Histoire du Nelson' Dockyard d'Antigua par le timbre. Collection agence Adhémar |
Stamps'issue Date: 17th March 1975 Designed by: Gordon Drummond. Nelson's Dockyard, named after Admiral Horatio Nelson, who lived in the Dockyard from 1784 through 1787. Dockyard is in English Harbour, south coast of Antigua, which is inside the larger Falmouth Harbour.
Au XVIIIe siècle, English Harbour, sur la côte sud d'Antigua, abrita une part importante de la flotte britannique, sous le commandement, un temps, de l'Amiral Nelson. Ce site bien encaissé et à peine visible du large, était connu comme étant un « trou à cyclone », un abri sûr.
C'est aujourd'hui une base nautique très fréquentée par les plaisanciers et où se déroulent de grands rassemblements comme l'Antigua Sailing Week et l'Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting.
Barque traditionnelle des indiens caraïbes quittant l'abri du port. |
Redressement d'un vaisseau de ligne dans le port. |
English Harbour quickly became a focal point for the establishment of a naval base in Antigua. Its position on the south side of the island meant it was in a position to monitor the neighbouring French island of Guadeloupe. Additionally, the harbour is naturally well-suited to protect ships and cargo from hurricanes. In 1671 the first recorded ship to enter English Harbour was a yacht, the Dover Castle.
HMS Boreas à l'ancre et son capitaine, le futur amiral Nelson. |
Construction of the modern Naval Dockyard began in the 1740s. Many of the buildings in the Dockyard today were constructed during a building programme undertaken between 1785 and 1794. Development of the place was continued up to 1855.