Fort Tas-Silġ is a fortification

Fortification

Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...

 on the island of Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

. It stands on high ground at the shoreward end of Delimara Point, above Il-Ħofra-z-Zgħira. It is a Polygonal fort

Polygonal fort

A polygonal fort is a fortification in the style that evolved around the middle of the nineteenth century, in response to the development of powerful explosive shells....

 and was built by the British

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

. Its primary function was as a fire control point controlling the massed guns of Fort Delimara

Fort Delimara

Fort Delimara is a fortification in Marsaxlokk, Malta.-History:The fort was built between 1876 and 1888 by the British. The main gate carries a date of 1881, but this is the date of completion of the gatehouse, not the commissioning of the fort....

 on the headland below.

The fort is a classic example of the type. The gatehouse, and the shoreward ditch are in fair repair, but there has been considerable collapse of the inner face of the north ditch.

Fort Tas-Silġ is one of a ring of forts and batteries that protected Marsaxlokk

Marsaxlokk

Marsaxlokk is a traditional fishing village located in the south-eastern part of Malta, with a population of 3,277 people . The village’s name comes from marsa, which means "port" and xlokk, which is the local name for south east...

 harbour, along with Fort Delimara seaward along Delimara point, Fort St Lucian

St Lucian Tower

St Lucian Tower is a fortification on the island of Malta that stands above the shore of Marsaxlokk Bay on the headland between Marsaxlokk and Birzebbuga.It was built by the Knights of Malta between 1610 and 1611 and is one of a series of Wignacourt towers....

 on Kbira point in the middle of Marsaxlokk bay, Fort Benghisa

Fort Benghisa

Fort Benghisa is a fortification on the island of Malta. It stands on high ground on the seaward face of Benghisa point, the southern arm of Marsaxlokk Bay...

 on Bengħisa Point, and the Pinto and Ferreti batteries on the shores of Marsaxlokk Bay.

In th 50s the Fort was used by the RAF (100 Signals Unit). During this time the Camp mascot was a dog named Dodger. Later, Rusty, a dog and Scrubber a bitch were pets on the unit. Scrubber gave birth to 14 puppies, all of whom were found homes, elsewhere on Malta.One of the three Aerials on the camp was used in the film 'The Malta Story'.

The fort is now used by "The Island Sanctuary" as a refuge for dogs.

Approximately 300 metres north of Fort Tas-Silg is the St Paul's battery

St Paul's battery

St Paul's Battery is a fortification on the island of Malta. It stands on high ground at the shoreward end of Delimara Point, above Il-Ħofra-z-Zgħira. It is a polygonal fort and was built by the British...

, a much smaller polygonal style fortification, that is in much worse repair.