|
|
FORTRESS STUDY GROUP
|
Casemate 77 |
The low level of defences in the Canary Island probably suggest that not many have coveted the Canary Islands since they were colonised by Spain in the fifteenth century; but the inhabitants of the archipelago did suffer constant trepidation from the frequent appearance of corsairs. Consequently there are a few interesting sites for the student of fortification, including the towers constructed on Fuerteventura, the second largest of the Canary Islands, and the closest, about 100km, to the African coast.
Raids on Fuerteventura, incorporated into the Kingdom of Castille in 1405, were often conducted in pursuit of provisions; the island, historically, being referred to as the 'farm' of the Canaries because of its large population of goats; indeed the island's capital, Puerto de Rosario, was until 1957 called Puerto de Cabras, the Port of Goats.
It may not have been direct cause and effect, but the construction of defensive towers began at El Cotillo on the north-west coast and at what is now called Caleta de Fuste on the east coast the next year, after an attempted incursion by what are described as 'English corsairs' in 1740. Repulsed at the Battle of Tamasite, the event is commemorated in the altarpiece of the Iglesia de San Miguel in Tuineje, and re-enacted annually on 13 October.
The tower at El Cotillo.
|
The engineer Claudio de Lisle, who was in the islands as a member of a commission sent in 1738 to investigate the military state of the territories, designed the tower at El Cotillo, known variously as the tower of San Miguel del Tostón, el Tostón, or Castillo de Rico Roque. It is smaller than its counterpart, but both are of essentially similar design. Intriguingly, this design is strikingly similar to that used for Britain's south-coast 'Martello Towers' constructed in the nineteenth century; unfortunately we didn't get to it.
El Castillo.
El Castillo; the tower at Caleta de Fuste.
|
Better luck was had with the tower at Caleta de Fuste; also designed by Claudio de Lisle, it was completed in 1743 and, again, the similarity with the Martello design is obvious. Note however the māchicoulis protecting the entrance and the similar, though roofed, device on the rampart. There is an identical structure on the opposite side.
Māchicoulis.
|
The main entrance is on the first floor on the north side and equipped with a drawbridge protected by the māchicoulis. It seems likely that the ground level has been raised around the perimeter of the tower. The height of the entrance is currently about 3m.
Access from the roof.
|
A central pillar supports the roof, again very similar to those in the south-coast Martello Towers, and the ground floor contains a cistern, and storage area.
|
About 22 degrees west of the entrance is a chamber, c.3x3m, constructed within the thickness of the wall and accessed through an internal doorway. This has a horizontal rectangular loophole piercing the outer wall, which is reduced from its overall thickness of some 5.5m to about 2m in this area. The internal diameter of the first-floor is roughly 13m.
Immediately on the right through the entrance doorway is a stairway constructed within the wall, which allows access to the roof, on which is a barrel-roofed structure that was probably a ready-use magazine and/or personnel shelter. Note also the vertical loophole in the wall visible through the stair exit.
|
There are five simple embrasures, spaced equidistantly around the parapet, which is approximately 2m thick at this level and some 1.5m in height. The views of the approach to the bay, and the field of fire from the tower, are evident from the aerial view of the tower and its immediate surroundings.
Aerial view of El Castillo.
|
The tower never saw action, nor did its counterpart at El Cotillo, probably because raiders simply avoided them and landed at unprotected areas. It is constructed from the black volcanic rock that forms the Canary Islands, and has been kept in excellent condition. El Castillo is well worth a visit, though access to the interior may be problematical. This is because the tower is now within the perimeter of a major tourist complex; Barcelo Club El Castillo, which does not allow public access to the tower, but special permission can be gained by asking the management nicely.
Beach Defence Bunkers.
Visible from the tower on the opposite shore of the bay is the nearest of a pair of bunkers, located some 500m apart.
Bunker viewed from the south.
|
Embrasures.
|
Blast wall inside entrance.
|
The two bunkers are essentially identical and the existing portions are approximately 5.5x4m, though there was a passageway, possibly right-angled, leading to the entrance at some point in the past. The walls are around 1.0m thick with the loopholes measuring roughly 600x200mm.
Bunker 2; rear facing entrance and remains of passage.
|
These loopholes are set in recesses, and the wall thickness at these points is reduced to some 400-500mm.
Bunker 2 from the north.
|
Constructed of concrete mixed with a good deal of large stones, but with no evidence of any steel reinforcing bars, they stand out prominently, though it is not possible to tell if they were once effectively camouflaged. The 'golden sand' that now forms the beach was imported, and they may at one time have been suitably concealed; the stones on top of them certainly suggest an attempt was made. There is no indication as to date of construction beyond what can be gleaned from observation. Clearly they were designed to protect personnel operating modern weapons such as magazine rifles and light machine guns; there is, in any event, no evidence of mountings for heavier weaponry. They probably date from the 1940's, though this is a supposition and not supported by any evidence. With a field of fire of somewhere above 180 degrees the structures are mutually supporting, but would have been at risk from outflanking manoeuvres and attack from behind; unless that is, they were protected by further works to their rear, something that is now impossible to establish due to the encroachment of modern buildings.
doubt there will be records of these structures and similar works that appear elsewhere in the archipelago, such as the bunker at Playa de las Americas in Tenerife, somewhere in the archives of the Spanish military. If anyone knows, or finds, anything more about them, then I would love to hear of it.
(Charles and Pamela Stephenson visited the island in April 2003. Charles has written two Fortresses; 16, Fortifications of Malta and 41, The Channel Islands 1941-45. Ed).
