In the early summer of 1971, a routine maritime voyage between two Caribbean islands turned into one of Grenada’s most devastating forgotten maritime disasters. On June 19, 1971, the City of St George — a wooden-hulled motor schooner constructed just six years earlier on Carriacou by local builder McLawrence and owned by D McFarlane of St George’s, Grenada — was traveling from Trinidad to Grenada carrying a full load of both passengers and cargo when an unexpected fire ignited in the vessel’s hold.
The blaze spread rapidly across the wooden structure of the ship, engulfing the entire vessel in flames before any effective emergency response could be organized. In the chaos that followed, 22 people aboard the schooner drowned, among the victims the majority called Carriacou home: 13 victims were from that island, most hailing from the Windward district. One additional victim was from nearby Petite Martinique, while the remaining deceased were residents of mainland Grenada.
A unique legal complication arose in the wake of the disaster, as the tragedy unfolded within Trinidad’s territorial waters. At the time, Grenada’s existing legal framework did not allow for official inquests into fatal events that occurred outside the nation’s borders. This left the victims’ families in limbo, unable to formalize death declarations to access estates, insurance benefits, and close out the legal affairs of their lost loved ones.
To resolve this crisis for surviving relatives, Grenada’s government passed a targeted piece of legislation, Act No. 41 of 1972, on December 16, 1972. This law was specifically written to formally declare all victims of the City of St George disaster legally dead, clearing the legal barriers that had impacted grieving families. Today, more than half a century after the disaster, the only permanent memorial honoring the lives lost stands inside the Grand Anse Roman Catholic Church on Grenada.
This historical account draws from archival records preserved in Beverley A. Steele’s *Grenada: A History of its People* and maritime wreck database The Wrecksite. This content does not reflect the editorial position of NOW Grenada, and the platform is not liable for contributor-provided statements and information.