Ordnance Island, Bermuda
| Ordnance Island | |
|---|---|
| Bermuda | |
St. George's Town, Bermuda, with Ordnance Island visible at the centre of the photograph
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 Ordnance Island
Location in Bermuda
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| Coordinates | 32°22′49″N 64°40′35″W / 32.38028°N 64.67639°WCoordinates: 32°22′49″N 64°40′35″W / 32.38028°N 64.67639°W |
| Type | Barracks |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Government of Bermuda |
| Site history | |
| Built | 19th century |
| Built for | War Office |
Ordnance Island is located within the limits of St. George's town, Bermuda. It lies close to the shore opposite the town square (King's Square), in St. George's Harbour.
The only island in the town, it covers just 1.75 acres (7,100 m2) and was created by reclaiming the land between several small islands which were once situated here. The original islands of Ducking Stool, Frazer's and Gallows were used, in the early days of the colony, for executions.
Joined together to form Ordnance Island, they became a Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) depot in the 19th Century, supplying ordnance to forts and batteries around St. George's. Prior to this, munitions had been kept within the town (as at the time of the 'Gunpowder Plot', when 100 barrels of gunpowder were stolen at the request of George Washington, and sent to the rebellious Americans during the American War of Independence), and on Hen Island, further out in St. George's Harbour. An accidental detonation on Hen Island resulting from a lightning strike once smashed windows throughout St. George's on the 1st of November, 1812. Ordnance Island is far closer to the town, and a similar explosion here would have been catastrophic. The RAOC operated a second, smaller depot, from a wharf on East Broadway on the outskirts of Hamilton. By the Second World War, the depot had fallen into disuse with the Army and was loaned to the US Navy for use as a submarine base from 1942 to 1945.
The channel between Ordnance Island and the King's Square was not bridged 'til after the Second World War. The island is visible as a location in the 1962 film That Touch of Mink, with Cary Grant and Doris Day. At the time, the bridge was clearly wooden. Today, the island is joined to St. George's Island by a concrete bridge.
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Wikipedia