The construction of Fort Saint Rocco started in 1872 or 1873 by the
British, as part of a programme of improvements to Malta's fortifications recommended in Colonel Jervois' Report of 1866. The fort was built on the site of
San Rocco Battery, an
artillery battery built by
Maltese insurgents during the
blockade of 1798–1800. Fort Saint Rocco was the first
polygonal fort built by the British in Malta, and the second one built in Malta overall (the first was
Fort Tigné built by the
Order of Saint John). The first fort, built between 1872 and 1873, was very small given the importance of the site. It was initially armed with three
RML 11 inch 25 ton guns, but these were soon replaced with
RML 12.5 inch 38 ton guns. In 1888, the fort was inspected and was described as cramped, and some alterations were proposed. Eventually, the keep and most of the battery were demolished, and a much larger fort was built in its place in 1900. The new fort was armed with
BL 9.2 inch guns. On 17 May 1942, the fort fired at attacking Italian
E-boats and destroyed one of them. The fort remained a functional military establishment until the 1950s.
Present day The fort is located close to
SmartCity Malta, a technology park. Care has been taken not to damage the fort during the construction of the new complex. The public is forbidden from entering the fort. In May 2015, several NGOs suggested that the campus of the proposed
American University of Malta should be split up between Fort Saint Rocco and the nearby
Fort Ricasoli and
Fort San Salvatore. This proposal was not implemented, and the campus was built between Dock No. 1 in
Cospicua and Żonqor Point in
Marsaskala. ==References==