Got TIPS or BREAKING NEWS? Please call 1-284-442-8000 direct/can also WhatsApp same number or Email ALL news to:newsvino@outlook.com;                               ads call 1-284-440-6666

Special exhibition to commemorate 100th anniversary of Fancy Me sinking

-exhibition organised by HLSCC through Jennie Wheatley Virgin Islands Studies Institute
The Fancy Me, aboard which many Virgin Islanders travelled throughout the Caribbean, sank 100 years ago in July 1926 during a hurricane off the coast of the Dominican Republic. Photo: HLSCC
Director of the Jennie Wheatley Virgin Islands Studies Institute, Ms Rochelle Smith, said the Fancy Me remains one of the most significant events in VI’s maritime history and collective memory. Photo: HLSCC
Director of the Jennie Wheatley Virgin Islands Studies Institute, Ms Rochelle Smith, said the Fancy Me remains one of the most significant events in VI’s maritime history and collective memory. Photo: HLSCC
PARAQUITA BAY, Tortola, VI- The H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC), through the Jennie Wheatley Virgin Islands Studies Institute, will commemorate the centennial anniversary with a special exhibition.

The exhibition will honour the vessel, its passengers, crew, and the enduring legacy of the event, as part of the College's ongoing efforts to preserve and share the stories that have shaped the Virgin Islands (VI). It will also serve as a key feature of the reimagined Virgin Islands Maritime Museum, the HLSCC said in a press release. 

The Fancy Me, aboard which many Virgin Islanders travelled throughout the Caribbean, sank 100 years ago in July 1926 during a hurricane off the coast of the Dominican Republic. Of the approximately 80 persons aboard, 59 lost their lives.

Fancy Me story part of larger VI story- Rochelle Smith 

Director of the Jennie Wheatley Virgin Islands Studies Institute, Ms Rochelle Smith, said the Fancy Me remains one of the most significant events in VI’s maritime history and collective memory. 

“Its story continues to resonate because it touched so many families and communities throughout the Virgin Islands. As we commemorate the centennial anniversary, we have an opportunity to honour those who were lost, remember those who survived, and preserve an important chapter of our history for future generations."

She said the exhibition will provide an opportunity for residents and visitors alike to reflect on the historical significance of the tragedy and its place within the wider story of the Virgin Islands' maritime heritage.

"The story of the Fancy Me is part of the larger story of who we are as a people," Smith added. "It speaks to our relationship with the sea, the movement of people throughout the Caribbean, and the resilience of Virgin Islands families and communities. It is a story worth remembering and sharing."

1 Response to “Special exhibition to commemorate 100th anniversary of Fancy Me sinking”



Create a comment


Submit comment

Create a comment

Submit comment
Disclaimer: Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) welcomes your thoughts, feedback, views, bloggs and opinions. However, by posting a blogg you are agreeing to post comments or bloggs that are relevant to the topic, and that are not defamatory, liable, obscene, racist, abusive, sexist, anti-Semitic, threatening, hateful or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be excluded permanently from making contributions. Please view our declaimer above this article. We thank you in advance for complying with VINO's policy.

Follow Us On

Disclaimer: All comments posted on Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) are the sole views and opinions of the commentators and or bloggers and do not in anyway represent the views and opinions of the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of Virgin Islands News Online and its parent company.