 When the Sino-French War broke out in 1884, Liu Ming-chuan, who was in charge of defense of Keelung, constructed a battery at the present day location with materials cannibalized from the older fortification, and used it as a major strong point in his defense plan.The battery was put out of action on 5 August 1884 during a bombardment of the Keelung forts by three French warships, and was occupied by the French during the subsequent Keelung Campaign (October 1884 to April 1885).During the French occupation of Keelung it was renamed Fort La Galissonnière by the invaders, after the French ironclad which had bombarded it in August 1884.