Battle of Cayo Levantado (Samana)

Today, Cayo Levantado (which means "raised cay") in the Bay of Samana is popular with visitors. But there was a day in 1690 when it was the scene of a fierce battle between pirates and the British navy.

Jack Bannister, a famous English pirate, was anchored in Samana Bay with 2 vessels. When a lookout reported that 2 British frigates that had been looking for him were approaching, he ordered the men to move the guns from the 2 ships to Cayo Levantado.

It was a smart move. Although the entrance to Samana Bay is wide, much of it is blocked by reefs and shallows. The only entry is an approximately one-mile wide channel between the north shore of Samana Peninsula and Cayo Levantado.

In the fierce battle which ensued, more than 120 of the British sailors were killed and their ships severely damaged. However, the victors also paid a price--one of Bannister's 2 ships was sunk.

When the approximately 200 pirates realized they would be stranded unless the got aboard the remaining vessel, the smaller of the two, they panicked. In the stampede to be one of the 80 that the ship could accommodate, a large number died from drowning or from knife or bullet wounds.

As a result of the battle and its aftermath, the island and its smaller neighbor became known as Banister Cays.

Up until not too many years ago, every seafaring nation in the world was interested in getting control of Samana Bay to use as a protected harbor for a large number of ships.

Before WWII, the Germans had a big ship anchored there for a considerable period of time. Supposedly the ship was conducting a training cruise for prospective officers, but the engineers, etc., were out every day making soundings and preparing charts. They had hopes of using the bay for as a naval base in the war they were already preparing for. Since Trujillo seemed friendly to Germany, they had hopes they would be welcome.

There are still people in Samana who dream about the US Navy setting up a base there to replace Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. But today's ships are too big and too deep draft for Samana Bay. It's days as a seaport or harbor of refuge for big ships is past. Now the hope is that there will someday be a marina there. Samana Bay is a great place for day sailing. It is large, has good wind, and there are many places to anchor, including Los Haitises National Park on the south side of the bay.