Fort Saint Rocco

Fort Saint Rocco, also known as Fort Saint Roca on some maps, is a polygonal fort in Kalkara, Malta. It stands east of the Rinella Battery and seaward of the village of Santu Rokku, and forms part of the complex of shore batteries defending the coast east of the mouth of Grand Harbour. It was built on the site of the former San Rocco Battery.

San Rocco Battery

San Rocco Battery was built by Maltese insurgents during the French blockade of 1798-1800. It was the last in a chain of batteries, redoubts and entrenchments encircling the French positions in Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour. It was built to control the entrance to the harbour as well as the French occupied Fort Ricasoli. The battery was continually being fired upon from the French at Ricasoli.

The battery was built on a low hillock and had two gun platforms, which were connected together with rubble walls. Around December 1799, a magazine was built by the architect Michele Cachia at the rear of the battery, with timber beams taken from ruined houses in Paola. The battery was initially armed with two 6-pounder iron guns. During the course of the siege, the armament was increased to five 12-pounders and two 8-pounders on the upper platform, while the lower platform was armed with four 32-pounders for coastal defence. By the end of the blockade in 1800 it had ten guns and two mortars. At one point, men from the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot were stationed at San Rocco Battery.

In 1799, the British devised an evacuation plan in case a French relief force arrived. British forces were to gather at San Rocco Battery, and they were to retreat to Żabbar under the cover of San Rocco Redoubt. From there, they would retreat to Żejtun, and then to Fort Rohan under the cover of San Lucian redoubt. They would embark on their ships in Marsaxlokk Harbour and evacuate the island.

Like the other French blockade fortifications, San Rocco Battery was dismantled, possibly sometime after 1814. No traces of the battery can be seen today.^[1]

Fort Saint Rocco

The construction of Fort Saint Rocco started in 1872 or 1873 by the British, as part of a program of improvements to Malta's fortifications recommended in Colonel Jervois' Report of 1866 titled "Memorandum with reference to the improvements to the defences of Malta and Gibraltar, rendered necessary by the introduction of Iron Plated Ships and powerful rifled guns".^[2]

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 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.^[3] The fort remained a functional military establishment until the 1950s.^[4]

The fort is located close to SmartCity Malta, a technology park which is currently under development. Care has been taken not to damage the fort during the construction of the new complex.^[5] There is no public access to the fort.

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