Malta Maritime Museum

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Lascaris War Rooms & NATO Tunnels, Valletta

A copy free feature

Superyacht 'Ace' Moored in Vittoriosa Yacht Basin

Moored outside the Malta Maritime Museum at Birgu the 2,732 ton vessel has a length of 87m, 278.87ft. Beam 14.3m, 46.9ft. Draft 3.75m, 12.3ft

Built in 2012 by Lurssen Shipyard, Bremen-Vegesack, Germany said to be owned by Russian Tashir Group Property Billionaire Samvel Karapetyan or Ukrainian billionaire Yuriy Kosiuk, CEO of the country's largest agricultural company MHP

She has a top speed of 17.8 knots delivered by twin 2,700hp MTU friedrichshafen engines, a crew of 28 for 12 guests in 6 Cabins

With her own support vessel 'Garcon'a SeaAxe 6711 built by Amels in the Netherlands

'Ace' has her own Helicopter, Sauna, Spa, Beach Club with Swimming Pool, a Gym and a Theatre

Estimated to have cost $120,000,000 : £93,425,400.00 when built. Today (2019) valued at £150 Million

'Ace' is available for charter at 1 Million Euros a week

Malta Maritime Museum

Customs Seals

Housed in a 1840's former Naval Bakery that supplied the Mediterranean Fleet

Eastney Canteen actually a rather pleasant bar

Largest of Malta's Museums it houses over 20,000 artifacts

Lascaris War Rooms & NATO Tunnels

Lascaris War Rooms and NATO Tunnels Entrance

Lascaris War Rooms switch boxes

The British began building the secret underground complex under Upper Barrakka Gardens on the East side of Grand Harbour during the siege of Malta in 1940

Restoration of some areas ongoing

Lascaris coordinated all three Services

Army, Navy and Airforce

Lascaris was operations centre for Malta and the whole Mediterranean

Communicating with radar stations on the islands

Aircraft were dispatched

Fleets were led from the Navy Plotting Room

Telephone Gallery and Chart Room

3.7" Shells and Plotters Chart

Anti-Aircraft Guns were directed from their own operations room

Plotters Chart of Malta

1000 people and 240 soldiers worked at Lascaris

Air Duct

Lascaris was the advanced H.Q for Operation Husky the allied invasion of Sicily

Movements Board from Senior Officers room

Overall Commander in Chief American General Dwight D Eisenhower, 2nd in Command British General Sir Harold Alexander and his Naval Force Commander British Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, American Chief of Staff American Major General Walter Bedell-Smith. The Eastern Take Force 545 lead by Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery

Testing the telephone and drop down bunk beds

After the war Lascaris became the H.Q for the Royal Navy's Mediterranean fleet

Telephone Exchange

Lascaris played an active roll in the 1956 Suez crisis

Plotters Headsets

The Cuban Missile crisis when a Soviet strike against Malta was feared in 1962

Officers desk

NATO took over Lascars in 1967 for a strategic communications centre intercepting Sovet submarines in the Mediterranean

Officers desk

Lascaris closed down in 1977, leased privately from 1992 the rooms were refurbished

They closed in 2005 before being taken over by the Maltese Heritage Trust in 2009 who continue work whilst the complex remains open to the public

Going to Malta book a visit Lascaris War Rooms

History of the Lascaris War Rooms