Ramla Right Battery

Ramla Right Battery (Maltese: Batterija tal-Lemin tar-Ramla), also known as Gironda Battery (Maltese: Batterija ta' Gironda)[1] or Nadur Battery (Maltese: Batterija tan-Nadur),[2] was an artillery battery in Ramla Bay, limits of Nadur on the island of Gozo, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John in 1715–1716 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the Maltese Islands. The battery now lies in ruins.

Ramla Right Battery
Batterija tal-Lemin tar-Ramla
Nadur, Gozo, Malta
Ruins of Ramla Right Battery
Coordinates36°3′45.6″N 14°17′12.8″E
TypeArtillery battery
Site information
OwnerGovernment of Malta
Controlled byGaia Foundation
ConditionRuins
Site history
Built1715–1716
Built byOrder of Saint John
MaterialsLimestone
Battles/warsFrench invasion of Malta (1798)

History

Ramla Right Battery was built in 1715–1716 as part of the first building programme of coastal batteries in Malta. It was one of several fortifications in Ramla Bay, which also included Ramla Left Battery on the opposite side of the bay and Ramla Redoubt in the centre. These were all linked together by an entrenchment wall. Ramla Bay was further defended by Marsalforn Tower on the plateau above the bay, and an underwater barrier to prevent enemy ships from landing within the bay.

The battery had a semi-circular parapet with six embrasures, with a blockhouse at the rear. A fougasse was also dug on the shore close to the battery, and it still exists.[3][4]

The battery saw use during the French invasion of Malta in 1798, when it fired on the approaching French fleet.[5]

Present day

Today, only some remains of the battery's blockhouse survive. These remains, along with the rest of Ramla Bay, are managed by the Gaia Foundation.[6]

References
  1. Mifsud, Raymond. "It-Trunciera fir-Ramla". Xaghra.com (in Maltese). Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  2. "Scheduling of Property - Section 46 of the Development Planning Act, 1992". MEPA. 6 January 1995. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015.
  3. "Il-Bajja tar-Ramla". Xaghra.com (in Maltese). Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  4. Saliba, Mario. "Ir-Ramla: ġawhra naturali u wirt nazzjonali". academia.edu (in Maltese). Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  5. Hardman, William (1909). A history of Malta during the period of the French and British occupations, 1798-1815. London: Longmans, Green & Co. p. 47.
  6. Ragonesi, Rudolf (16 June 2013). "Gaia Foundation and Ramla l-Ħamra". Times of Malta. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
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