Navy Island is a small (64 acres) uninhabited island off the coast of

Port Antonio Port Antonio is the capital of the parish of Portland on the northeastern coast of Jamaica, about from Kingston. It had a population of 12,285 in 1982 and 13,246 in 1991. It is the island's third largest port, famous as a shipping point for b ...

Portland Parish Portland, with its capital town Port Antonio, is a parish located on Jamaica's northeast coast. It is situated to the north of St Thomas and to the east of St Mary in Surrey County. It is one of the rural areas of Jamaica, containing part ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. Navy Island's most famous owner was the film actor

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

, who reportedly hosted many parties there. Until fairly recently, the Island has been maintained as a resort community. However, it is now a closed island owned by the Government of Jamaica.

History

The British Government originally gave the island to Governor Lynch of

for services to the Crown; it became known as "Lynch's Island". The

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

later took over what was now called Navy island, using the facility for a

gun battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to facil ...

at the eastern. At some point, Captain

William Bligh Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command; after being set adrift i ...

of the Royal Navy did use the island shallows facing the mainland as a 'careening station" (when they turn the hulls of ships to make them available for scraping off

barnacles A barnacle is a type of arthropod constituting the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive ...

and other maintenance). In modern times, Flynn purchased Navy Island for his private retreat. He planted a long row of

royal palm ''Roystonea regia'', commonly known as the Cuban royal palm or Florida royal palm, is a species of palm that is native to Mexico, parts of Central America and the Caribbean, and southern Florida. A large and attractive palm, it has been planted ...

s that are still there today. Flynn never built a house on Navy Island, but moored his

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

, "Zaca" near a thatch-covered structure built around an existing tree. Flynn's caretaker, known as the "Governor", lived in what was then the only house on the island. Len Koutnik, a land developer from Los Angeles, purchased Navy Island and planned an upscale vacation retreat with homes under the aegis, "Jamaica Islandia". Pressed by the

Government of Jamaica Politics in Jamaica takes place in the framework of a representative parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The 1962 Constitution of Jamaica established a parliamentary system whose political and legal traditions closely fol ...

to begin construction, Koutnik was forced to lower his expectations for ultra posh accommodations. Harry Eiler and his wife, a California couple, built the first house there. A few other investors added similar home sites. Joseph and Gertrude Casey from Rhode Island joined with Koutnik to build a hotel and surrounding rental villas. However, Koutnik ran out of funds and the Caseys took control of the project. However, the planned construction was never completed. After Joseph Casey's death, Gertrude Casey offered the Eilers a lease on the entire island so that they could complete construction and operate the only private island resort in Jamaica - The Admiralty Club. After five years operating the Admiralty Club, the Eilers faced an employee rebellion. They had fired an employee for stealing funds. The man then fomented a rebellion against the Eilers by the resort staff. The staff took over the island and commandeered the two boats used to ferry guests to the island. They held the Eilers captive until the couple paid termination pay. After this experience, the Eilers immediately left Navy Island and left it to Gertrude Casey's supervision. In time, other investors became interested in Navy Island. However, a legal

stipulation In United States law, a stipulation is a formal legal acknowledgment and agreement made between opposing parties before a pending hearing or trial. For example, both parties might stipulate to certain facts and so not have to argue them in court. A ...

required that anyone visiting the island be allowed to use the island amenities as a guest. In addition, there was a provision for a public beach amid the circle of rental villas. These requirements made Navy Island undesirable as an upscale resort and drove away investors. In time, the Jamaican Government bought out all the remaining

land titles Land registration is any of various systems by which matters concerning ownership, possession, or other rights in land are formally recorded (usually with a government agency or department) to provide evidence of title, facilitate transactions, a ...

and closed Navy Island. It remains undeveloped to this day.

References

{{Reflist Islands of Jamaica Private islands of the Caribbean Geography of Portland Parish