Fort St Elmo and the cost of storming a fort

When did the bombardment of Fort St Elmo begin, and how long did the ruined fort hold?

The armada landed on 18-19 May, bombardment began on 27 May, and Fort St Elmo held until 23 June despite being reduced to rubble much earlier.

The armada landed on 18-19 May, bombardment began on 27 May, and Fort St Elmo did not fall until 23 June. The guns reduced it to rubble by early June, but its defenders continued fighting and imposed losses placed here at around 6,000. On 8 June, the knights reported that the fort could no longer be held, yet were ordered to remain until reinforcements arrived. Maltese troops and galley personnel fought alongside the knights, although the respective roles of hired and enslaved oarsmen remain uncertain. Physical destruction had therefore failed to deliver a quick capture. Dragut also died during the operation; an account of a lucky shot from Fort St Angelo is weighed against the likelier explanation of an accident involving his own artillery. The mutilation of bodies after the fall and retaliatory execution of prisoners show the siege's reciprocal brutality.