Royal Naval Dockyard

The Royal Naval Dockyard served as the principal base of the Royal Navy in the Western Atlantic from the late 18th century through the Cold War. Built on Ireland Island at Bermuda's western tip using slave and convict labour, its granite fortifications once supported the entire British fleet in the Americas. The dockyard's strategic position astride Atlantic shipping routes made Bermuda one of the most heavily fortified colonies in the Empire. Today the complex houses the National Museum of Bermuda, craft markets, and the historic Commissioner's House.