George Somers

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The Guard of TS Admiral Somers, the Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps unit of St. George's, Bermuda, parades on Ordnance Island, St. George's. Visible behind the officer at left is a statue of Admiral Sir George Somers, for whom the unit is named, credited as the founder of Bermuda. The statue, by sculptor, Desmond Fountain, was unveiled by HRH Princess Margaret in 1984 to celebrate the 375th anniversary of the settlement of Bermuda.

Admiral Sir George Somers (1554-1610) was a British naval hero. Born in Lyme Regis, Dorset, the son of John Somers, his first fame came as part of an expedition led by Sir Amyas Preston against the Spanish navy in 1595. He is remembered today as the founder of the English colony of Bermuda, also known officially as the Somers Isles.

Somers commanded several British ships between 1600 and 1602, including the HMS Vanguard, HMS Swiftsure and HMS Warspite. He was knighted in 1603 and became Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis the same year. He was also at one time the Mayor of the town.

In 1609, Somers was made Admiral of the Virginia Company's Supply Relief Fleet, which left Britain for the Virginia Colony. On 25th July 1609, battered by a huge storm, his ship the Sea Venture was wrecked off the reefs of Bermuda's Discovery Bay. Somers was presumed dead by those in Virginia, but remained in Bermuda for 10 months, along with all those others who had survived the Sea Venture's wreck.

During their time on the islands, the crew and passengers formed the start of the Bermuda colony, building a church and houses. Somers and Sir Thomas Gates (also among the castaways) between them oversaw the construction of two ships - the Deliverance and the Patience - from spars and rigging of the wrecked Sea Venture and local timber. In May 1610 the ships set sail, with 142 castaways on board. On arrival they found the Virginia Colony almost destroyed by famine and disease. Very few of the supplies from the Supply Relief Fleet had arrived (the same hurricane which caught the Sea venture had also badly affected the rest of the fleet). It was only through the arrival of the ships from Bermuda that the colony was able to survive.

Sir George returned to Bermuda in the Patience to collect more food, but he became ill on the journey and died, on 9th November, 1610 in Bermuda.

A biography, "Sir George Somers: A Man and his Times", written by the late David Raine, was published by Pompano Publications, 7 King's Square, St George's, GE 05, Bermuda.