Page 2 - Sutclifffe-APD_Military_RoyalNavy

The Royal Navy in Jamaica .

Although by 1815 Jamaica did not have the same strategic importance of earlier Centuries
nevertheless the Royal Navy had maintained ships at Port Royal from the 17 ~h Century, such
ships and the naval shore bases meant that there had always been large numbers of naval
personnel either stationed on the island or on shore leave from such ships .

Up to 1836 the Jamaica Station was a separate Command, but with the advent of steam and
the decline in importance of the Caribbean area the Jamaica Station became a Division of the
Nort h American and West Indies Station, then based at Halifax , Nova Scotia , Bermuda and
Jamaica; the headquarters being at Bermuda . The name of this station was later changed to
that of the American and West Indies Station; with headquarters still at Bermuda . At the
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same time some of navy' s shore bases were reduced or closed and on the 31 ~ March , 1905, the
main base at Por t Royal was closed .
There is l i ttle philatelic evidence of the Navy' s presence in Jamaica prior to the 20 ~h
Century- other than some sailor' s letters - but there is show on a following sheet a
typical set of orders of 1801, in this case orders from Vice Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour
dated the 19~h Apri l , 1801 . Addressed to Captain H. D. Darby, H. M. S . Spencer, the Captain is
ordered to put himself under the command of Rear Admiral Sir Robert Calden .

A typical sailor' s letter is shown . These are much less common than those of the Army
personnel , as in the case of the navy it was easy for a sailor to pass a letter to a
colleague returning to England, with a request that he posted it on arrival there .
A letter from J . Horsam, Seaman, HMS Pelican, Ocho Rios , W. I . appears below, which is
addressed to Devon and franked by a 1d value of the Jamaica 1889 issue , a 1d being the then
concessionary rate , which is cancelled by Ocho Rios single circle dater of 1896. The
reverse of the cover bears Kingston dater of the 2nd July, 1896 and Exeter and Teignmouth
daters of the 5th August , 1896 . The cover bears the writer' s name and other particulars and
is countersigned by the initials of the Commanding Officer of H. M. S . Peli can .

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