Day 2 in Bermuda 10/7 The Dockyards

10/7 Bermuda DockYards

Todays plan is to explore the are know as the Royal Naval Dockyards. 

The Dockyard was built mostly by convicts who were transported here from Britain and other colonies. At first, many thought it was a bit of mercy being bestowed upon them, only to live in rather harsh conditions. About one quarter of these laborers died from the conditions. 

The history of the Royal Naval Dockyards starts after the American Revolution when Britain found itself without a major port or shipyard in the Western Atlantic. Napoleon was a threat and the Empires vessels were subject to pirate attack. Hence Bermuda was chosen to become “Gibraltar of the West”.  The Royal Navy Dockyard operated for about 150 years and closed in 1951. The Royal Navy did maintain a small presence until1976 and held title to the land until 1995. Today, we see here the results of the Bermudian Government and development groups. Here historic buildings now house shops and restaurants.  

The center piece of the National Museum of Bermuda is the Commissioner’s House. The Commissioner’s House was actually a ship called the HMS Malabar, granted it did not sail, motor, or even float, it was commissioned as a ship as part of British tradition. 

The Commissioners House was constructed from 1823 to 1827, constructed of limestone blocks cut by the convicts interred on the island. During it’s amazing history, it served as a residence, a barracks, and during WWII as the Head Quarters for North Atlantic radio interceptions. Today it is a museum which outlines the history of Bermuda. A good bit of the museum deals with the military history of Bermuda and other portions deal with currency, trade, shipping and the boats of Bermuda, as well as shipwrecks. 

In one of the stairwells one can find a mural depicting the History of Bermuda. The mural was painted by Graham Foster who started in 2005 and finished in 2009. The preparation alone took 3 years. 

One part of the museum which caught my attention was the interpretive wall telling the story of the capture of the U-505, a German Submarine during WWII. After the capture of the submarine, it was towed to Bermuda where it was disguised as a US Submarine. The complaints of the German Captain for the violation of the Geneva Convention went unheard, the complaint being that the US did not advise Germany of the U-505’s crew being captured as POW’s. The U-505 is now on display at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. 

I also learned Bermuda had been used to house several POW’s during several conflicts. The one that was intriguing to me was the Boers from the Boer War in South Africa. 

After our visit, we made our way across the street to a craft market where Lynn purchased some pink sand earrings. We then had lunch at the Frog and Onion Pub, where the oldest brewery is located. This establishment is located in the old Cooperage Building. We found the interior very interesting and the food rather good. 

We then walked about the Dockyard looking a various shops, all reminiscent of most Caribbean Ports of Call, before we returned to the ship. 

We are all aboard at 1530 and should sail away. I hope to get this posted from NYC before we fly home. 

Mark Twin made this comment about Bermuda and I somewhat agree, he said, “There are… no telegrams, no mobiles, no trolleys, notaries, no tramps…. No theaters, no noise, no murders… You go to heaven if you want - I’d druther stay Here.”