Category talk:Sea forts

definition

where is the definition of "sea forts"? I do not see a main article and do not see any purpose/inclusion information in the category text (there is no text). Hmains (talk) 16:40, 25 March 2016 (UTC)

They're forts, at sea.

A "fort" is not the same thing as a castle. Forts begin (in the UK) with Henry VIII and the development of practical artillery. Rather than being a fortified building that a large garrison can live within and can defend from sieges at close range, or can use as a garrison from which to conduct raids, a fort is a small structure containing artillery. Compare Henry's small powerful "Device Forts", such as Deal Castle or Pendennis Castle, with the preceding castles. It uses this artillery to command an area before it. They are fortified, but often only against long-range attacks and they are often small: too small for a large garrison, too small to withstand a siege.

A sea fort is (in the classic form) a fort at sea. A fortified island, or a construction built on the sea bed. It's placed off the cost in order to command more of a sea lane. Being isolated may also protect it itself from land attack, or prevent an attacking force of infantry being landed.

There's also the coastal battery, which is something of an intermediate step. It has the same function as a sea fort, controlling a sea lane by artillery, but it's on a coast or headland. This makes them cheaper to construct and supply, but it loses a little in their inherent defensive ability.

If it's big enough to house a large garrison, or it's garrisoned by troops who have a function outside the fort, then IMHO it's no longer strictly a fort, or at least a sea fort. This naming distinction faded rather in the Victorian period. Andy Dingley (talk) 18:07, 25 March 2016 (UTC)