Despite being a mere rocky outcrop, Diamond Rock has quite a history.
HMS Diamond Rock from Martinique.
Possession of the rock allowed interdiction of navigation between Martinique and its southern neighbor, St Lucia.
Sir Hood wasted no time and hoisted two 18-pounder cannons to the rocks summit.
Then, he hastily built fortifications and a garrison of two lieutenants and 120 men was established.
Furthermore, a six-gun sloop, designatedHMS Fort Diamondwas placed in service to support the fort at Diamond Rock.
HMS Diamond Rock made popular the term stone frigate which is another name for shore establishment.
The sailors also kept goats, guinea hens and chickens on the island to supplement their uncertain food supply.
Photo:National Maritime Museum/Wikimedia Commons
Life on Diamond Rock.
The plan, although a simple one, worked.
Taking of the rock Le Diamant, near Martinique, 2 June 1805 by Auguste Etienne Francois Mayer.
The rock remained in French hands until the capture of Martinique by the British in 1809.
The island was traded back to France at the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars along with Martinique.
It has remained a French possession since then, inaccessible, inhospitable and uninhabited.
