Wrecks of Saint-Pierre harbor

The wrecks in Saint-Pierre harbor are ships that, except for the Dhalia, were all sunk during the eruption of Mount Pelée on May 8, 1902.The eruption generated a pyroclastic flow, also known as nuées ardentes (Fr: burning clouds), that destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre, Martinique in a few minutes. During this eruption, it was estimated that 394 boats were in Saint-Pierre's bay, Martinique The disappearance of the port administration's archives has made it impossible to draw up an exhaustive list of the shipwrecks caused by the disaster. A report published in 1904 was established on the basis of statistics and testimonies. It was established by the National Establishment for Disabled Marines. It estimates the French losses at a minimum of 386 ships and boats, mainly coastal vessels and fishing boats, 500 crew members and 33 passengers. The foreign losses are at least 3 English ocean-going steamers with 99 crew members, 2 American sailing ships with 20 crew members, 3 Italian ocean-going sailing ships with 28 crew members and one passenger. Like the city, the ships were destroyed in an instant, the majority caught fire and were destroyed body and property The fishermen knew the locations of some of the wrecks and would cast their nets in areas rich in fish. With the advent of scuba diving in the 1970s, wreck hunters set out to search for the sunken boats. Michel Météry and Jean

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