The Northern Batteries
The Fortifications of St. Eustatius
Zeelandia Bay
A battery is recorded as having been in place at Zeelandia Bay after the
British fortification efforts of 1781. It was not recorded or located during
the fortifications survey. It was most probably a battery much like the
others constructed in this period, a low walled, three-winged open stone
gun platform.
Venus Bay
Venus Bay is a rocky landing, but affords a reasonable slope up to the
island. Thus, it was fortified to protect the coast from invasion at this
site. It appears on maps only after 1781, and may well have been one of
the British batteries made in that year, although the French could have
had their hand in it as well. Again, it was most likely similar in appearance
to the other coastal batteries described in this study. It seems to have
been abandoned by 1785, and not re-occupied during the Napoleonic era. It
was not able to be recorded during the 1990 project.
Battery Coculsbay
Little evidence has so far been uncovered for a battery at this site, but
a long time island resident suggested it once contained one. The site was
not able to be surveyed in the 1990 project.
Battery Cochan, Jenkin's Bay
Jenkin's Bay should have been fortified by the British in 1781,
but to their great dismay, it was not. During Colonel Cockburn's trial,
it came out that the site was identified as a potential hazard to invasion,
and could have been easily defended, but was left unguarded. The result
was it afforded the French fleet a bay to disembark their troops during
the night of November 25, 1781, and take the island by surprise in the
morning.
An account of the invasion printed in the Martinique Gazette
in December of 1781 described the events. The sea was rough at this site,
over-turning some of the long-boats, and a few soldiers were drowned before
reaching shore. Never-the-less, some 400 or so troops had landed by dawn.
They went up the cliffs, some 700 or 800 feet, marched overland, down the
mountains again, and captured the British garrison of the island with little
resistance. At the time they reported 10 men of their own killed (including
those lost in the landing), and 32 British losses.
Return to the Fortifications
of St. Eustatius home page.