Henry Morgan guns recovered from Panamas Caribbean waters
The recovery of six former British guns submerged in the Caribbean waters of Panama has re-ignited interest in the Welsh privateer Sir Henry (Harri in Welsh) Morgan.
Morgan who rose from poverty in Monmouthshire, Wales, to become a privateer admiral, was one of the most successful, and reputedly ruthless buccaneers of all time, and in the 17th century terrorized Spanish settlements throughout the region.
For Panama his most infamous expeditions were the attack on Porto Bello and the march across the isthmus to lay seige to Panama city which led to its torching by the defenders and the rebuilding of a new capital now known as Casco Viejo.
On Friday February 25, Raul Castro secretary of the National Institute of Culture(INAC), announced the discovery of light artillery pieces, two to five feet long, at Las Lajas, an area of reefs in the Caribbean off Colon province. They are believed to come from one of the ships in Morgan’s fleet when he started to attack Spanish forts on the Isthmus. {jathumbnail off}
The guns were recovered by a team of divers under the guidance of U.S. cientists Frederick Hanselman, of the University of Texas, and James Delgado, director of the Maritime Heritage branch Department of Commerce United States, working with Panama cultural authorities. The six pieces of artillery will undergo a rigorous process of restoration, during the next two years and then go on display, in the ruins of the old city.
