National Museum Speaker Series, William H White Wreck of the Ten Sail, February 4 2014
Dr. Peggy, Director of the Cayman Islands National Museum begins this round of talks giving a brief historical overview behind the wreck of the ten sails, telling of British Ships stationed in Jamaica, a British Colony, sailing to Haiti, a then French Colony, during the time of war when Europe was fighting, thus England and France being at war with one another, upon capturing of a French Navy ship named the Long Constant the two British sail back to Jamaica. After return to Jamaica they rename the ship HMS Convert, now being an addition to the British fleet.
The British set sail with a fleet of 59 Shipd in an indirect rout to Europe west past the Cayman Islands up to Southern Cuba through the Gulf of Mexico. Upon reaching the Coast of East End the Captain of the newly renamed French Navy ship the HMS Constant feeling conforted falls asleep. Ten of the ships including the HMS Contant wreck on the reef of the Coast of End End, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
List of Ten Ships are (Convert being a navy ship and the 9 others were merchant ships carrying wealth of rum, lumber, suger etc. back to England):
HMS Convert - John Lawfod (Captain)
William & Elizabeth - Medman Goodwin
Britannia - Daniel Martin
Ludlow - David McLure
Nancy - Leary or Campbell
Moorhall - Samuel Nicholson
Richard - J or Thomas Hughes
Fortune - Love or Merryman
Eagle - Ainsworth
Sally - Watson
of the 200 hundred people on board of the ships 5 died and the others were saved and transported back to the United Kingdom.
All details and research were from Archives stored in England, France, Jamaica and from oral History recented in Cayman also Archaeology from the Cayman Islands.
Note: The French Revelution Wars were from 1792 - 1802. Great Britain was at War with France. Also note that there are 30 ship wrecks within several miles of reef in the East End area.
The Author of the Book then speeks of writing his book around the story and inserting fiction.
