Fort Amherst, St. John's facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fort Amherst
Neighbourhood
Fort Amherst from Signal Hill
Country	Canada
Province	Newfoundland and Labrador
City	St. John's
Ward	2
{| class="infobox vcard" style="width: 22em" |+ class="fn" | Fort Amherst, St. John's |- | colspan=2 style="text-align: center" | |- | colspan=2 style="text-align: center" | Fort Amherst Lighthouse |- ! Location | class="label" | Fort Amherst St. John's Newfoundland Canada |- ! Coordinates | 47°33′48.68″N 52°40′49.52″W / 47.5635222°N 52.6804222°W / 47.5635222; -52.6804222 |- ! Year first constructed | 1813 (first) 1852 (second) |- ! Year first lit | class="note" | 1951 (current) |- ! Construction | stone tower (first) wooden tower (current) |- ! Tower shape | square frustun tower with balcony and lantern |- ! Markings / pattern | class="note" | white tower, red lantern roof |- ! Height | 8 metres (26 ft) |- ! Focal height | 40 metres (130 ft) |- ! Range | 17 nautical miles (31 km; 20 mi) |- ! Characteristic | class="note" | Fl W 15s. |- ! Admiralty number | H0458 |- ! CHS number | CCG 506 |- ! NGA number | 1848 |- ! ARLHS number | CAN-683 |- |}

Fort Amherst is a neighbourhood in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located at 47°33′48.96″N 52°40′49.60″W / 47.5636000°N 52.6804444°W / 47.5636000; -52.6804444, on the southern side of the Narrows, the entrance to St. John's harbour. Apart from some family dwellings, Fort Amherst consists of a man-made harbour, a lighthouse and the remains of gun emplacements built during World War II to defend against German U-boats. Two QF 4.7-inch B Mark IV* guns remain in place, and can still be seen on their mountings.

The original fortifications at Fort Amherst, built in the 1770s, are no longer visible. The fortifications were named for William Amherst, who successfully recaptured St. John's from French forces in 1762. The fort operated in conjunction with Fort Waldegrave for much of its history. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1951.

The name is shared with Port La-Joye / Fort Amherst in Prince Edward Island and Fort Amherst in England.

The first lighthouse in Newfoundland was built at Fort Amherst in 1810. The current lighthouse was built in 1951.

Gallery

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  One of two surviving QF 4.7-inch B Mark IV* guns at Fort Péninsule, Forillon National Park, Quebec. It is similar to the guns at Fort Amherst.

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