Fort Point, also known as Admiral's Point,
is a point of land situated on the western shore to the entrance of
Trinity Harbour,
Trinity Bay,
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
, Canada. The area was the site a fort which was located on the tip of the peninsula.
History
Trinity, with its excellent
harbour
A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...
and close proximity to the
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques ...
grounds, was often the target of French raids which required protection. The peninsula that jutted out into the natural harbour provided an ideal location for such a fort. It was the site of three military installations with the first in 1744 that housed fourteen twenty four pounder cannons facing the inner harbour with another four six pounders towards
Salvage Head.
[Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, Volume Two, (p 324 - 325) ]
On July 17, 1762, the fort was surrendered to French commander Captain
Chevalier de Boisgelin, who destroyed the buildings and most of the ordnance.
The second installation was in 1812, as protection against raids by American
privateers
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
. The third and final installation was in 1820 when it was commanded by
Captain J.T. Nicholas of HMS ''Egeria''.
The fortification was eventually abandoned and a
lighthouse was erected on the site in 1871.
See also
Trinity Historical Society page with photos
References and notes
{{coord, 48, 21, 55, N, 53, 20, 42, W, scale:25000, display=title
External links
Point
Military history of Newfoundland
Headlands of Newfoundland and Labrador