Palmerston Fort - Breakwater Fort

Plymouth Breakwater, a stone breakwater, was constructed from 1812 at the then collossal cost of £1.5 million, in order to protect Plymouth, Plymouth Sound and the anchorages therein. The foundation stone was laid on Shovel Rock and followed a line over Panther Rock, Shovel and St. Carlos Rocks. It is 40 feet wide at the top and the base is 200 feet; a stunning 3,000,000 tons of rock were used. It was finished by 1841, the final work being done by Rennie's son, Sir John Rennie.

The construction of the Breakwater Fort by the breakwater started soon after 1860 and continued until 1880. It filled the gap between Bovisand Battery on the east shore and Picklecombe Battery on the west. Its two foot thick steel armour plating protected its fourteen 12.5" and four 10" RML guns. In the 1890s four 6" Quick Firing guns became the main armament. It was abandoned in 1976.