Times of the Islands Fall 2021

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AGILE LEVIN–VISITTCI.COM Article author Ben Stubenberg freedives to the cannon found by following Mark Woodring’s coordinates off West Caicos. Note the large field of ballast stones appearing in the shape of a boat at the top of the photo. inch (9 cm) muzzle, which would be consistent with a six-pounder. But just whose cannon did we find? The sixpounder (based on the weight of the projectile it fired) could have fit on Brown’s sloop, but the Gazette letter and Professor Cashin’s summary noted a much smaller two-pounder. Right next to the cannon, a large field of ballast stones appeared in the shape of a boat that looked to be about 40 feet long and at least 15 feet wide. That would have been just big enough to be a small ocean-going vessel, but could also have been a large local sloop. The stones themselves, however, were granite, which would probably not have been used in local TCI sloops since this type of rock is not found here. Could the cannon and remnants be from the Rhode Island vessel with the supplies Brown and his men wanted to recover? It’s not clear what sank this boat. The cannon and remnants of the wreck were about 1/2 mile (800 m) from the reef, well past the narrow channel off the southern end of West Caicos that ships used for transit. It might have hit a coral head that ripped a gash in the hull, causing it to take in water. Or the ship may simply have gotten stuck in the sand on a shallow bank. In either case, the deck could have been above the waterline, thus preserving the cargo for salvage. The waters around TCI are replete with ships wrecking on the reef or a sandbar, some visible above the surface today. A more intriguing possibility is that the vessel was sunk by pirates who left the boat half submerged as bait for the salvage sloops sure to come looking for it, as in fact happened. If the pirates anchored their boat on the calmer lee (west) side of West Caicos, they could remain hidden. Then from the hills on West Caicos, the pirates would have a good vantage point to see any boats heading from the Caicos Bank south of Providenciales and prepare to attack them. 60 www.timespub.tc
Professor Cashin’s summary and the original Gazette report stated that the men swam to shore after the boat sank, but it’s not clear where they ended up. As an open water swimmer in TCI, I am familiar with the currents around the Islands and the challenges they present. From where we found the cannon, the shore of West Caicos is about 2 miles (3.2 km) away. Swimming that distance requires some training, something we can be fairly sure Brown and his men didn’t have, even if they knew how to swim. Moreover, they would have been fatigued from unloading supplies followed by an afternoon gun battle. However, from our spot, a strong southeast to northwest current pushed the water towards the eastern shore of West Caicos. So assuming the pirates sank Brown’s sloop in the vicinity of the wreck we found, it is quite possible the men made it to the beach this far out without actually having to swim the whole way. If they clung to something floatable, they could have just drifted to the shore. Had Brown’s boat been sunk in any other location off West Caicos close to a reef, such as off the north tip of the island, he and the crew would have likely been swept out to sea. To be sure, the assessments made are far from conclusive. The contemporary accounts of the attack, even with questionable descriptions and crucial omissions, at least confirm a battle with pirates off West Caicos. We don’t know if the cannon and remnants of the wreck we found were from the Rhode Island vessel the Loyalists salvaged. However, the location and size of the ship based on ballast stones suggest that possibility. When taken together with the prevailing current that Brown and his men would have relied on to get to shore after their sloop was sunk, a plausible case can be made that the windward side of West Caicos was the scene of the battle. We need to go back to collect additional evidence from this cannon and wreck, as well as do a larger search of the area for other cannons and wreckages. If we are lucky enough to find Brown’s sloop and cannon, we could make the case with a high level of confidence. Questions for Brown from the 21st century Let’s start by asking what in the world propelled Brown to risk his life to take on the pirates just to secure a few more supplies from the Rhode Island wreck? If he only carried a couple of two-pounder cannons, he had almost no chance of succeeding against a ship with bigger guns with more range. Even if he had a larger six-pounder cannon (which seems more likely if he truly believed he might encounter pirates), he still would have been at a From left: Ben Stubenberg, Agile LeVin and Captain Ernesto Von Der Esch review the nautical chart to try to determine if the wreck they found could have been Brown’s sloop. significant disadvantage. Perhaps he wanted to relive the thrill of battle again, a hero who refuses to turn and run, even though he had nothing to prove. Or maybe he really did think he could get off the crucial shot that would cause the pirates to cut and run—though foolhardy, as the outcome shows. He could have escaped with honor and most supplies to fight another day. What happened after Brown and the enslaved men were stranded on West Caicos, and how were they rescued? That is itself a compelling story. How long did they go without food or water? Did the other Loyalists return to get them even though it could have entailed another confrontation with pirates? If so, was Brown grateful or did he chastise his Loyalist rescuers with sharp words for fleeing when he stayed to fight? What of the ship from Rhode Island? How did the Loyalists get word that it had wrecked? If the ship’s supplies were intended for the North Caicos Loyalists, why was it attempting to negotiate the narrow passage between Southwest Reef and the southeast coast of West Caicos instead of sailing to Fort Saint George? Perhaps it was trying to reach the Caicos Banks and Gussy’s Cove on Providenciales, but clearly something went terribly wrong. Perhaps it was a navigation error, perhaps a storm, perhaps a cannon ball from pirates. But if the ship was in fact intending to deliver supplies in Providenciales, that would call into question who really owned the supplies on the ship. Finally, what happened to the pirate ship that had sunk Brown’s sloop? Did the pirate ship launch smaller tenders armed with cannons to chase down Brown along LYNN PELOWSKI Times of the Islands Fall 2021 61
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TIMES OF THE SAMPLING THE SOUL OF T
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JAMAICA’S ULTIMATE VOTED WORLD’
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TurksAndCaicosProperty.com 5 Acre M
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WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS TWICE . . .
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Page 20 and 21: SHUTTERSTOCK Live and in the flesh
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Page 26 and 27: BILL KEEGAN Discovered at this site
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Page 31 and 32: feature Author Kelly Currington fel
Page 33 and 34: nection with the largest one of the
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Page 37 and 38: green pages Newsletter of the Depar
Page 39 and 40: green pages newsletter of the depar
Page 47 and 48: poetry Summer in the Turks & Caicos
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Page 57 and 58: Finding the cannon We only have two
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Page 66 and 67: Response to COVID is gold standard
Page 68 and 69: on June 22. Amenities include a Clu
Page 70 and 71: astrolabe newsletter of the Turks &
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