03/16/2018
Arrrggh! Some piratical history for ya! โ ๏ธ๐บ ๐ก๐ฐ
The Virgin Islands was once known as a haven for pirates and others engaged in illegal activities. The small cays and protected bays provided many spots for pirates to seek refuge and repair their vessels. Historians say that many early inhabitants had no qualms about doing business with the pirates and two early Danish Governors, brothers Nicolaj and Adolph Esmit, were known to welcome marauders here in the islands. Adolph is thought to have been a pirate himself before he seized the Governorship from his brother and his role in harboring the infamous pirate ship La Trompeuse in 1683 is well documented. The ship and its pirate crew were being hunted far and wide by both the English and the French and when La Trompeuse was found in Charlotte Amalie Harbor the vessel was burned by the English military. However, several pirates and their leader โ Jean Hamlin โ escaped. The English soldiers searched the island in vain, eventually learning that Governor Esmit had hidden the pirates right inside Fort Christian. Adolph Esmit is believed to have sold farms on St. Thomas to several of the pirates and that he helped Hamlin procure a new ship that he christened La Nouvelle Trompeuse. Under Adolph Esmit, St. Thomas became in the words of the English Leeward Governor Sir William Stapleton, a โreceptacle of thieves and sea-robbersโ. Esmit was removed from his Governorship and subsequent Governors took a much harsher stance on piracy with few accounts of pirates in the Virgin Islands after 1700, according to historian Isaac Dookhan. Some believe that the treasure aboard La Trompeuse is still in Charlotte Amalie Harbor, while others say all the valuables were removed before the ship was burned.