Henry VIII could not concentrate or redirect a national fleet quickly with early-modern communications, so secure anchorages let ships operate around the coast without being caught at rest. At Falmouth, Pendennis and St Mawes guarded opposite sides of the estuary and made a direct approach a two-fort problem. An invader trying to reduce both works would need troops and heavy siege artillery on both shores because Cornwall's terrain made hauling guns around the estuary impractical. The network therefore protected fleet basing while multiplying the shipping, artillery, time, and coordination required of an attacker.
Notable Point · 19:08-22:10
Henrician forts turned anchorages into a dispersed fleet network
Henry VIII's coastal forts protected ships while communications were slow, and Falmouth's paired defenses forced an invader to plan separate supported landings.