Pirates of the Caribbean city could be next World Heritage Site
31st May 2012
The sunken city of Port Royal in Jamaica was once home to 17th century pirates and debauchery. Now locals are campaigning for UNESCO to recognise it
The sunken city of Port Royal in Jamaica is hoping to become the next UNESCO recognised World Heritage Site. The Jamaican government are supporting the campaign, which was launched last week.
The city was formerly the debauched bolthole of 17th century British buccaneers and explorers whose search for rum, women and boat maintenance was well rewarded. With ten taverns for every resident, there was no shortage of choice drinking spots and brothels to match. Sporting a reputation as the “wickedest city in the world”, Port Royal was home to the real pirates of the Caribbean.
All this came crashing to an end in 1692 when an earthquake and tsunami devastated the city plunging two thirds of it under water and killing 2,000 of its 7,000 strong population. While the port remained key in Britain's naval strategy, its debauched days were over.
Today the city is a sunken algae-covered home to dilapidated colonial buildings and remnants of the British military. Currently the site is only accessible by divers with a permit. Recent archaeological excavations from the murky waters have uncovered cannonballs, wine glasses, ceramic plates and even part of a child's skeleton.
The Telegraph reports from Tuesday's press conference where experts said: “It is among the top British archaeological sites in the Western Hemisphere and should be protected for future generations."
“There is outstanding potential here,” said Robert Grenier, a Canadian underwater archaeologist. “Submerged towns like this just do not exist anywhere else in the Americas.”
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