'Chaguaramas' lies in the North West Peninsula of
Trinidad west of
Port of Spain; the name is often applied to the entire peninsula, but is sometimes used to refer to the most developed area. The entire peninsula was leased to the
United States in
1940 for the construction of a
naval base under the ''
Destroyers for Bases Agreement''.
The base was also used during the early 1960s as a
BMEWS early warning radar site, as well as serving as a missile tracking site on the
U.S. Air Force Eastern Test Range.
The base was scaled in
1956 and the area was returned to
Trinidad and Tobago control in
1963.
Chaguaramas was the location slated for the construction of the
capital of the short-lived
West Indies Federation. It is also the place where the
Treaty of Chaguaramas was signed, establishing
Caricom, the Caribbean Community and Common Market, in
1973.
The Chaguaramas Peninsula supports one of the few remaining areas of
dry forest in western Trinidad.
It has been the center of Yachting activity in Trinidad.
The Chaguaramas area also contains some dockside facilities, mostly for the transfer of
bauxite ore between ship and shore. The function of such docks is easily recognizable as the docks and buildings are colored pink from the the bauxite dust.
The waterways in this area are considered excellent by divers and fishermen.
See Also
Trinidad
Destroyers for Bases Agreement
bauxite
Further Reading
Transatlantic Sketches, Comprising Visits to the Most Scenes in North and South, by Sir Richard Alexander. Published 1833, R. Bentley, Original from the University of Michigan. Digitized September 20, 2006, by Google. (See Chapted XIII.)
External Links
Diving around Trinidad - Down The Islands, Chaguaramas
Chagaramus, Trinidad and Tobago travel blogs - travel stories and ...
Destroyers for Bases Agreement, 2 September 1940
The ‘Town’-Class Destroyers
The Cove - Chagaramus