See full version: The Incredible History of The Sunken Pirate City in Jamaica
Let’s look at the tidal wave…how big was it? Well, the HMS Swan, which had been floating in the harbour at the time, was swept from its dock to land on top of a wrecked building. As crazy as it sounds, that was perhaps the only thing that wasn’t a complete disaster for the citizens of Port Royal, as the wreckage of the ship served as a shelter for some survivors. [links]
Underwater Images of what remains of Port Royal, Jamaica.
Location, economy, piracy, and all the other factors working in favour of Port Royal led to amazing growth for the town. Between 1655 and 1692 Port Royal was growing faster than any town founded by the English in the new world. By 1692, it was reported to have as many as 10,000 inhabitants and was considered to be the largest and most affluent town in the new world. Yes, that means it was beating out New York and other cities in North America. here
Yes, that’s correct, two or three times the ANNUAL wage of a plantation worker. And this was accomplished in only one single raid! In his history of Jamaica, Charles Leslie wrote about what happened to wealthy pirates like these in Port Royal: more
Usually when we talk about looking at cities of the past, we talk about the ruins of that city. For centuries, humans have built new cities upon the older ones, using the bricks and stones from one age to build the city of the next age. We are restricted to looking at foundations; the occasional broken building; interpreting whatever discarded or lost objects we can find underground. here
Shipwreck City, sometimes referred to as the town of Shipwreck, was a fortified town located within Shipwreck Cove on Shipwreck Island, which is all located in the Caribbean. It was used by the Brethren Court to stage a summit prior to the battle against Lord Cutler Beckett and the East India Trading Company.
Any ship wishing to reach the town was first forced to pass into the Devil's Throat, a narrow passage that claimed several vessels each year. Within the city were many pirates residing comfortably, with everything from weapons and instruments to jewelry sold off; there were younger pirates playing in streets and as always, hungry pirates making barbecues fashioned from old torture equipment. The city also had dungeons for those who broke the rules of pirate society. here
Shipwreck City was located on a small island in the crater of a volcano, and its mass was comprised of hundreds of wrecked ships. Each ship that had been chosen to become part of Shipwreck City had its own story—though in most cases those stories were long lost to the dust of history or myth. No one knew precisely how old the city was, though legend had it that its foundations consisted of Greek triremes, Roman galleys, and dragon-prowed longships. [1] [links]
The significance of the Port Royal underwater archaeological site lies in the fact that the earthquake preserved many aspects of the inhabitants' daily existence at that moment in time. “It’s sometimes called the Pompeii of the New World,” said Dr Jon Henderson from the University of Nottingham. The earthquake captured Port Royal at its prime – everything people were using now lies sealed under the silt in Kingston Harbour.”
Dr Henderson and colleagues have now used latest technology to create a precise digital model of the Port Royal ruins in three dimensions, with photo-realistic detail, which can be viewed on the project page . The survey will be used to support the bid for UNESCO heritage status, recognizing Port Royal’s immense historical importance.
An illustration of pirates in the Caribbean. Credit: William Gilkerson .
Seventeenth century life in Port Royal, Jamaica, commonly referred to as "the wickedest city on earth", conjures up images of marauding pirates, treasure hunters, naval conquests, looting, and the overindulgence of food, alcohol, gambling, and women. But the extravagances of the wealthiest port in the West Indies came to a rapid end at precisely 11:43 on 7 th June 1692, when Port Royal was consumed by an earthquake and two thirds of the city sank into the sea.
Since Port Royal only existed for 37 years before destruction by the earthquake, it is one of the few catastrophic sites where cultural features and material are found more or less undisturbed, preserved by the oxygen-depleted underwater environment. While some areas of the city were shattered by the earthquake, leaving little more than a pile of rubble, other sections simply slid into the sea, remaining almost entirely intact. The UNESCO site describes one such street: here
Port Royal’s glory days soon came to an end when a massive earthquake and tsunami struck in 1692. In just a few minutes, two-thirds of the town (33 acres) sank into the sea, 1,600 people were killed and 3,000 were seriously injured. Another 3,000 people died in the days following the earthquake from injury and disease. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, it was common to ascribe the destruction to divine retribution on the people of Port Royal for their sinful ways. Members of the Jamaica Council declared: "We are become by this an instance of God Almighty's severe judgement." here
Located on the southeast coast of Jamaica, the natural harbor at Port Royal became the center of English life in Jamaica. By the late 1600s it had become one of the largest European cities in the new world, second only to Boston. It had also become the infamous home of pirates, sex workers, and Englishmen on the make. Far from home, they made their livings off of the slave trade, slave labor in plantations, and the money that the pirates brought in from their looting forays against the Spanish.
But at any rate, the earthquake did not end Port Royal’s wicked ways, nor its relationship with vice or with pirates who continued to stop by for another 50 years while they preyed on Spanish ships. In fact, in 1720, John “Calico Jack” Rackham was hanged at Gallows-Point in Port Royal by order of pirate hunter—and former privateer—Woodes Rogers (best known for his rescue of the castaway Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe). [links]
On the morning of June 7, 1692, a massive earthquake estimated at a 7.5 magnitude hit the island. The city, largely built over sand, suffered instantly from liquifaction, with buildings, roads, and citizens sucked into the ground. Geysers erupted from the earth, buildings collapsed, and finally the city was hit by tsunami waves, dragging what had not been destroyed out to sea. In the end, some 33 acres of the city disappeared under water, four of the five forts were destroyed or submerged, and 2000 people were killed. The cemetery where Captain Morgan was buried slipped into the sea, its bodies floating up to mix with the freshly dead. more
Even before the earth stopped shaking, locals reported that the looting began, one writing: “Immediately upon the cessation of the extremity of the earthquake, your heart would abhorr to hear of the depredations, robberies and violences that were in an instant committed upon the place by the vilest and basest of the people; no man could call any thing his own, for they that were the strongest and most wicked seized what they pleased. ” more
True to his reputation as the Prince of Pirates and his generosity, Bellamy left the Sultana to the men of the Whydah and their captain Lawrence Prince. During this exchange, he took the opportunity to equip the Whydah with 28 cannons, which made the ship a real war machine. more
The other six pirates in Bellamy’s crew were killed in Boston on November 15, 1717. Pirate Peter Hofer testified at their trial on October 18, 1717 that the booty aboard the “Whydah” was so large that “each man should receive a 50-pound sack.” [links]
He had earned a huge fortune in just one year and set out to return to his sweetheart, who was still waiting for him.
But his ship, the “Whydah“, is caught in a violent storm just a few meters from the coast. Maria is informed of the incident and rushes to the shore. She watched helplessly as her rich, handsome boyfriend fell into the tumultuous tidal waters before her eyes. Samuel Bellamy sank with his boat and his immense treasure.