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Concept
Sydney Harbour defences
Summary
Sydney Harbour was protected by coastal batteries and other fixed defences from the early 19th century until the 1960s. These defences were constructed to protect the Australian city of Sydney from attack by enemy warships and submarines.
Sydney's earliest fortifications were built around Sydney Cove to protect the new colony of Sydney from attacks from non-British ships or convict uprisings. In 1791 the Dawes Point Battery was meant to be the first line of defence against an attack by the Spanish Empire, while Fort Macquarie was an upgraded from an early fort built in the same time to a larger one in 1798.
A gun emplacement was built in 1801 on Middle Head (north of Obelisk Bay) during the Napoleonic Wars, as well as another one at Georges Head. Fort Phillip was also built to protect from a potential French invasion in 1804, as well as following the Castle Hill convict rebellion the same year. More permanent fortifications were built during the first half of the 19th century in response to feared foreign attacks with new threats to the British empire, including Napoleon's French troops in 1810, and the Russian Pacific Fleet in the 1850s (during the Crimean War). In the meantime two American warships (sloop of war Peacock and sloop of war Vincennes) entered the harbour unannounced on 30 November 1839, under the cover of darkness. Although only a courtesy visit, the event demonstrated the settlement's vulnerability to attack and highlighted awareness of its isolation and wealth. Garden Island had fortifications built in the 1820s, while Bradleys Head started building in 1840. Construction of Fort Denison began in 1841, though the fort was not completed until 1857.
Sydney's defences were expanded following the withdrawal (Cardwell Reforms) of British soldiers from Australia during the 1870s. This prompted the construction of four sets of fortifications on Georges Heights and around other parts of the harbour, the Middle Head Fortifications, the Georges Head Battery, and a smaller fort located on Bradleys Head were constructed during this period and upgraded in the 1880s on the advice of British experts.
Official source
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