"Figurehead" Lost at Sea Memorial -- Great Head Park, St. David's Island BM
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Benchmark Blasterz
N 32° 22.065 W 064° 38.881
20S E 344951 N 3582393
The haunting and evocative "Figurehead" Lost at Sea Memorial on St. David's Island in Bermuda list the names of all Bermudian sailors lost at sea
Waymark Code: WMNF2V
Location: Bermuda
Date Posted: 03/03/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member lumbricus
Views: 1

The "Figurehead" Lost at Sea Memorial is a fitting tribute to those Bermudians who went down to the sea in ships, and were lost at sea.

It stands proudly at the end the St. David's Island near St. David's Battery.

This Memorial was opened by HRH Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.

A plaque nearby reads as follows:

"FIGUREHEAD
Memorial For Those Lost At Sea

By M. Bill “Mussey” Ming
Commissioned By The Government Of Bermuda

Opened By
HRH The Duke Of York, KCVO, ADC
5 November 2005

Dr. the Hon. Ewart F. Brown, JP MP
Deputy Premier Minister of Tourism And Transport

“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, they see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep.” Psalm 107: 23-24."

From the Bermuda attractions website: (visit link)

"Lost At Sea Memorial Bermuda


The lost at sea memorial 'Figurehead' was created in memory of those slaves and free blacks who lost their lives in the ocean. During 18th and 19th centuries, Bermuda's economy depended a lot on the sea. Lot of slaves and free blacks spent their lives on the sea being whalers, fishermen and even pilots. The slaves who worked as crewmen, traveled around the world on merchant boats and privateer ships. Many of them never returned home.

There had been many cases when they would have been fallen overboard into the sea by a strong gale or while working on the ships mast. Whaling used to be a lucrative but a dangerous business at the same time. Whales would provide oil, bones and food all together. Usually long whaling boats would take six oarsmen and one harpooner in search of whales.

n some occasions the boats capsized and the crewmen lost limbs and even their lives. In 1840, a boat belonging to a black organization Southampton Whaling Establishment, capsized and the crewman Henry Taylor lost his life. Pilots also had a risky life. Bermuda's waters have always been full of treacherous reefs. Navigating the reefs have never been easy, and many blacks were given the job of piloting the ships. In some occasions, strong squalls would drive the boats offshore never to be heard again. In one such instance, pilot William Nights and his six crewmen were last seen in February 1856 heading towards the western end of the island. They could never be traced again although the empty boat came ashore.

The FIGUREHEAD Lost At Sea Memorial has been created at the Great Head Park in St. David's Island by the Bermudian sculptor Bill "Mussey" Ming. It was unveiled on November 5, 2005 by the Duke of York.

Location
Great Head Park, St. David's Island, St. George's
Bus Routes: #6 (operate between St George and St Davids)."
Relevent website: [Web Link]

List if there are any visiting hours:
24/7/365


Entrance fees (if any):
0


Parking coordinates: N 32° 22.061 W 064° 38.947

Date dedicated: 11/05/2005

Sponsor(s): Government of Bermuda

Visit Instructions:
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Benchmark Blasterz visited "Figurehead" Lost at Sea Memorial -- Great Head Park, St. David's Island BM 02/20/2015 Benchmark Blasterz visited it