It is located east of Rinella Battery and seaward of the village of Santu Rokku, and forms part of the complex of shore batteries built by the British to defend the coast east of the mouth of Grand Harbour between the 1870s and 1900s.

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.

[4] Eventually, the keep and most of the battery were demolished, and a much larger fort was built in its place in 1900.

On 17 May 1942, the fort fired at attacking Italian E-boats and destroyed one of them.

The fort is located close to SmartCity Malta, a technology park.