Hammerton Killick | |
---|---|
Nickname | Admiral Hammerton Killick |
Born | April 18, 1856 |
Died | September 6, 1902 Gonaïves | (aged 46)
Service/branch | Navy |
Rank | Admiral |
Hammerton Killick (April 18, 1856 – September 6, 1902) was an officer (called an admiral) in the navy of Haiti. A naval base in Port-au-Prince is named after him.[1] In 1943, he was honored with a postage stamp.[2]
Haiti was a poor country. Its had to borrow officers other countries.[3] It had very few ships.[3] In 1899 its ships were old, some were not seaworthy, many needed paint, and they were being cannibalized for parts.[3] Sailors sometimes were not paid.[4] Sailors did not get enough good food.[4][3] The political situation in Haiti was not stable. There was a rebellion against President Florvil Hyppolite.
One of Killick's goals was to get more ships for the navy. In January of 1894 an American Yacht called the Natalie went missing.[5] Some people thought the Natalie was carrying weapons for fighting against Hyppolite.[6] Her captain said there were no weapons on board. He said the trip was just a pleasure trip.[7] The Natalie was seen close to Long Cay, Bahamas in February.[6] A short time later two Haitian ships, the Defence and the Dessalines, with Killick onboard, showed up near the Natalie.[5] The Defence was carrying $25,000 in American gold to buy the Natalie,[5] and the Dessalines was carrying $60,000 in gold coin to buy the Natalie.[7] Killick bought the Natalie for £5,208 6s 8d,[8] or $25,000.[9] The Natalie was retrofitted and added to the Haitian Navy.[5]
In 1896 Haiti bought a new ship, the Crête-à-Pierrot.[3] The Crête-à-Pierrot was to be the flagship of the navy.[3] It was built in England and armed in France.[3] It had 11 guns, could steam 15 knotts, and displaced 940 tonnes of water.[3] In 1899 the captain said the Admiral often came aboard.[3]
In July of 1898, Admiral Killick went missing for nineteen days.[10]
In May of 1902, Haitian President Tirésias Simon Sam resigned. He was ashamed because of what happened with Emil Lüders.[11] The constitution said the National Assembly should name a president, but the people wanted direct elections.[11] A temporary government was made to supervise the election of deputies who would help the National Assembly appoint the president.[12] Many people wanted Anténor Firmin to be president, but the military and the temporary government, wanted Pierre Nord Alexis instead.[11] By June of 1902 a civil war had started.[11]
Admiral Killick wanted Firmin.[13][14] This means that Alexis had the support of the military, but Firmin had the support of the navy.[15] On May 15, Killick took the Crête-à-Pierrot, to Cap-Haïtien to get Firminist troops and take them to Port-au-Prince.[13][14] Meanwhile, the other ship in Haiti's navy, the Toussaint Louverture, was in Gonaïves.[13] Firmin had many supporters in Gonaïves.[12]
Firmin wanted to be elected deputy of both Cap-Haïtien, and Gonaïves.[12] He was elected deputy for Gonaïves, but on June 28th fighting began in Cap-Haïtien between his supporters and soldiers controlled by Alexis. The soldiers had been sent there to supervise the elections.[12] After the fighting broke out Firmin left on the Crête-à-Pierrot and sailed to Gonaïves.[12] He protested against the way the elections were being done.[12]
Killick attacked Cap-Haïtien with both ships.[16] When he left Cap-Haitien he accidentally wrecked the Toussaint Louverture on a reef.[16][15] Through the rest of the summer Killick and the Crête-à-Pierrot moved soldiers for the Firminist cause, attacked towns on the coast, and caused problems for Alexis' soldiers.[15][17] Other soldiers loyal to Firmin were lead by Jean Jumeau and marched on Port-au-Prince by land.[18]
Because of his support for Firmin, Killick was decommissioned by July 12.[19]
By July 26 Firmin had been named president by the people of several other regions of Haiti, even though the election was not over[19]. Jumeau's soldiers were said to be one day away from Port-au-Prince, and the Crête-à-Pierrot was in the harbor at Port-au-Prince.[20]
Killick tried to block the harbor at Cap-Haïtien.[15] On September 2, 1902,[12] Killick and his crew captured a German ship, the Markomannia. The Markomannia was on the way to Cape Haitian to give weapons to Alexis' soldiers.[18] Alexis asked Germany for help with a pirate ship.[11] Germany sent the SMS Panther to find and capture the Crête-à-Pierrot.[18]
On September 6, the Crête-à-Pierrot was in port at Gonaïves. Killick and most of the crew were on shore leave when the Panther got there.[1] Killick ran back to the ship and his crew to leave.[1] When all but four people had left the ship[18] Killick dressed himself in the Haitian flag and blew up the ship and weapons.[21] He didn't want the Germans to have them.[1][22] Killick and the four people still on the ship went down with the ship.[1]
An hour later, the Panther fired thirty shots at the Crête-à-Pierrot, then sailed away.[22] The ship's weapons were salvaged.[22] Killick's body was found and buried that same day.[22]
Without the support of the navy, Firmin's revolt failed.[17] Within a month Firmin went into exile in Saint Thomas, Barbados. He died there in 1911.[17]
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Category:1856 births
Category:1902 deaths
Category:Haitian people of Mulatto descent
Category:Haitian military leaders
Category:Military personnel killed in action