Fort Amador facts for kids
Fort Amador (Spanish: Fuerte Amador) and Fort Grant were old United States Army bases. They were built to protect the southern end of the Panama Canal at Panama Bay. Fort Amador was the main base on land, located near the Bridge of the Americas. Fort Grant was made up of several islands just offshore. Some of these islands were connected to Fort Amador by a special road called a causeway. Fort Sherman was a similar base on the northern side of the canal. In 1999, all these forts were given back to the Republic of Panama. Today, this area is a popular spot for tourists.
A Look Back at the Forts
The islands near the forts were always seen as great places for defense. English pirates often visited them. Famous figures like Sir Francis Drake, Captain Cook, and Henry Morgan used islands like Taboga and Perico as safe spots. They would hide there after raiding Spanish ships called galleons. In 1852, a future president, Ulysses S. Grant, finished his journey across Panama at this location.
Building the Forts
When the Panama Canal was being built, especially the Culebra Cut, a lot of extra dirt and rock was dug up. This material was dumped into a swampy area. As the work continued, this dump was filled in to create a large barrier. This barrier was later made even longer to reach the closest offshore island, Naos. This building work was finished in 1912. That same year, the military bases were given their official names. Fort Amador was named after Manuel Amador Guerrero, who was the first president of Panama. Fort Grant was named to remember Ulysses S. Grant's earlier trip to that spot.
How the Forts Grew
At first, the two forts only covered about 70 acres (28 hectares) of land. But over the years, this area grew to more than 344 acres (139 hectares). Fort Amador was mainly used for soldiers and support. It also had a large "tank farm" to store fuel. Fort Grant was mostly used for naval defense. It had many large gun batteries on its different islands. To supply these guns, the causeway was extended. It connected Naos to other nearby islands like Culebra, Perico, and Flamenco. All these islands had different sizes of gun batteries. Fort Grant also included other islands that were not connected by the causeway. These included San Jose, Panamarca, Changarmi, Tortolita, Torola, Taboga, Cocovieceta, Cocovi, and Venado.
Fort Amador's Guns
Fort Amador first had two gun batteries. Each battery had two six-inch disappearing guns. These batteries, named Birnie and Snith, were started in 1913 and finished in 1917. They were used until 1943, when the guns were taken away and the structures were buried. The area was then used for housing. In 1942, a new 90mm Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat (AMTB) Battery was put in place. This battery was also taken apart and buried in 1948.
See also
In Spanish: Fuerte Amador para niños
- 14-inch M1920 railway gun
- 16-inch gun M1895 at Fort Grant
- Panama Canal Zone
- List of former United States military installations in Panama
