Westreme Battery ( mt, Batterija ta' Westreme), also known as ir-Rasus Battery ( mt, Batterija tar-Rasus) or Mellieħa Right Battery ( mt, Batterija tal-Lemin tal-Mellieħa), 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 ...
in
Mellieħa
Mellieħa ( mt, il-Mellieħa ) is a large village in the Northern Region of Malta. It has a population of 10,087 as of March 2014. Mellieħa is also a tourist resort, popular for its sandy beaches and natural environment.
Etymology
The name ''M ...
,
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 ...
in 1715–1716 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the coasts of the Maltese Islands.
Most of the battery was destroyed over time, but the
blockhouse
A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...
still exists. It is now open to the public as the Tunnara Museum, a museum about
tuna fishing
''Tuna Fishing (Homage to Meissonier)'' was painted by Salvador Dalí in 1966–1967 and is seen by many as one of Dalí's last masterpieces. Filled chaotically with the violent struggle of the men in the picture and the big fish. A golden knife s ...
.
History
Westreme Battery was built between 1715 and 1716 as part of the Order of Saint John's first building program of coastal fortifications. The battery was probably named after a knight of the same name. No records with details about its construction are known.
[ The battery was one of two batteries guarding Mellieħa Bay, the other one being the now-demolished Fedeau Battery. The area was further defended by Mellieħa Redoubt at the centre of the bay, but this no longer exists.
The battery consisted of a semi-circular gun platform, with its eastern face having a parapet with five embrasures. There was no parapet around the rest of the platform. This arrangement was similar to the one at the nearby ]Mistra Battery
Mistra Battery ( mt, Batterija tal-Mistra), formerly also known as Despirasse Battery ( mt, Batterija ta' Despirasse), is an artillery battery in Mistra Bay, Mellieħa, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John in the 18th century as one o ...
, but on a larger scale. The battery also had a single blockhouse, placed diagonally along the land front so that its two outer faces functioned as a redan, similar to Saint Mary's Battery
Saint Mary's Battery ( mt, Batterija ta' Santa Marija), also known as Comino Battery ( mt, Batterija ta' Kemmuna), is an artillery battery on the island of Comino in Malta. It was built by the Knights Hospitaller, Order of Saint John between 171 ...
. The blockhouse, which was pierced with musketry loopholes, was one of the largest blockhouses in any of the coastal batteries in Malta. These features put together made the battery unique, unlike any other in the Maltese islands.
In 1748, Grand Master Pinto
Pinto is a Portuguese language, Portuguese, Spanish language, Spanish, Sephardi Jews, Jewish (Sephardic), and Italian language, Italian surname. It is a high-frequency surname in all List of countries and territories where Portuguese is an officia ...
inaugurated the ''tunnara'', a traditional Maltese tuna fishing
''Tuna Fishing (Homage to Meissonier)'' was painted by Salvador Dalí in 1966–1967 and is seen by many as one of Dalí's last masterpieces. Filled chaotically with the violent struggle of the men in the picture and the big fish. A golden knife s ...
method, at Westreme Battery. Over the years, the battery's military importance was diminished, and it was used as a store for fishing nets and other equipment used in the ''tunnara''.
During the French invasion of Malta
The French invasion of Malta ( mt, Invażjoni Franċiża ta' Malta) was the successful invasion of the islands of Malta and Gozo, then ruled by the Order of St. John, by the French First Republic led by Napoleon Bonaparte in June 1798 as part o ...
of 1798, Westreme Battery was the first battery to be overrun by the invading forces.
In 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 ...
, the blockhouse was converted into a beach post. Rectangular machine gun portholes were cut into the corners of the building. Another concrete beach post and a searchlight emplacement were also built near the blockhouse. After the war, the blockhouse was again used in the ''tunnara''.
Present day
Today, the semi-circular gun platform and the parapet of the battery no longer exist, although some parts of the rock hewn base can still be seen. The blockhouse is still intact, and is open to the public as the Tunnara Museum. Its exhibits relate mainly to Maltese traditional tuna fishing.
The blockhouse was restored in 2007 and 2008. Further restoration works began in 2015. A full renovation project was announced in October 2019, which will take place with a majority of EU funds allocation.
Further reading
*
References
External links
National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
{{Batteries in Malta
Batteries in Malta
Hospitaller fortifications in Malta
Military installations established in 1715
World War II sites in Malta
Museums in Malta
Mellieħa
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