Fort Montagu, Stone fort in Nassau, Bahamas.

Fort Montagu is a stone fortification at the eastern end of Nassau Harbor with four cannons and thick limestone walls. The structure was built to defend the harbor entrances and protect against attacks from the sea.

Fort Montagu was built in limestone between 1741 and 1742 by military engineer Peter Henry Bruce on the orders of Governor John Tinker, who judged the island's single existing fort, Fort Nassau, insufficient; it was armed with 23 cannons and over 95 barrels of gunpowder. In March 1776 Esek Hopkins took it in the United States Marine Corps' first successful amphibious assault, after Governor Montfort Browne ordered three warning shots and the garrison evacuated. In 1782 it surrendered to a Spanish fleet of over 80 ships, and in 1783 Colonel Andrew Deveaux retook it for Britain by rowing men in and out of Spanish sight to feign greater numbers.

The fort's name honours John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, after whom Governor Montfort Browne also named the settlement of Montagu. Its four cannons face the eastern channel of Nassau Harbour, and the site is now a public park where islanders fish and picnic along the seawall.

The site is accessible daily and located on East Bay Street, easy to reach on foot. Wear sturdy shoes as the stone pathways are uneven and the sun can be intense.

The four cannons come from different periods and were positioned at the fort based on historical records. Many visitors do not notice that the cannons are not all original, with some added later.