St George's Harbour
St George's Harbour is a large natural sheltered harbour in the north of Bermuda. It serves as the port for the town of St George's, which stands on St George's Island, to its north of the harbour. To the south of the water is St David's Island.
The harbour and both the islands to north and south lie within St George's Parish. It was for two centuries the primary harbour of Bermuda.
Geography
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The harbour separates St George's Island in the north and west from St David's Island in the south and east. Several other islands lie to the south and east, closing the harbour from the open sea to the east, and separating it from Smith's Sound, to the south.
Th water is open to the Atlantic Ocean at Gunner Bay in the north-east, where its mouth is guarded by numerous islands, notably Smith's and Paget Islands. The waters of Bermuda are also protected by coral reef, which can be perilous to sailors. Several other islands lie within the harbour, notably the historically important Ordnance Island. In the south, a long channel, Ferry Reach, links the harbour with another opening to the Atlantic Ocean and the picturesque Castle Harbour.
History
The shore of St George's Harbour was the site of the first settlements in Bermuda: when the Sea Venture, bound for Virginia, was driven onto the reefs off St Catherine's Point in 1609, the crew and passengers stayed on St George's Island for nearly a year. When most departed, two men remained behind on Smith's Island, where a third joined them, later. When the first intentional settlers arrived from Britain in 1609, they settled very briefly on St David's Island, before moving across the Harbour to create the Town of St George, the oldest continuously-inhabited English-speaking settlement in the New World.
The harbour was well fortified during this time, as can still be seen in the several period forts located nearby.[1]
The 19th Century saw the establishment of a Royal Naval base in Bermuda. Initially this was in St George's Harbour, with the Royal Navy operating from facilities in Convict Bay (so called due to the prison hulks moored there) and within St George's town. This build up began in 1795, but a decade later, the Royal Navy was actively developing the dockyard on Ireland Island in the west of the colony, and it soon withdrew from St George's completely.[2]
The build-up of the dockyard at the west end of Bermuda still resulted in considerable defence infrastructure around St. George's, at the East End, however, as this was the gateway through the surrounding reefs to all of Bermuda. In addition to the 17th and 18th century forts built by the militia, there are many 19th and 20th Century forts and batteries built by the regular British Army on the islands surrounding the harbour, for which Ordnance Island was the primary ammunition depot. The various surviving East End forts, batteries and other military structures, together with the old capital, have been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the 'Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications'.[3][4][5]
The original channel used by shipping to access the harbour lies to the south of Paget Island. This was replaced a century ago by dredging out the passage to the north of Paget Island. At the time, the dredging of that passage had been necessary for St George's to remain a viable port as steam replaced sail, but permission for the dredging had to be granted by the Secretary of State for Defence as it would have enabled easier landing of an invading force. Approval for this project, and for American investment into the Princess Hotel, was withheld until the Parliament of Bermuda agreed to raise a part-time reserve for the British army units in Bermuda).
Most freight, today, is offloaded at Hamilton, but St George's is still used for offloading of gravel and other consignments, by cruise ships visiting the Old Town, and it is the only port of entry for yachts, which must clear H.M. Customs and Bermuda Immigration at Ordnance Island before visiting other parts of the archipelago.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ Complete text of The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles, first printed by I.D and I. H. for Michael Sparkes in 1624. Other editions followed in 1625, 1626, 1627, 1631, and 1632
- ↑ The Andrew And The Onions: The Story Of The Royal Navy In Bermuda, 1795–1975, Lt. Commander Ian Strannack, The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, The Bermuda Maritime Museum, P.O. Box MA 133, Mangrove Bay, Bermuda MA BX. ISBN 0-921560-03-6
- ↑ Bermuda Forts 1612–1957, Dr. Edward C. Harris, The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, The Bermuda Maritime Museum, P.O. Box MA 133, Mangrove Bay, Bermuda MA BX, ISBN 0-921560-11-7
- ↑ Defence, Not Defiance: A History Of The Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps, Jennifer M. Ingham (now Jennifer M. Hind), The Island Press Ltd., Pembroke, Bermuda,, ISBN 0-9696517-1-6.
- ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda
- ↑ Bermuda Tourism.Yachts (Private) Sailing to Bermuda, Page Eight