A Non-Profit Foundation Dedicated
to Preserving Our Maritime Heritage
Founded by Clive Cussler
A Non-Profit Foundation Dedicated
to Preserving Our Maritime Heritage
Founded by Clive Cussler
Shipwrecks Of The French West Indies
Divers Descend on Wrecks in Bay of St. Pierre
The sleepy little town of St. Pierre, fifteen miles north of Fort de France, Martinique, was just another dot on the map until May 8, 1902. That was its day of infamy when 29,000 residents died. Disregarding warnings that the neighboring volcano, Mt. Pelee, might erupt, people went about their business as usual. But at 7:50 a.m. a hail of fire, red hot stones and scalding mud rained down upon the town and its seaport. Flames danced upon waters fed by thousands of gallons of rum from the distilleries on the shoreline. Fire engulfed twelve vessels tied to the wharf and anchored in the bay, creating an underwater graveyard: The Shipwrecks Of St. Pierre.
My heart is pounding as I leap into the Bay of St. Pierre and follow divemaster Lionel Lafont down the anchor line. At 120 feet the bow, big, dark and menacing, looms before us. At 160 feet, I can almost reach out and touch the coral covered foredeck as we make our way to the break at midship. The RORAIMA, a 328-foot-long steamer, sits upright on the bottom, broken in half, but with all the earmarks of a ghost ship underway. Her cargo holds still embrace lumber, light fixtures, kerosene, machinery and other freight that never made it ashore. As we swim through the upper level of the engine room, Lionel points to a valve and whistle and then to a staircase that leads down to the boiler room—a foreboding dark pit. He beckons and I follow him through an open window leading to the stern. We turn sharply toward a catwalk railing and glance down at the ship’s funnel, resting in the sand 20 feet below us. A hogfish and rock beauty welcome us back to the anchor line where we begin our ascent and decompression stops.
Map of Martinique
The late Capt. Jacques Cousteau, who spent two weeks diving these wrecks, called St. Pierre one of the seven wonders of the underwater world. Today, the port town and its many wrecks are emerging as a dark horse for la bonne vie sous la mer (the good life under the sea). If you’re a cosmopolitan traveler seeking new and exciting dive sites accompanied by charming traditions and customs of other countries, you’ll fit in well to this little corner of France in the Caribbean.
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Awesome Professor, I’ll have to send you the pictures from our dragging operation.
EA
Ethan: Good to hear from you. Yes, let us know how you are doing on your salvage operation. Safe diving!
I enjoyed your piece on the Shipwrecks of the French West Indies. I’m going to Martinique and Guadeloupe this summer and I would like to dive the wrecks in the Bay of St. Pierre, Martinique. Can you tell me the name of the dive service you went with? They sound very reliable. Thank you very much.
Lucky you! I think you will thoroughly enjoy your visit. Yes, this service is very reliable and Lionel Lafont is an outstanding dive master. The service is: Tropicasub Plongee. (e-mail: [email protected]). It is located on the water at LeCarbet, a small village in St. Pierre. You can check online for St. Pierre hotels and/or bed and breakfast lodgings. Be sure to visit the museum up on the hill overlooking the bay. It has many artifacts from the wreck of the Roraima and other artifacts and photos of Mt. Pelee when it erupted in 1902. Good luck and safe diving!
I found the story of the shipwrecks in the Bay of St. Pierre fascinating. Is that figure correct: 29,000 people died when Mt. Pelee erupted? Was there any warning and If so, why didn’t the residents leave? Did anyone survive the disaster?
I thought the very same thing when I read about the eruption. It appears that the town mayor was very influential and he put out notices that everything was fine and there was no need to worry about the smoking volcano. Mt. Pelee had smoked and belched in the past and he assured everbody that this was a common occurrence and not to worry. Only one person survived the disaster. Louis-Auguste Cyparis, a fisherman who had been drunk & disordely in a local bar, had been put into a jail that was built into the side of a hill. Thus, tecnhnically he was undeground when the fire, heat, boiling lava and smoke killed so many residents. He was slightly burned, but lived through it. He became a celebrated figure as he toured with the circus billed as, “The Man Who Lived Through Doomsday.”
We tried dragging today and all last week but there have been prevented by a series of freak high tides.
Oh, good hope you fnd something. Keep us posted!