The fortifications were constructed in 1941, during the Second World War, in order to defend the port of Horta and the channel between Faial and Pico, anchorage for ships and transiting Allied forces.

In 2002, along with the Fort of Guia, the emplacement was included in the list of patrimony that was put up for sale, during the term of Manuel Ferreira Leite at the Ministry of Finances.

Against this, the Minister of the Republic (for the Azores), Alberto Sampaio da Nóvoa, declared to the press his intention to (along with the Ministries of Defense and Finances) make sure the military installations did not become private property.

For Nóvoa (who considered both emplacements in good condition), the sites were of an important patrimonial nature and its use should have been negotiated between the State, regional government and municipal authority (to provide an adequate use).

He argued that the emplacement should be transformed into a military museum, a suggestion that was manifested by the old Minister of Defense Júlio Castro Caldas (who served under António Guterres), when he visited Faial in 2000.