Crête-à-Pierrot



The Crête-à-Pierrot was a ship in the Haitian Navy. It was destroyed by Admiral Hammerton Killick in 1902 to prevent it falling into the hands of the Germans.

Commission
The Haitian Government commissioned a boat to be designed and built in England. What it was finished, this ship, the Crête-à-Pierrot was the crown jewel of the Haitian navy; the best of the four ships it possessed at the time. It was built in England in 1895, armed in France, and added to Haitian Navy in 1896.

Her first captain was Captain Gilmour, from Scotland, who served under contract to Haiti.

Destruction
In 1902 Haiti was enveloped in a civil war over who would become president after the sudden resignation of Tirésias Simon Sam. The Crête-à-Pierrot was controlled by Admiral Hammerton Killick and supporters of Anténor Firmin and was used to blockade ports where Pierre Nord Alexis was gathering troops. There was a plan to use the Crête-à-Pierrot to transport Firmin to Port-au-Prince while Jean Jumeau marched on Port-au-Prince by land.

In September of 1902, the Crête-à-Pierrot seized a German ammunition ship, the Markomannia en route to provide ammunition to Alexis' forces. Alexis asked Germany for help subduing a pirate ship. In response, Germany sent the SMS Panther to find an capture the Crête-à-Pierrot.

On September 6, the Crête-à-Pierrot was in port at Gonaïves, with Killick and most of the crew on Shore leave when the Panther appeared. Killick rushed on-board and ordered his crew to abandon ship. When all but four crew members had evacuated the ship Killick, inspired by the tale of Captian LaPorte, wrapped himself in a Haitian flag, fired the aft magazine, and blew up the ship rather than let the Germans take her. Killick and the remaining four crew members went down with the ship.

An hour later, the Panther fired thirty shots at the Crête-à-Pierrot to finish it off, then sailed away. The ship's rifles and machine guns were salvaged, along with the bodies of the crew that remained on-board.