Three ships were burned before the news of Lourenço’s imminent arrival forced a withdrawal, but it was clear that the fort was unsustainable: too close to hostile Bijapur, too short of natural resources.
“Within a couple of months of its construction, the Anjediva fortress was found to have been a mistake. Wherever they went, the incomers were intruding on a vested interest. Here it was the preserve of the sultan of Bijapur, whose ships forced passing traffic into his own port of Dabul to pay customs dues. He was not about to tolerate an interloper. At the start of the monsoon season a carefully timed attack, led by a Portuguese renegade, put the fort under siege. Three ships were burned before the news of Lourenço’s imminent arrival forced a withdrawal, but it was clear that the fort was unsustainable: too close to hostile Bijapur, too short of natural resources. At the end of the year, Almeida took the decision, without reference to Manuel, to abandon and dismantle the structure. It was a riposte to the wisdom of the grand plan, and it did not go down well. At the same time, it gave hope to Muslim merchants that the Portuguese could be dislodged.”
