Located at the mouth of Kingston Harbor in southeastern Jamaica, Port Royal was one of the largest towns under British colonial rule. Formerly known as “the wickedest city on earth” due to its history of piracy trading, it is now the mercantile center of the Caribbean area. Due to its excellent geographic location, vast amount of goods flowing in and out of its port have made this city a rich trading area to various enterprises.
One of the most striking remnants of Port Royal is the fine crenellated Fort Charles that sank three and a half feet during the great earthquake of 1692. An estimated two thousand Port Royalists perished in the disaster, buildings were swept and half the town’s solid edifices were buried beneath the sea.
Fortunately, Port Royal did not perish after the cataclysm, but became highly regarded as an economic and military hub, turned into a strategic British naval base in the Caribbean. Signs of naval and military activity are everywhere. A path from the fort leads down to the Victoria and Albert battery complex erected in the 18th century. Across an old parade ground sits the Old Naval Hospital, built in 1819 by the Royal Engineers and said to be the oldest building in the world.
Although Port Royal's pirate past remains the most evocative part of the city, today it exudes the warmth of a place on the rebound, with modern structures being built to accommodate a booming tourism business. As visitors take a walk into one of the countless waterside bistros with the sun dipping and the lights of Kingston beaming out across the harbor, one can only imagine that most of the city’s gems remains underneath the waters of its harbor.
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