Fort of the Caninas

Constructed during the course of the 1580 Succession Crisis by the Azorean Corregedor, Ciprião de Figueiredo e Vasconcelos, it was based on the plan elaborated by Tommaso Benedetto in 1567, after attacks by French corsair Pierre Bertrand de Montluc on Funchal (October 1566) and the attempt on Angra the same year: Francisco Drummond noted: Drummond went on to note, that the fort was reconstructed in 1653, at the expense of the municipal council (taking on the majority of the build), following damage caused by waves crashing along the coast, at a time when 50 known pirate ships circled the waters of the archipelago.

The fort is located on a dominant position along the coast, consisting of a fortification built to protect the island from pirate and privateer attacks, crossing fire with the Fort of the Cavalas, located 560 metres (1,840 ft) in the Bay of Salga and the entrance to the Bay of Mós.

The bastion consists of an irregular 330 metres (1,080 ft) polygon, adapted to the terrain constructed of masonry.

The fort's fortification wall cornerstones were constructed of basalt, while other 16th century forts in archipelago were constructed of tuff stones: a softer stone, that minimized the effects of the shells fired by attackers.

[6] The plan had space to support five artillery pieces, with two towers for fusiliers (to the east and west corners) and a vaulted magazine.