Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna yesterday fired a ceremonial full round of gun salutes to mark the commissioning of a new power generation module, the Lady of Victories, which was built at the Malta Shipyards.

The vessel weighs 4,500 tonnes and will serve to generate electricity for the Kashagan oil and gas project in the Caspian Sea. It has four gas turbines that can generate 120MW of electricity, enough to keep 40,000 homes going.

The firing of guns to salute the commissioning or launching of ships is an old tradition that goes back centuries. In Malta, the task would normally fall on the old Saluting Battery in Valletta, which was the main approved ceremonial platform. It was also customary for naval ships to join in on such occasions.

The history of the old Saluting Battery goes back almost four centuries to the time when Valletta itself was built by the Knights of St John. It remained in constant use till 1960 when the firing of gun salutes was assigned to a mobile battery, the same one which is still operational by the Armed Forces of Malta.

Throughout its long period of use, this battery had a combined defensive and saluting role. Its guns would commemorate important dates in the public calendar such as the Sovereign’s birthday, national days and religious festivals; they would also celebrate the arrival or departure of an important visitor to the islands or herald an important victory.

Till November 1923, the old Saluting Battery was the official public time marker for the whole island, from where a gun was fired at sunrise, noon and sunset, making it possible for the whole nation to regulate its time-pieces. In olden days, the first and last rounds would also signify the opening or closing of the two gates and the beginning or the end of the curfew when this was on.

The old Saluting Battery is a recent restoration project by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna assisted by the Malta Tourism Authority. The site is open to the public all year round between 10am and 17pm. Guided tours in English are offered on the hour while a re-enactment of the firing of the noon-day gun is in place daily at noon. Reaching the battery is best done through the Upper Barrakka Gardens, down the steps at the back of the main fountain.