• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Navy Beach, St. Thomas USVI

Waterfront Dining

  • About
    • Gallery
    • About Navy Beach
    • NB Hospitality
    • Jobs
    • News
  • COVID-19 Response
  • Calendar
  • Location
    • Yacht Haven Grande
    • St. Thomas, USVI
    • By Car
    • By Water
    • By Air
  • Menus
    • Lunch + Dinner
    • Beverages
    • Marine Prix Fixe
    • Mermaid Prix Fixe
    • Pirate Prix Fixe
  • Special Events
  • Yacht Guests + Crew

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

A popular Caribbean vacation getaway, St. Thomas is a major port of call in the US Virgin Islands famed for Blackbeard’s Castle, water sports locations, and island golfing. Discover the world-famous white sand beaches and warm Caribbean waters that have beautiful snorkeling and scuba diving locations or spend some time ashore enjoying the duty-free shopping, the Skyride or climbing the famous 99 steps to Blackbeard’s Castle.

St. Thomas History, via Wikipedia

Saint Thomas (Danish: Sankt Thomas) is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea and, together with Saint John, and Saint Croix, form a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of Charlotte Amalie. As of the 2010 census, the population of Saint Thomas was 51,634,[2] about 48.5% of the US Virgin Islands total. The district has a land area of 32 square miles (83 km2).[3]

Pre-colonial History

The island was originally settled around 1500 BC by the Ciboney people. They were later replaced by the Arawaks and then the Caribs. Christopher Columbus sighted the island in 1493 on his second voyage to the New World.

Danish and German Colonial Period

Main articles: Dutch Virgin Islands, Danish West Indies, and Saint Thomas (Brandenburg colony)Further information: Danish ship Færøe

The Dutch West India Company established a post on Saint Thomas in 1657. The first congregation was the St. Thomas Reformed Church, which was established in 1660 and was associated with the Dutch Reformed Church.

Denmark-Norway‘s first attempt to settle the island in 1665 failed. However, the Danes did resettle St. Thomas in 1671, under the sponsorship of the Glueckstadt Co., later the Danish West India Company. The first slave ships arrived in 1673, and St. Thomas became a slave market. The island became a Danish crown colony in 1754, and was granted free port status in 1764.[4]

The land was divided into plantations and sugarcane production became the primary economic activity. As a result, the economies of Saint Thomas and the neighboring islands of Saint John and Saint Croix became highly dependent on slave labor and the slave trade. In 1685, the Brandenburgisch-Africanische Compagnie took control of the slave trade on Saint Thomas, and for some time the largest slave auctions in the world were held there.

Saint Thomas’s fine natural harbor became known as “Taphus” for the drinking establishments located nearby. (“Tap Hus” translates as “rum shop” or “tap house” referring to the drinking establishments.[5]) In 1691, the primary settlement there was renamed Charlotte Amalie in honor of the wife of Denmark’s King Christian V. It was later declared a free port by Frederick V. In December 1732, the first two of many Moravian Brethren missionaries came from Herrnhut Saxony in present-day Germany to minister to them. Distrusted at first by the white masters, they lived among the slaves and soon won their confidence.[6]

From 1796 a small Jewish community developed in Charlotte Amalie. It established a historic synagogue, Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim, the oldest synagogue in continuous use anywhere in the United States or its external territories.[7]

The first British invasion and occupation of the island occurred in 1801. The islands were returned to Denmark in 1802, under the terms of the Treaty of Amiens. Fire destroyed hundreds of homes in Charlotte Amalie in 1804. The second British occupation of the island occurred from 1807-1815, after the Invasion of the Danish West Indies (1807), during which they built Fort Cowell on Hassel Island.[4]

While the sugar trade had brought prosperity to the island’s free citizens, by the early 19th century Saint Thomas was in decline. The continued export of sugar was threatened by hurricanes, drought, and American competition. Following the Danish Revolution of 1848, slavery was abolished and the resulting rise in labor costs further weakened the position of Saint Thomas’s sugar producers.

Given its harbors and fortifications, Saint Thomas still retained a strategic importance, and thus, in the 1860s, during the American Civil War and its aftermath, the United States government considered buying the island and its neighbors from Denmark for $7.5 million. However, the proponents of the purchase failed to gain legislative support for the bid.

Freedom of the Press

As the islands were poorly managed by the Danes[citation needed], a local islander, David Hamilton Jackson, was instrumental in persuading the Danish to allow the US to purchase the islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix. In 1915, he traveled to Denmark and convinced the King of Denmark to allow freedom of the press in the islands.[8] He began the first newspaper in the islands, known as The Herald. After this, he organized labor unions among the islanders for better working conditions. The islands now have an annual celebration in November to honor the legacy of David Hamilton Jackson.[9]

United States Acquisition

Districts and subdistricts of the US Virgin Islands

In 1917, Saint Thomas was purchased (along with Saint John and Saint Croix) by the United States for $25 million in gold ($489 million today),[10] as part of a defensive strategy to maintain control over the Caribbean and the Panama Canal during the First World War. The transfer occurred on March 31, 1917, behind Fort Christian before the barracks that now house the Legislature of the U.S Virgin Islands. The baccalaureate service for the transfer was held at the St. Thomas Reformed Church as it was identified as the American church in the Danish West Indies.

The United States granted citizenship to the residents in 1927. The U.S. Department of the Interior took over administrative duties in 1931. American forces were based on the island during the Second World War. In 1954, passage of the U.S. Virgin Islands Organic Act officially granted territorial status to the three islands, and allowed for the formation of a local senate with politics dominated by the American Republican and Democratic parties. Full home rule was achieved in 1970.

The post-war era also saw the rise of tourism on the island. With relatively cheap air travel and the American embargo on Cuba, the numbers of visitors greatly increased. Despite natural disasters such as Hurricane Hugo (1989) and Hurricanes Luis and Marilyn (1995), the island’s infrastructure continues to improve as the flow of visitors continues. Hotels have been built from the West End to the East End.

The island has a number of natural bays and harbors including Magens Bay, Great Bay, Jersey Bay, Long Bay, Fortuna Bay, and Hendrik Bay. Passenger ships dock and anchor in Long Bay, near Charlotte Amalie. Ships dock at Havensight Pier. Red Hook is an unofficial “town” located on the East End subdistrict.

share the love

Closing our doors for a few months, to get ready f Closing our doors for a few months, to get ready for our season up in Montauk!
We will miss you all and look forward to welcoming you back this Fall at both @navybeach.stthomasvi and our new sister restaurant @islacantina.stthomasvi at Yacht Haven Grande!
In the meantime, stay safe and healthy 😷 😎
🌅 💕 🌅 💕
These super yacht views just don’t get old! These super yacht views just don’t get old!
Oh so special! Roasted garlic shrimp with crispy p Oh so special!
Roasted garlic shrimp with crispy polenta, charred onion and roasted pepper purée = 🤤
T O D A Y S A T U R D A Y L U N C H S U P E R Y A T O D A Y
S A T U R D A Y
L U N C H
S U P E R Y A C H T S
12 PM
Come grab a seat at Yacht Haven Grande, overlookin Come grab a seat at Yacht Haven Grande, overlooking super yachts and the harbor!
Another day in paradise 🏝 🛥 😎 Another day in paradise 🏝 🛥 😎
In good company 👌 🛥 🌴 In good company 👌
🛥 🌴

Footer

Navy Beach St. Thomas USVI

5320 Yacht Haven Grande
St. Thomas, USVI 00802
+1 (340) 714-3566
ahoystt@navybeach.com

Hours

Tuesday – Saturday

12pm – 9pm

Last Seating @ 8:45pm

Navy Beach Hospitality
St. Thomas, USVI
Montauk, NY
St. Maarten, Dutch Caribbean

Follow & Like Us :)

RSS
Facebook
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Visit Us
Follow Me
Pinterest
Instagram
en English
af Afrikaanssq Shqipam አማርኛar العربيةhy Հայերենaz Azərbaycan dilieu Euskarabe Беларуская моваbn বাংলাbs Bosanskibg Българскиca Catalàceb Cebuanony Chichewazh-CN 简体中文zh-TW 繁體中文co Corsuhr Hrvatskics Čeština‎da Dansknl Nederlandsen Englisheo Esperantoet Eestitl Filipinofi Suomifr Françaisfy Fryskgl Galegoka ქართულიde Deutschel Ελληνικάgu ગુજરાતીht Kreyol ayisyenha Harshen Hausahaw Ōlelo Hawaiʻiiw עִבְרִיתhi हिन्दीhmn Hmonghu Magyaris Íslenskaig Igboid Bahasa Indonesiaga Gaeligeit Italianoja 日本語jw Basa Jawakn ಕನ್ನಡkk Қазақ тіліkm ភាសាខ្មែរko 한국어ku كوردی‎ky Кыргызчаlo ພາສາລາວla Latinlv Latviešu valodalt Lietuvių kalbalb Lëtzebuergeschmk Македонски јазикmg Malagasyms Bahasa Melayuml മലയാളംmt Maltesemi Te Reo Māorimr मराठीmn Монголmy ဗမာစာne नेपालीno Norsk bokmålps پښتوfa فارسیpl Polskipt Portuguêspa ਪੰਜਾਬੀro Românăru Русскийsm Samoangd Gàidhligsr Српски језикst Sesothosn Shonasd سنڌيsi සිංහලsk Slovenčinasl Slovenščinaso Afsoomaalies Españolsu Basa Sundasw Kiswahilisv Svenskatg Тоҷикӣta தமிழ்te తెలుగుth ไทยtr Türkçeuk Українськаur اردوuz O‘zbekchavi Tiếng Việtcy Cymraegxh isiXhosayi יידישyo Yorùbázu Zulu

Reservations

Call us or email ahoystt@navybeach.com to make your reservation request!

Subscribe to our Mailing List

SIGN UP
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 Navy Beach. All rights reserved.
Site by Manon Etc. Photos by www.photo.vi.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT