One Day in Port Royal: From Pirate Paradise to Underwater Grave

ix thousand people. Fifty-one acres of sand. One tavern for every ten residents. And a pocket watch that still reads 11:43 — the exact moment the wickedest city on Earth disappeared beneath the waves. Port Royal, Jamaica was the richest and most sinful port in the Caribbean. Built on stolen Spanish gold and English ambition, it was home to Henry Morgan, the pirate who became governor, and thousands of privateers who spent fortunes as fast as they stole them. The city had more goldsmiths per capita than London. Land cost more than in Kent. And the whole thing sat on a strip of loose Caribbean sand. On June 7, 1692, that sand turned to liquid. Two-thirds of the city slid into Kingston Harbour in under two minutes. Two thousand died instantly. Three thousand more followed. Archaeologists have since found brick walls still standing on the seafloor. Tavern glasses on tables. A pocket watch frozen at 11:43 AM. This is the full story of Port Royal — from the English capture of Jamaica in 1655 to the earthquake that ended it all. Every street. Every tavern. Every betrayal. Every coin spent and stolen and lost. What would you have done with a pocket full of Spanish silver in the wickedest city on Earth? Tell us in the comments.