Dive Site Proselyte: A History of Mutiny & Man of Wars
Picture Courtesy of Nature Foundation
With a distance, the HMS Proselyte is the most famous wreck near St. Maarten / St. Martin. Her fame is not just exemplified by the “Proselyte Reef” named after her, but the same counts for the Man of War Shoal Marine Park, a 3,100-hectare marine protected area. HMS Proselyte was the ship of war that gave the Man of War Shoal its name.
But apart from a spectacular protected biodiversity area and wreckage site for divers, there is way more to the story of HMS Proselyte. Her itinerary before and after running aground near St. Maarten includes events reminiscent of famous naval narratives like Mutiny on the Bounty and Master and Commander. She included naval battles, the seizing of enemy galleons, mutiny and naval court trials. In addition, the story is part and parcel of the history of great power struggles for the island, of which the unique border still leaves a mark. For those about to get dressed with their mask, fins and scuba tank, below story will add extra dimensions to your St. Maarten underwater experience.
Dutch Design
HMS Proselyte was built as the Dutch frigate Jason in Rotterdam in 1770. This timeframe was marked by absolute monarchies and colonial hegemons vying for world power. At sea, especially the Dutch and English were direct competitors. They had been at war five times over the past two centuries. Jason’s naval architect Paulus van Zwijndregt outfitted her with 36 guns. In February 1796, Jason sailed from Texel as part of a Dutch squadron. A stop was made in Trondheim, Norway, for a refit.
On 31 May 1796, Jason captured and sank the British merchant ship Maryann, which was en route from Nevis to the Scottish port of Greenock. It was during this voyage that the crew no longer tolerated the harsh treatment of Captain Gerardus Donckum. Also, political arguments came into play. Enlightenment had led to political turmoil throughout Europe that would eventually lead to the American and French revolutions. Whereas nominally the Netherlands were a republic, it was led by the Stadtholder of the House of Orange as a monarchy. Donckum and his loyal officers were locked up below deck. The mutineers sailed to Greenock and surrendered to the British on June 8, 1796. Captain John K. Pulling of the 18-gun brig-sloop Hound accepted the surrender and the Sutherland Fencibles marched from Glasgow to take possession.
A New Start as Proselyte, Now Against The Dutch
The mutineers joined the Royal Navy after their ship was renamed HMS Proselyte. The ship was commissioned as a 32-gun frigate under command of John Loring. The ship set sail for Jamaica in 1797, capturing the French privateer Liberte in the process. In December 1798, George Fowke took command of Proselyte. Any of the sailors that participated in the revolt against the Dutch in 1796 were about to have sweet revenge under his leadership: Proselyte took part in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland in August 1799, and was also part of the naval force capturing vessels of the newly founded Batavian Republic (the new Dutch, anti-Orangist and pro-French republic) in the Vlieter Incident. She also managed to capture Prussian vessel Zeeluft, French “Victor et Nathalie” and Danish “Fortuna” amongst others.
Sailing to St. Maarten
The ship set sail to the Caribbean in February 1801 as part of a campaign under command of Rear Admiral John-Thomas Duckworth. The goal of the expedition was to capture northeastern Caribbean islands. Islands like St. Maarten / St. Martin and St. Barths were of strategic importance due to their location along vital maritime routes.
Next to Proselyte, the fleet amongst others consisted of Leviathan, Andromeda,
After the capture of St. Martin, Rear Admiral Duckworth ordered the frigates Proselyte, Hornet, and the brig Drake to remain at St. Martin. Their mission was to secure the island and facilitate the embarkation of the garrison, which was completed on 26 March. Duckworth ordered Proselyte and Hornet
This allowed the remaining ships in Duckworth’s squadron to proceed to St. Thomas, continuing the campaign’s momentum. In recognition of the successful operations, Rear Admiral Duckworth was eventually nominated a Knight Companion of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath in 1801. This honor acknowledged his leadership in capturing the islands of St. Barths, St. Martin, St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix.
Shipwreck on St. Maarten
It is not exactly clear why, but captain George Fowke was not on Proselyte when it met its fateful day on September 4th 1801. As the ship traveled from nearby St. Kitts, it could be that he remained there and was to be picked up shortly after.
It is unlikely that weather played a role the day of the shipwreck. Duckworth’s fleet had documented storms earlier that year in Spain, and after the demise of Proselyte once again in November. Should storms have been active around September 4th (or any damage done in weeks before to masts as was once the case of the voyage of captain Pinel), it would have probably been mentioned. This makes the reason for the shipwreck as assumed by the court trial, negligence, plausible.
Fowkes had left temporary command in the hands of Lieutenant Henry Whitby. Whitby was now in charge of sailing the ship from St. Kitts to St. Maarten on September 4th. What must have been to the surprise of the crew, Proselytes hull suddenly split open on what later was to become the Man of War Shoal. Boats from Philipsburg saved all crew members.
A court martial held aboard HMS Magnanime at Fort Royal, Martinique, found Lieutenant Whitby guilty of negligence for ignoring warnings about the reef and demoted him. The ship’s master, Luke Winter, was dismissed for ignoring local navigation orders.
Whitby’s American Aftermath
Interestingly, Whitby (unlike Winter) returned to naval duties and was involved in another naval scandal. In April 1806, while stationed near New York Harbor, Captain Whitby – now in charge of the HMS Leander – ordered a warning shot fired at the American merchant vessel Richard, which had refused to stop for inspection. The cannonball passed into the harbor and struck John Pierce, the ship’s helmsman, causing his death. This incident occurred within U.S. territorial waters, leading to widespread outrage in New York City. A mob seized provisions intended for the British ships and distributed them to the poor, while public funerals and protests condemned the act as murder. President Thomas Jefferson responded by issuing a proclamation demanding that Captain Whitby and his ship, along with other British vessels, leave U.S. waters immediately and forbidding them from returning.Whitby was court-martialed in Britain for the death of John Pierce. The court acquitted him, ruling that the shooting was accidental and not intentional. This decision further strained Anglo-American relations, as many Americans viewed it as an injustice. Emotions like those caused by the “Leander Affair” were part and parcel of the war of 1812.
Archaeological Significance
The wreck of HMS Proselyte lies at the base of a reef at approximately 17°59.344′ N, 63°3.543′ W. The site is known as Proselyte Reef and has five ridges which are assumed to be old lava flows. Depths range from 12 to 18 meters (40–60 feet). The wreck contains amongst others cannons and anchors covered with coral. Marine life is abundant.
The site is exposed to northeast trade winds, making water almost always rough. In 2013, a recycled sailboat keel was sunk as a mooring block. It replaced anchoring systems that damaged coral. The project was supported by Seatrek Helmet Divers, Bobby’s Marina Group, and Aquatic Solutions.
Preserving and Remembering the Proselyte
Declared on December 31, 2010, Man Of War Shoal Marine Park became the island’s first protected nautical area of St. Maarten.The wreck was declared a protected area. Katherine Bequette studied the Proselyte wreck in 1994–1995 with her firm, Maritime Archaeology & Research. Volunteers from the Maritime Archaeological & Historical Society (MAHS) assisted. Wil Nagelkerken studied the site in the 2000s.
Artifacts from the wreck are displayed in the Sint Maarten Heritage museum; Proselyte cannons greet visitors at the entry. The National Heritage Museum has a model of HMS Proselyte. Brud Ducelle of Endicott, New York, built a model of the ship over six months. The Dutch Representative in Philipsburg helped acquire it. Other museum artifacts include barrel hoops, musket balls, and ceramics. They provide insight into the Dutch frigate’s history.
In 2014, UNESCO featured the wreck. It appeared in the calendar for Underwater Cultural Heritage in Small Island Developing States. Photographer Mauricio Handler took the featured image with the Nature Foundation.
Visiting HMS Proselyte
Several buoys let dive stores visit different parts on different days. Both Dive St. Maarten in Philipsburg and Aquamania in Simpson Bay and Little Bay are experts in diving trips and allow for guided tours to the wreck. Given the currents it is recommended to be an advanced diver.
