Rodney Bay St Lucia (Part 2) Pigeon Island

On Friday 23 February we went ashore to explore Pigeon Island. Having arrived on the island by dinghy we made our way to the ticket office where we had hoped that our UK National Trust membership would allow us free admission. Unusually it would appear that there is not a reciprocal agreement with the St Lucia National Trust. Our visit to the island coincided with a visit by a couple of cruise ships and so it was busier than normal but we did get the benefit of hearing the steel drum band that had been arranged to entertain the passengers in their lunch and refreshments tent.

Signal Peakand the causeway between Pigeon Island and St Lucia   

Looking down on Fort Rodney from Signal Peak    

There are 2 distinct peaks on Pigeon Island and after taking a look at the ruined barracks and Officers’ Mess we decided to climb the higher one of the 2 first.

The Causeway from Signal Peak   

This vantage point gave fabulous views down over the causeway, Fort Rodney and the whole of Rodney Bay.

The full extent of Rodney Bay – previously one of the best anchorages for the Royal Navy in the Caribbean   

Pigeon Island is only 25 miles south of what had been the French base at Fort Royal on Martinique and so it was regarded as a hugely important base by the Admiralty. The bay was named after Admiral Rodney, the then governor of St Lucia, and in 1780 he wrote, “…this is the post the Governor of Martinique had set his eye on and if possessed by the enemy would deprive us if the best anchorage place in these islands and from which Martinique is always attackable…”

Our guidebook told us that Pigeon Island was first fortified by the French in 1778 and so Admiral Rodney’s warning was accurate. In all St Lucia changed hands between the French and the British fourteen times but was recaptured by the Royal Navy in 1779 and retained. We climbed down from Signal Peak and made our way over to Fort Rodney.

Fort Rodney was initially built in 1778 by the French but it was completed by the British and armed with three 24-pounders and two 11½ inch mortars. It doesn’t sound much but, because of the commanding position, presumably that was sufficient to protect the British fleet anchored in the bay. Admiral Rodney’s place in history was secured when then went on to mount an attack on the French fleet in 1782 and the ensuing Battle of Saintes ended the French dominance in the Caribbean.

Signal Peak from Fort Rodney   

Pigeon Island remained one of the most formidable forts in the region for decades but was eventually abandoned in 1861. It had a brief military role in WWII as a US Naval Air Signals Station and, for a short period, was also a whaling station. Now it’s just a lovely place to wander around and enjoy the views and clearly very popular with cruise ship passengers as well as yachties anchored off.

Rodney Bay, St Lucia