Sea Venture and the 'Isle of Devils'

In July 1609 the English ship Sea Venture, bound for Jamestown, was driven onto Bermuda's reefs in a hurricane. Sailors had long feared the islands as the 'Isle of Devils', haunted by spirits.

1609 CE · 32.38, -64.66 · status: official

The account

All aboard survived and found the islands rich in food; the eerie cries that had scared mariners were from nesting cahow seabirds. William Strachey's account of the wreck is thought to have inspired Shakespeare's The Tempest. The wreck led to the settlement of Bermuda.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Sea Venture