Castle Harbour, Bermuda

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Castle Harbour is a large natural harbour in Bermuda. It is located between the northeastern end of the main island and St. David's Island.

A gem of Bermuda's coastline, it is surrounded by St. George's Parish in the north, east, south (Tucker's Town), and Hamilton Parish in the west. The main opening to the Atlantic Ocean, in the east, is guarded by a series of islands, notably Nonsuch Island and Castle Island. In the west, The Causeway crosses from the main island to St. David's Island, and beyond this a stretch of water known as Ferry Reach connects the harbour with St. George's Harbor to the north.

There are many islands and beach areas in the harbour, and numerous subterranean waterways link its waters with that of Harrington Sound in the southwest, notably Crystal Cave. Several of the islands were fortified in the early days of the territory, hence the harbour's name. Castle Harbour is the only breeding ground in the world of the famous rare seabird, the Bermuda Petrel or cahow.

The North of the Harbour was altered considerably during the Second World War, when the US Army built a large airbase. This involved the levelling of Longbird Island, and several smaller islets, and infilling waterways and much of the Harbour to create a land mass contiguous with St. David'd Island.