AH-WR-1359

Port Royal Ship

Merchant Vessel · England · Lost 1692 · Cuba & the Greater Antilles

An unnamed merchant ship swallowed with the 'wickedest city on Earth' when Port Royal sank into the sea in a single earthquake.

Captain of Record

Jason S West

AHR-1883

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

On June 7, 1692, a massive earthquake struck Port Royal, Jamaica, liquefying the sandy ground the port city stood on and plunging much of its waterfront, along with the ships moored there, beneath the harbor. Texas A&M University's Institute of Nautical Archaeology excavated one such vessel in the 1980s and 1990s, found lying directly beneath a collapsed building. Its name is not recorded, but its construction and setting make it one of the most important shipwreck sites in the Americas.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: June 7, 1692
Cause: Grounding
Location: Port Royal, Jamaica
Water: Kingston Harbour
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: The earthquake killed an estimated 2,000 people across Port Royal; deaths specific to this vessel are not established in the sources reviewed.
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Found lying beneath the collapsed remains of a waterfront building, with a well-preserved timber hull structure.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 1989
Protection: Part of the Port Royal underwater archaeological zone; the site lies within the UNESCO-listed Archaeological Ensemble of 17th Century Port Royal.

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position withheld to protect the site
Nearest: Port Royal, Jamaica
Region: Cuba & the Greater Antilles

Precise location is managed by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust as part of the protected Port Royal archaeological site.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (70/100)

The vessel's name, builder, and precise dimensions are not recorded in the sources reviewed; it is known to researchers simply as the Port Royal ship.

Institute of Nautical Archaeology, Port Royal Harbor Excavation
Earthquake event, excavation history, and archaeological significance.
Clifford, Sheila Alicia, 'An analysis of the Port Royal shipwreck...' (Texas A&M thesis, 1993)
Construction details and archaeological context of the excavated vessel.