Castle

"We've gotten big enough that we're having trouble communicating with all our settlements. It's a good problem to have. And I have a solution. I think it's time to retake the Castle. It used to be the Minuteman HQ, way before my time. Well-fortified, centrally-located, and most important - it has a powerful radio transmitter we can use to broadcast to the whole Commonwealth."

- Preston Garvey

The Castle, also known as Fort Independence, was the stronghold of the Commonwealth Minutemen until 2240, and is also a possible settlement now. This granite star fort that once provided harbor defenses for Boston, Massachusetts is located on Castle Island.

Background

 * For the pre-war history, see Fort Independence on Wikipedia

The first earthen fortification was constructed on the site in 1634 to defend the colonial town of Boston from attack by sea. The first fort soon fell into disrepair and was rebuilt mainly out of timber, in the 1640s. The timber fort was taken down and a new fort of brick was constructed in its place in 1701. Although the earlier incarnations of the fort were simply known as "the Castle," this larger brick fort was called "Castle William" in honor of their King, William III. In the centuries following the Great War it, interestingly has taken its original name; "The Castle."

It served as the headquarters for the Commonwealth Minutemen until 2240, when the Castle was partly destroyed by a gigantic Mirelurk Queen, and most of the Minutemen leadership died. Their General at the time, McGann, was cut off from the battle early on when the tunnel to his quarters collapsed. While waiting for rescue he secured the armory by activating its security. Eventually, as he ran out of supplies – and conceded that help was not coming – he drank wine he found, easing his passing into oblivion.

Rebirth
Almost fifty years later, the Commonwealth Minutemen under Sole Survivor (as General) retook the fort. Culling the mirelurks that since made it their nest, they cleaned out the egg clutches and corpses and reactivated their communications equipment, returning a critical asset back into Minutemen hands. Once this is done an old legendary member from before the Castle's loss calls the General back to open it's West Bastion, and access its Armory. Giving the Minutemen access to their artillery once more.

Settlement information
The Castle's courtyard is spacious with plenty of room for growing crops of constructing buildings if desired. There is also accessible open water to the north (outside the walls of the fort) which can be useful for large scale water production. Being a fort, the Castle is already well fortified from attack, which is good seeing that the area is prone to raids. Most notably, there is almost no junk that can be scrapped for building materials, so supply lines will likely be needed to supplement the Castle's resources.

Layout
The Fort's walls have been destroyed and ripped open by the invading Mirelurk queen, but it's otherwise in good condition. The battlements contain remnants of the Minutemen artillery units and offer excellent vantage points against encroaching enemies. The courtyard includes the main antenna and radio center and the settlement workshop, while the fort rooms contain a well developed settlement with a well developed infrastructure, available after Taking Independence is completed. Notably, these rooms contain a kitchen with a cooking stove, chem store, a chemistry station], and a meeting room.

The Castle tunnels
The tunnels can only be accessed during the quest Old Guns, by going down the stairs in the meeting room in the east corner of the fort. The tunnels are just that: a winding series of tunnels underneath the Castle. Lined with various storerooms, the hallways spiral around to room containing an emergency generator and chemistry station. The halls continue down toward some barracks, where Sarge is still operational. A nearby door leads to the western bastion, where the Castles armory lies.

Inhabitants

 * General McGann
 * Ronnie Shaw
 * Sarge

Notable loot

 * An issue of Guns and Bullets is on the desk below the radio tower.
 * A Fat Man and mini nuke are found in the armory. The Artillery schematic is also found here.
 * A Fusion core is found in the emergency generator in the Castle tunnels.
 * Three laser muskets can be found in the armory: one has a four crank modification, another has a medium scope modification, and the last one has a beam splitter modification.
 * The General's hat and the colonial wool coat
 * Artillery supplies

Appearances
The Castle appears only in Fallout 4.