Fort Charlotte (2)

 (1798-1965) - A British colonial coastal fort established in 1795 by Prince Edward on George's Island in Halifax Harbor in present day Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Officially named Fort Charlotte on 20 Oct 1798 for Queen Charlotte, Prince Edward's mother. Abandoned in 1965.

History
The original Fort Charlotte was a star shaped fort built on George's Island in 1795. The fort had a central 45' square blockhouse and two semi-circular batteries (North and South). In 1811 the star fort was demolished and replaced with casemated batteries and the Fort Charlotte Martello Tower.

In 1864-1866 the South Battery was replaced with a modern 7" Rifled Muzzle Loading (RML) battery of eight guns and became known as the Upper Battery. In the period 1866-1869 a new four gun casemated 10" RML battery was built in the south counterscarp and connected to the Upper Battery through the south caponier. This new battery came to be known as the Lower Battery. The old North Battery was unchanged but was disarmed in 1878. By 1877 the Martello tower had been removed.

With the advent of longer range rifled weapons the defense of the harbor moved further out and Fort Charlotte's role changed to inner harbor defense. The new role included underwater mines and submarine nets as well as quick firing smaller caliber guns to protect the harbor against small high speed torpedo boats. These defenses were in place for World War I. During World War II an anti-aircraft battery was stationed at the fort.

Current Status
Part of Georges Island National Historic Site, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The park is currently closed to visitors and access to the island is restricted.

See Also:
 * Harbor Defense of Halifax

Sources:

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Charlotte
 * Parks Canada - Georges Island National Historic Site
 * Canada's Historic Places - Georges Island National Historic Site