Port Royal

"Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. Smith."

- Harbormaster to Jack Sparrow

Port Royal was a major city and harbor in the Caribbean, situated on the western end of Palisadoes in Jamaica. It was founded by the English, and the British Royal Navy maintained a presence at the town.

Wealthy and civilized, Port Royal's air comes from its place as the official center of Caribbean trade. Unfortunately for its civilized residents, its location also makes it a perfect spot for pirate raids, despite the nearby Navy presence at the governmental Fort Charles. The town of Port Royal was mostly known to be under the jurisdiction of Governor Weatherby Swann. During the War of Jolly Roger, Port Royal was invaded by the undead forces of the ruthless Jolly Roger. Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company would soon take command of Port Royal during the War Against Piracy.

Discovery
Christopher Columbus discovered Jamaica in 1492 and it was completely colonized by the Spanish shortly after his death and built the trading post of Santiago De La Vega. However, Jamaica was taken over by the English forces in 1655 and became an important stronghold of British power in the Caribbean, but also a hideout for buccaneers, pirates and privateers. "La Vega" was left in ruins shortly following the invasion, and Admiral William Penn, liking the location, rebuilt it and renamed the town Port Royal.

Pirate city
In 1657, Governor Edward D'Oley invited the Brethren of the Coast to come to Port Royal and make it their homeport. Henry Morgan used it as the main base for his piratical raids to the Spanish Main, but in 1687, piracy was outlawed in Jamaica. In 1692 the town was destroyed by an earthquake and partially sunk into the sea believed to be "God's wrath", but the remaining part was rebuilt. By 1730, the town was completely rebuilt.

British reign
"Dear, I do hope you demonstrate a bit more decorum in front of Commodore Norrington. It is only through his efforts that Port Royal has become at all civilized."

- Weatherby Swann to Elizabeth Swann

By the time of the reign of King George II, Port Royal was a prospering town. It doubled it's size and population within 10 years, which led to some problems with the sewer system. At some point, three pirate corpses, one of which was Calico Jack Rackham's, were hung near Port Royal with the sign "Pirates, Ye Be Warned" hanging next to them, which the pirate Captain Jack Sparrow would later give his respect to with a salute to his fellow fallen pirates.

Governor Weatherby Swann
"You're safe now. We will return to Port Royal immediately not go gallivanting after pirates!"

- Weatherby Swann to Elizabeth Swann

Sometime during the 1730s, King George appointed Weatherby Swann as the governor of Port Royal. And so the newly appointed Governor Swann and his young daughter, Elizabeth, made the crossing to the Caribbean aboard the HMS Dauntless. Making Port Royal their new home, the Swanns would reside in a mansion overlooking the port town.

Eight years later, Captain James Norrington, one of the Lieutenants on board the Dauntless during the crossing, was promoted to commodore. Governor Swann had arranged a sword to be made, delivered by the blacksmith apprentice William Turner. Many townsfolk, Governor Swann, and Elizabeth among them, attended Norrington's promotion ceremony in Fort Charles. It was after the ceremony that Norrington, in his new-found promotion, proposed to Elizabeth. Shocked, and finding it difficult to breathe in a corset her father had insisted she wear, Elizabeth fell from the fort's battlements, but was rescued from a watery grave by the notorious pirate Jack Sparrow. Despite the fact that Sparrow had saved his daughter's life, Weatherby and Norrington ordered him to be taken in to await a hanging. Though Jack managed to escape custody, he was later captured by Norrington's men at John Brown's smithy.

That night, Port Royal came under attack by the cursed crew of the Black Pearl, captained by Hector Barbossa. During the fight, Elizabeth was kidnapped from the Governor's mansion by Pintel and Ragetti, and was taken aboard the Pearl. The following day, while Norrington was setting up a search party for Elizabeth, Jack Sparrow and Will Turner took the Interceptor in their attempt to rescue Elizabeth in Isla de Muerta.

The rescue mission was ultimately successful, with later help from Norrington's men of the Dauntless. On the return voyage to Port Royal, Governor Swann offered Will Turner clemency; however, as a pirate and a man of a lifetime of wickedness, Jack Sparrow was set for execution at Fort Charles. But with the help of Will Turner and Jack's crew aboard the Black Pearl, Jack managed to escape the hangman's noose.

War of Jolly Roger
"Pirates first, boys! And their pitiful baricades. Then, on to the governor's mansion, and I'll rule Port Royal. ATTACK!"

- Jolly Roger to his undead army

Some time later, during the War of Jolly Roger, a group of pirates accidentally destroyed the magical protection of the town. This led the undead pirate captain Jolly Roger to quickly start the invasion of Port Royal. However, the invasion was repelled by combined forces of citizens of Port Royal and pirates of the Caribbean.

War Against Piracy
"Port Royal? Not exactly a safe place, is it, Jack? Beckett has a price on our heads." "Desperate men will go to desperate lengths. And better being hung than being someone's dinner, eh, mate?"

- Will Turner and Jack Sparrow

By the time the War Against Piracy occurred, the East India Trading Company had spread their influence into the Caribbean. It was at this time that Lord Cutler Beckett moved his headquarters from Kingshead to Port Royal. When Beckett himself arrived to Port Royal, he and his associate, Ian Mercer, had warrants for the arrests of William Turner and Elizabeth Swann for helping Jack Sparrow escape his execution a year prior, as well as Letters of Marque to recruit Sparrow as a privateer to King George II. Beckett also had a warrant for James Norrington's arrest, however, Norrington had disappeared after resigning from his position some months prior. And so with the conspirators of Jack Sparrow arrested, Beckett continued setting up his new headquarters in Port Royal.

Beckett resided in an office, where he oversaw his plans of finding the legendary Dead Man's Chest, which hid the heart of Davy Jones, the item he planned to use to exterminate pirates. It was here that Beckett made a deal with Will Turner: if he brought Jack Sparrow's compass to him, then the charges against Will and Elizabeth would be dropped. Later, after finding out Governor Weatherby Swann was transporting Elizabeth to England, he sent Mercer to stop this plan. This ended with Weatherby arrested and the disappearance of Elizabeth. The Governor's daughter escaped to meet with Beckett in his office and to take Beckett's Letters of Marque, which were originally going to Jack Sparrow. After their conversation, Elizabeth left into the night and boarded the Edinburgh Trader the next day as it left Port Royal underway.

As he waited for news on the chest, Beckett stayed in his office. During this time, he had Weatherby Swann brought to him to inform him of Mercer's report of his daughter had left Tortuga with Jack Sparrow aboard the Black Pearl, along with James Norrington. The discussion ended with Swann accepting Beckett's demand for his loyalty to the Company, in return for Elizabeth's safety. Sometime later, Mercer reported to Beckett of the return of some of the ships, and that one of them had picked up a man adrift at sea&mdash;James Norrington. Having retrieved the Letters of Marque from Jack Sparrow, who in turn, had taken them from Elizabeth, Norrington presented the heart of Davy Jones. Beckett not only pardoned Norrington, but promoted him to the rank of admiral. With the heart of Davy Jones in his possession, Beckett was now one step closer to his goal of eradicating piracy from the sea.

Shortly afterwards, the Flying Dutchman would come to Port Royal to embark on missions under Beckett's control. After a group of hanging pirates started singing a song in the gallows at Fort Charles, Beckett set off on his flagship, the HMS Endeavour, to lead his armada to fight against the Brethren Court.

Location
"Port Royal has its charms, but it can't hold a candle to Tortuga."

- Jack Sparrow to Esmeralda



Port Royal was built around Fort Charles, which was one of England's largest government forts in the Caribbean, second only to St. Johns in Antigua. The citdel was armed with cannons intended to protect Navy ships in the harbor below. The port was governed by Weatherby Swann, and despite its sizable naval presence, it became a popular place for pirates to bring and spend their treasure. Executions of known pirates were held at the fort, and three skeletons hung outside the bay, as a warning to incoming pirates of their fates.

Port Royal was accessible via a large harbor, used by both merchant and Navy ships. The HMS Dauntless was a common sight at the harbor during James Norrington's tenure in the Navy, while the HMS Endeavour was later moored there during Cutler Beckett's residency. The latter maintained an office overlooking the dock, which was refitted prior to his arrival in Port Royal.

The town was situated inland from the harbor, leading up to the Governor's mansion, and included everything from taverns and inns to blacksmiths and apothecaries. Street markets were prevailant also, though as the town had expanded in the decade of Swann's governorship, the local sewer system was unable to cope, and gave the air a distinct odour.

Just outside of Port Royal were a series of caverns. These caverns were used as a hideout for smugglers and pirates.

Behind the scenes
"The crimes of Captain Sparrow are notorious. Among our many sources, we have a detailed account of your recent criminal activities in the town of Port Royal." "'Criminal activities'? Nonsense. Port Royal would've been burnt to cinders if it were not for my heroic interventions."

- Alberto Chaves and Jack Sparrow


 * Port Royal was filmed primarily in St. Vincent in the productions of The Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man's Chest.
 * Port Royal was an island in Pirates of the Caribbean Online.
 * In real-world history, Port Royal was destroyed by an earthquake in 1692. Rebuilding efforts were hampered by a second earthquake in 1704. After this, Port Royal's prominence fell greatly, and its former role was largely taken over Kingston Harbor.
 * In The Legend of Jack Sparrow, Jack Sparrow claimed that he had heroic interventions during the attack on Port Royal. However, as the game's story was about Jack's many legends, and the fact that Sparrow was in jail through the attack, it didn't happen.
 * Port Royal appears in the video game Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned. But, since that game was canceled, it is unknown if the town's appearance in the game is canon or not.
 * In the novel On Stranger Tides, which was used as the basis for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, it was Blackbeard who accidentally destroyed Port Royal in 1692 with his voodoo powers.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: Silver
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Missing Pirate
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (video game)
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
 * Enter... the Scarecrow!
 * The Capture of Jack Sparrow!
 * The Buccaneer's Heart!
 * Pirates of the Caribbean Online
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
 * Kingdom Hearts II