Ania snorkels to try and find the cannons lying in shallow water.

In 1798 the work on Ft St George was begun. A detachment of 2oo men was sent from Jamaica and they brought with them cannon and other equipment. The unit was from the 67th Royal Hampshire Regiment and when supplies failed to arrive from Nassau, these men experienced real hardship. They had to depend on fish and locally grown corn and as a result some 30 were lost through illness and death.

A marker lies buried in the sand on Ft St George Cay

Ensign Neil Campbell was the commander and he persisted in erecting the fort on St. George’s Cay, guns were mounted and barracks and storeroom finished.

Two cannons lie in a few feet of water and are covered with marine growth

It is thought that there are five or six cannons lying in the water in an arc pointing out to sea.  Whenwe were there, we saw two that were pretty much buried in the sand and overgrown with marine growth. It is possible that the cannons were originally mounted on land and that erosion and undermining of the land over the past 200 years has caused the cannons to fall into the sea.

Closer view of one of the cannons in the waters off Ft St George

Many years ago when we first came to take a look at the cannons, there were several snorkelers out in the waters. One of them excitedly found something lying in the sand. It was a silver coin. We always wondered what other treasures might be lying there covered by the sand and even how many other artifacts have been found and taken away from the islands. Let’s hope that somehow, sometime this will be a protected area and that it will become an heritage site/ historic park for future generations to enjoy.

Marta

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