0900, March 14, 2015, English Harbour, Antigua: Jackie and I toured the Dockyard that Beth and I had toured after dinner the night before. The Dockyard's buildings have been historically rehabilitated to accommodate restaurants, bars, boutiques, a package store, a bakery, a sail repair shop, a hair salon, offices for customs and immigration, and a museum. Replacing the sailors and soldiers which occupied this space during the 17th and 18th centuries were tourist to this Antigua Historical Park, boat owners and their crew, and restaurant patrons.
Walking out on Fort Berkely we could see how easy it was to defend this naturally protected harbor. Almost the entire sea side of the sprint of land on which the fort is constructed, is fortified with thick stone walls with vertical embrasures to accommodate cannons from a height of about 60 ft. above the water. In times of siege a chain and wood boom was drawn across the entrance to the Harbor for further protection. Although many of the Caribbean islands changed hands from the 1600's through the 1900's, Antigua remained British and the impenetrability of English Harbour was probably the reason.
Captain Horatio Nelson sailed into English Harbour aboard the the HMS Boreas to serve as Second Commander of the Northern Division of the Leeward Islands. The year was 1784, and he was 26 years old. After attending grammar school at the age of 13 Horatio joined the Navy as an ordinary seaman. He commanded his first vessel at the age of 19, and by the time he arrived in Antigua he had sailed across the Atlantic ocean numerous times, been on assignment in the East Indies, escorted a convoy from Russia, sailed to Newfoundland, sailed within 10 degrees of the North Pole, sailed the American Coast several times, had assignments in Jamaica, Costa Rico, and led an assault of several ships against the French in the Turks Islands as one of his several command combat assignments.
During his time in Antigua Horatio's second in command was Prince William Henry, who latter ascended to the throne as King William IV. After marring Fanny Nesbit of Nevis in 1787 with is friend Prince Henry as best man, Horatio left Antigua for England, at age 29.
Horatio Nelson lived for 19 more years dying in 1805 in battle at Trafalgar where he lead 27 ships against a combined French and Spanish joint force of 33 ships, as Vice Admiral. As a result of Admiral's Nelson strategic leadership the British won the battle putting to rest Napoleon's plans to invade England. This was the last of Admiral Nelson's many victories including ones he personally lead into hand to hand combat. During this time Nelson became a hero attracting large crowds where ever he traveled in England between his extensive assignments at sea. This man died at 48 with a unparalleled 35 year naval career, as a true hero. During this time he had lost both an arm and an eye in combat and made the ultimate sacrifice for his country at Trafalgar. Although only in Antigua for a comparatively uneventful 3 years in English Harbour's over 400 year history, the Dockyard and the Inn are named in his honor.
After visiting the Museum in the Dockyard and reading about Horatio Nelson, it occurred to me that sailors, and trawling sailors like us, dress like pirates and pay homage to the likes of Edward Teach, but know little about Horatio Nelson and other naval heroes.
Edward Teach, or Blackbeard as he was known, became a pirate on New Providence Island in the Bahamas at age 36 in 1716. There is no prior history of his earlier career, although it is believed he was a merchant seaman. He was killed in a battle at Ocracoke Island in the outer banks of North Carolina two years later, in 1718. A quirky fellow, which undoubtedly was the inspiration for the character Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, Teach who already looked scary, is said to have tied fuses under his hat to frighten his enemies. Most of his victories were capturing unarmed merchant vessels and steeling their cargo. He ran his ship Queen Ann's Revenge aground in Beaufort Inlet damaging it beyond repair. He was killed by sailors under command of an undistinguished lieutenant, after running his ship Adventure aground trying to escape through Ocracoke inlet, a passageway familiar to Teach.
Would it not be more fitting to be parroting and singing about 18th century Limey heroes like Horatio Nelson then pirates like Edward Teach?
Restaurant at Old Barracks
Dockyard Building
Bakery
Ft. Berkely
Cannon at Ft. Berkely
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