- "Look alive and keep a weather eye! Not for naught it's called Shipwreck Island. Where lies Shipwreck Cove and the town of Shipwreck."
- ―Joshamee Gibbs
Shipwreck Island was a tropical island in the Caribbean, located a day's sail off the northeast coast of South America. It was the location of Shipwreck Cove, which contained Shipwreck City. The only way to enter this island was through the passage known as the Devil's Throat.
History[]
Home to pirates[]
- "It’s an island—you know the kind. One of those places that’s very hard to find—unless you know where it is. And it’s not always in exactly the same place, some of the old-timers claim."
- ―Jack Sparrow to Amenirdis
Much of Shipwreck Island's history is shrouded in mystery. One of the best known legends on the Spanish Main, it was believed that the island was an impregnable pirate stronghold and sanctuary for hundreds of years. Most seafarers who heard of it regarded it as nothing more than the rum-soaked invention of tale-spinning pirates.[1]
The island's position was difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint on a map. Some said that it had no fixed location, but that it moved. But pirates who knew of it could usually find it, though not always. One of the few pirate maps that bore correct (at least at some times) coordinates for Shipwreck Island showed it as lying a day’s sail off the northeast coast of South America.[1][2]
The inner portions of the island, Shipwreck Cove and Shipwreck City, were some of the main locations where pirates gather, particularly during the first meeting of the Brethren Court. Other than the pirates, very few parties were able to enter Shipwreck Island. In order to reach the center of the island, sailors were forced to pass through a narrow inlet known as the Devil's Throat, which claimed several ships every year.[3]
The Brethren Court[]
Throughout the Age of Piracy, the Brethren Court held many meetings at Shipwreck Island during their existence. The most well-known meeting of the Brethren occurred during the War Against Piracy, where the Fourth Court met in their stand against Lord Cutler Beckett and the East India Trading Company. The decisive battle was held offshore of the island, where the pirates achieved victory over Beckett and Davy Jones, who were killed in battle.[4]
Locations[]
Devil's Throat[]
- "Step out, Mister Cotton. There's some dangerous cross tides ahead that will prove a trick to navigate."
- ―Jack Sparrow to Cotton
The Devil's Throat was the only way into the volcanic crater that housed Shipwreck Cove and Shipwreck City. Its treacherous passage has been known to claim several vessels every year. These wrecks were subsequently added to the assembly of derelict ships that comprised the city itself.
Shipwreck City[]
- "Head straight back to Venganza. If you find Captain Barbossa there, tell him to come to Shipwreck City and wait for me in The Drunken Lady."
- ―Jack Sparrow to Esmeralda
Shipwreck City was located in the crater of a volcano, and its mass was comprised of hundreds of wrecked ships. In the town of Shipwreck, there were many places where people could gamble and drink, such as the Mermaid and the Drunken Lady[5][1], as well as places where pirates could indulge their carnal desires like rowdy tavern the Parrot's Perch or Fanny's brothel[6]. There were also many notable inhabitants who lived in the city, like Edward Teague and "Stupid" Barnaby.
Shipwreck Cove[]
- "Shipwreck Cove is a fortress. A well supplied fortress."
- ―Ching
Shipwreck Cove was located in the crater of a volcano, and its mass was comprised of hundreds of wrecked ships. It was the main area where the pirates gather and used as a fortress. Pirate Hall was located somewhere within Shipwreck Cove.
Pirate Hall[]
- "We must have arrived early."
"Let us meet at the Pirate Hall and in the meantime, I'm sure we can find our own...diversions." - ―Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa
Pirate Hall was the chamber where the Pirate Lords assembled within Shipwreck Island to begin the meetings of the Brethren Court. The Pirata Codex was kept somewhere within this chamber.
Behind the scenes[]
- For At World's End, the scene where the Black Pearl and her passengers approached Shipwreck Island was filmed at Capucine Point on Dominica; other scenes relating to Shipwreck Cove were either digitized filmed on Stage 2 at Walt Disney Studios.[7]
- Coincidentally, there was an island named "Shipwreck Island" in the Spring 2005 issue a Disney Adventures comic titled The Treasure of Shipwreck Island!. In the comic, the island was the location of a treasure and had no wrecked or sunken ships. While in the films' universe, the island was named to justify the location as a city built out of wrecked ships.
Appearances[]
- The Price of Freedom
- Tales of the Code: Wedlocked
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (junior novelization) (First appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: The Movie Storybook
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Penguin Readers)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (comic)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Price of Freedom: Chapter One: Fair Winds and Black Ships
- ↑ The island's location on a world map in the At World's End video game.
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide, p2.
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
- ↑ The Price of Freedom, Chapter Six and Chapter 8.
- ↑ POTC3 Presskit