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The Disaster That Threw The Caribbean's Greatest Port Into The Sea
1692 Jamaica Earthquake
In the 17th century, Port Royal was one of the busiest and wealthiest ports in North America. The British had built up the port as a bastion against Spanish interests in the region. The lifeline between Spain and New Spain was long and tenuous. To reach its colonies in Central and South America, Spanish ships had to make the journey across the Atlantic and then through the treacherous waters of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. All along the route, pirates, privateers, and British ships lay in wait.
Port Royal was a hive of privateers and pirates, merchants and businessmen. The English actually invited pirates to lodge in Port Royal with the understanding that they would target nearby Spanish shipping.
By the end of the 17th century, Port Royal was raking in more money than almost any other English colony. Raiding was profitable. It had little overhead and had the potential to outstrip local agriculture.
Nuala Zahedieh, a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, wrote:
The Portobello raid [in 1668] alone produced plunder worth £75,000, more than seven times the annual value of the island’s sugar exports, which at Port Royal prices did not exceed £10,000 at this time.
