it was still under construction, the battery's design was criticized by a number of British engineers. The decision was taken to complete the battery, but it never received its intended armament of four 64-pounder RML guns. The entire Victoria Lines were of dubious defensive value, and the entire system of fortifications (with the exception of

Fort Madalena Fort Madalena, also known as Fort Madliena ( mt, Il-Fortizza tal-Madliena), is a polygonal fort in Madliena, limits of Swieqi, Malta. It was built between 1878 and 1880 by the British as part of the Victoria Lines. The fort now falls under the ...

and Fort Binġemma) was decommissioned in 1907. The former battery was then used as a magazine or storage area, and it was used for training and storage by the Civil Defence just after

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 opposin ...

Present day

The Land Ministry passed the battery to the

Local Council, who cleaned it up along with the Mosta Scout Group in May 2012. The site is now the Mosta Scout Group's campsite and activity centre.https://www.facebook.com/MostaScoutCampsite

The battery

References

External links

YouTube video showing a 3D model of Tarġa Battery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Targa Battery Batteries in Malta St. Paul's Bay Mosta British fortifications in Malta Buildings and structures completed in 1887 Limestone buildings in Malta 19th-century fortifications