the names of the three bastions: S. Cruz (the larger bastion), S. António and the small S. Tiago, with the indication "este baluarte se acomodou ao sitio". On the inner inside of the fort it is the name of N. S. de Guadalupe, indicating the name of the church of Trincomalee. Costantino de Sá informs us that on the three bastions were mounts 16 pieces of artillery, the garrison comprised 40 soldiers and 30 casados. The place was judged by de Sá impregnable for being placed on high cliffs and, according with his opinion, also the Portuguese city with a few works of fortification could be rendered one of the more strong places of the entire east.19 This is the description that captain João Ribeiro makes to us of the fort of Trincomalee: the fort was a triangular fortress with three bastions, one on each angle, armed with 10 iron guns, it was constructed on a hill near the ‘Bay dos Arcos’, inside the fort was a church20 and a warehouse for the goods and ammunitions. A captain and 50 soldiers were of garrison, in the fortress then resided a constable, Casados and a chaplain. The dimensions of smaller sides of the fortress were of 75 meters, the greater side measured 150 meters. 1639 - present This fort was captured by a Dutch fleet under Antonie Caan in 1639 and in 1665 a new fort was built here by the Dutch to defend against the advancements of the British and the French. In 1672, the year when the Dutch Republic was attacked by France, Britain, and two German states, the French tried to establish a base for the French East-India Company in nearby Kottiyar Bay, but they were soon forced to leave. Trincomalee was important for its large all-season secure harbor. In late 18th century Trincomalee traded hands once more with the British capturing it during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, the French taking it from the British and handing it back to the Dutch East India Company (VOC) at the Peace of Paris in 1784. In 1795, when the French had occupied the Dutch Republic during the War of the First Coalition, it was again taken over by the British, who renamed it Fort Fredrick. It remained a British garrison till 1948. Duri Coastal artillery guns were added during the two World Wars. Today it remains garrisoned by a detachment