The Martello Tower in Hambantota, is a small circular shaped fort, inspired by the Martello tower (a 15th century fort at Mortella (Myrtle) Point in Corsica that survived an attack by the British Royal Navy in 1794). In September 1803 HMS Wilhelmina stopped briefly at Hambantota, where she dropped off an eight-man detachment from the Royal Artillery, who reinforced the British garrison there and later helped it repel a Kandian attack. The tower was restored in 1999. In the past, the tower housed the Land Registry of the Hambantota Kachcheri. Today it houses a fisheries museum.