The English Cemetery or Anglo-American Cemetery in

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...

, sometimes the Port Mahon Cemetery or the Christian Cemetery in Menorca, is a cemetery developed in the course of United States naval activity dating to the early 19th century, located in

Port Mahon A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

, in the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...

of Spain. It is the resting place of twenty known

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

sailors, one Navy wife, and others, some unknown.

History

As the United States moved further into international commerce and influence after the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, its navy developed a natural European base of operations at the eastern end of the transatlantic crossing in Gibraltar. Lingering feelings from the war, however, made the sharing of the port with the British difficult and operations were moved to Menorca, off the Spanish coast, in 1820. The English Cemetery at Port Mahon dated to the turn of the century; its name derived not necessarily from the nationality of those who would be buried within but from their non-Catholic religion in a Catholic country. A medical facility and cemetery was natural in a peacetime training base abroad, and the cemetery gained mostly Americans who had died of illness or injury, and occasional sailors of other nationalities. The last recorded burial was that of Lt. Karl von Bunsen, of the German family associated with the

Bunsen Burner A Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a kind of ambient air gas burner used as laboratory equipment; it produces a single open gas flame, and is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion. The gas can be natural gas (which is main ...

, in 1890. Its burials were varied in record keeping and the informal creation of tombstones. The cemetery’s significance in U.S. naval history became most important with the visit of the Civil War naval hero for the Union, and the US Navy’s first admiral,

David Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. Fa ...

, whose father had been born in Ciudella, Menorca in 1775. After his visit in 1868, Menorca and its cemetery receded in importance and fell into neglect. Occasional maintenance would come mainly from sailors of any nation who happened to land on the island. In 1965, amateur historian and American ex-pat Menorcan resident Jim Maps published an article about the cemetery in the naval history periodical ''American Neptune''. It had been his hope that, in depicting its neglected condition, the U.S. Navy would take official responsibility for its upkeep. That did not occur, though sailors of an occasional American ship would tend to it as time allowed, and, beginning in 1977, were directed to do so through memos to visiting ships. Eventually, the English Cemetery came under the unofficial care of the Madrid Council of the

Navy League of the United States The Navy League of the United States, commonly referred to as the Navy League, is a national association with nearly 50,000 members who advocate for a strong, credible United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard and ...

. In cooperation with the Madrid Council, the Spanish government performed extensive restoration of the cemetery, including reinforcement of its walls and protection from the sea, in 2008. It is visited by the Madrid League each American

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

. It contains twenty fully named Americans, some who are partially identified and a small, indeterminate number of other nationalities.

References

Sources

* {{coord, 39.8894, 4.2902, type:landmark_region:ES-PM, display=title Cemeteries in Spain