In 1771, the King of England ordered a tower be built at the head of the harbour to protect the harbour and surrounding fishing grounds from the French. Between 1773 and 1777, a casemated masonry tower with a lead roof and barbette battery was built. The battery had four 18 pound cannons and four 24 pound cannons. It was named Fort Amherst after Lieutenant General William Amherst in recognition of his leadership in recapturing St. John's from French forces in 1762....after which, the loss forced France to sign the Treaty of Paris causing them to lose all territory in North America except for Saint Pierre and Miquelon. After British forces left Newfoundland, they left the Battery and Tower intact. In 1813, Newfoundland's first lighthouse was built here on top of the original battery. The foundation of the old lighthouse can still be seen today under the current lighthouse.
After the World War I, the lighthouse and surrounding area was fortified once again to continue to protect the harbour, although it was never used for any practical use during the war. In November 1940, the World War I battery was commissioned as a "Q" battery or examination battery. Royal Canadian Navy servicemen were stationed here and tasked with locating and tracking unidentified ships nearing the harbour. An examination ship would intercept any ship without credentials. If the ship didn't cooperate, the battery's orders were to fire on the ship. The battery was armed with two 75mm field guns.
In 1941, St. John's had become an important convoy point for ships heading to war in Europe. This called for increased military protection for the harbour. Near the end of 1941, several buildings and a large two gun battery was developed beneath the lighthouse by the Royal Canadian Navy. The Royal Canadian Artillery operated two casemated 24 foot long 4.7 inch quick-fire guns. These replaced the original 75mm guns. A canteen, officers building, and several other buildings were built above the lighthouse around the same time. A large two story barrack that housed 92 soldiers was built just west of the site between the cliff and the road. These soldiers manned the post war signal station and operated a controlled underwater minefield just outside the narrows. The remains of the barracks can still be seen near the entrance to the East Coast Trail. In 1946, the Royal Canadian Navy decommissioned the battery and surrounding buildings.
As a child, my father would bring us here (as his father did with him) to explore the concrete buildings and sit in front of the lighthouse watching the waves. I remember finding old shell casings and being startled by the fog horn when the fog started to come in. Unfortunately, the area has fallen into disrepair, and it is now fenced off for safety reasons. The best way to see the old fort is from the water or from Signal Hill.
To log this virtual -
- Head to the posted coordinates. It's paved, wheelchair accessible, and safe.
- Take a picture of you or a personal item (foot? hand? dried caplin? puffin stuffy?) with FORT AMHERST (Not Cabot Tower!) in the background.
- Then post your picture in your log.
- If you find yourself on a boat, on the North Head Trail, or unable to leave the parking lot, feel free to take your picture from there
Enjoy and thanks for visiting!
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.