Convicts' Bay (better known as Convict Bay) is a bay located in St. George's Harbour on the eastern side of St. George's Town on St. George's Island,

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

, and near to

Ordnance Island Ordnance Island is located within the limits of St. George's, Bermuda, St. George's Town, Bermuda. It lies close to the shore opposite the town square (King's Square), in St. George's Harbour, Bermuda, St. George's Harbour. History The only ...

. The bay was part of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

base in Bermuda, which was at St. George's from 1795 through the American War of 1812, pending construction of the Royal Naval Dockyard. It was subsequently part of St. George's Garrison until the 1950s, with HMCS Somers Isles, a

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

training base, established there during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History

Convicts' Bay was named after the use of the area as a prison. The

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

administration used obsolete warships as floating prisons,

prison hulks A prison ship, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoners of war or civilian internees. Some prison ships were hulked. While many nations have deployed pr ...

, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

during the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and applied them to use on the island. In 1799, a hulk was towed to Somerset Island, Bermuda and one more by 1824. Several would be used at the Royal Naval Dockyard and one at Convict Bay. Convict Bay was transferred to the Army in the 1860s (along with other Admiralty properties at the East End and in the Central parishes), and the army merged the facility with the adjacent St. George's Garrison, which overlooked it, and used the bay for various purposes (initially as a Royal Engineers yard) until the Second World War. The military detachments housed there were withdrawn to make way for the Royal Canadian Navy's HMCS Somers Isles for the duration of the war. It was part of the War Office and Admiralty lands slated for disposal in the 1950s.

Today

After the departure of the military from Convict Bay and the rest of St. George's Garrison, the area is now a residential neighbourhood. Streets in the area reflect the neighbourhood's past: * Convict's Bay Lane * Barrack Hill * Barrack Street * Old Military Road * Grenadier Lane * Red Coat Lane

External links

Bermuda's St. George's Parish
Bays of Bermuda St. George's, Bermuda {{Bermuda-geo-stub