Fort Tanjong Katong facts for kids
Fort Tanjong Katong was an old military fort in Singapore. It was built by the British colonial government between 1879 and 1901. This fort gave its name to Fort Road, a street you can find today. It used to stand where Katong Park is now. Fort Tanjong Katong was special because it was the only fort of its kind on the eastern side of Singapore. It helped protect the Singapore Harbour and Singapore Town from attacks by ships.
The fort was later abandoned because of its design problems and faraway location. It was buried until people found it again in 2001. When found, it still had parts of a moat and a wall. Experts called it one of Singapore's most important finds of a "true 19th-century fort." Because of this, an archaeology group wants the site to become a National Monument. As of May 2010, the National Heritage Board has not yet decided to make it a monument.
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Building Fort Tanjong Katong
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Fort Tanjong Katong was designed and built in 1879. The person in charge was Henry Edward McCallum, a Colonial Engineer. The British built the fort because they worried other European countries, like the Netherlands and Russia, might attack Singapore. Singapore was an important colony founded by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819.
Other forts were built around the same time on Sentosa island. These included Fort Siloso, Fort Connaught, Fort Serapong, and Imbiah Battery. They guarded the entrances to the New Harbour, which is now Keppel Harbour.
The fort was built on a wet, low-lying coconut farm. It covered about two hectares (five acres). It had a small raised area with three 7 in (180 mm) rifled muzzle-loading guns facing the sea. It also had shelters that could protect soldiers from bombs. A ditch that was 100 feet wide surrounded the gun area. Local builders finished the fort in less than a year. Soldiers from the Singapore Volunteer Artillery (SVA) used the fort. They practiced shooting guns and held their yearly training camps there.
In 1885, Singapore's gun batteries were upgraded. The three guns at Tanjong Katong were replaced. They got two more powerful Mark VII 8 in (200 mm) breech-loading guns that could shoot farther.
Why it was called the "Wash-out Fort"
Fort Tanjong Katong had problems from the start. People even nicknamed it the "Wash-out Fort." The ground was soft, so when the guns fired, the equipment used to measure distance would shake. It had to be reset every time. Also, it was hard to find ammunition for the new 8 in (200 mm) guns in Singapore.
The fort was also very far away from other places. This made it hard to get supplies or send more soldiers. These problems made the fort less useful for defense.
Just five years after the upgrades in 1888, people suggested tearing the fort down. There were many discussions about the fort for almost ten years. Finally, in 1901, the fort was no longer needed, and its guns were removed. Instead of destroying it, the British decided to bury it. This happened sometime after World War I. Part of a fort wall could still be seen above ground until the 1960s. Then, a public park was built on top of the fort for the growing Katong area. In the late 1960s, the last visible part was buried when new land was created along the East Coast. The fort was then forgotten for many years.
Finding the Fort Again
In 2001, during a dry period, the top of the fort's wall became visible. A local resident named Jack Sim saw it and asked authorities to investigate. Many people were interested, but it wasn't until 2004 that the Singapore government asked archaeologists to dig up the forgotten fort.
The digging project was called "Raising History, Planting Roots." It was a community effort to get local people and schools involved in learning about their heritage. In just four weeks, S$200,000 (US$120,000) was raised. This money came from companies and a special dinner held on September 27, 2004. Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong was the special guest at this event.
The excavation began on September 29, 2004. A few archaeologists and many dedicated volunteers from "Southeast Asian Archaeology" led the work. About 2 meters (6.5 feet) down, they found important parts of the fort still in place. They uncovered two infantry bastions (parts of the fort that stick out) that weren't on the original plans. They also found the edge of the moat and what looked like parts of a drawbridge. Experts called it Singapore's only 'true fort' because it had protection all around. It was seen as one of Singapore's most important archaeological finds.
The dig at Fort Tanjong Katong gave many Singaporeans a chance to help uncover history. For almost 10 months, over 1,000 volunteers helped the archaeologists. These volunteers included students, homemakers, retired people, and working professionals. They got to discover the 125-year-old military fort firsthand.
The Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research helped study sea items and coral found at the site. About 36 bags of samples were sent to the museum for more study. A report was written in May 2006. It described the research, what was found, the volunteers, and the archaeology team.
Buried Again for Protection
Today, the excavation project at Fort Tanjong Katong has finished. Only the south-eastern bastion, which was mostly dug up, is now blocked off. Other parts of the fort that were uncovered were reburied in December 2005. The National Parks Board, which manages Katong Park, did this to protect the remains. This way, future archaeologists can discover them again. It also helped prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the dug-out pits. There were also worries that someone might fall into the 2-meter-deep holes. The remaining money, about S$150,000, was used for scholarships for students in the area.
The archaeology group is still trying to get the site named a National Monument. They also want the fort's remains to be shown as part of the park in the future. The decision is still pending, waiting for the Preservation of Monuments Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority to make a final choice.
