H.M.S.'PROSELYTE' a War Frigate of 32 pieces, began her illustrious career as a Dutch War Frigate of 36 pieces named the "JASON", built in Rotterdam The Netherlands in 1770.
Due to political strife, and bad treatment aboard, part of the "Jason" crew mutinied , locked up the captain and his followers below deck and set sail for Greenock in Scotland, where the ship was handed over to the Royal Navy in June 1796.
The English gave her a general overhaul, changing her from a 36 to a 32 piece Frigate, and renamed her HMS "PROSELYTE".
She was sent to the Caribbean to patrol the waters.
In 1801 Sint Maarten was in British hands, and when the " Proselyte" was on her way from St. Kitts to Sint Maarten, she struck the "Man of War Shoal" in view of Philipsburg on September 2 of that year.
The Frigate, armed with 32 cannon sank, while the crew was saved.
The Commander of the ship Henry Whitby was taken to Martinique, where he was put on trial aboard HMS "Magnamine" at Fort Royal Bay on November 7 1801.
He was found guilty of negligence, and reduced in rank for not heeding the warning about the danger of the reef.LOCATION PROSELYTE SHIPWRECK
The "Proselyte" today, lies on her starboard side in approximately 50 feet of water, just beyond the mouth of Great Bay at Philipsburg.
Numerous cannon, ballast bars, barrel hoops and anchors are scattered around the wreck on the ocean floor, heavily encrusted with coral formations.
The "Proselyte Reef" has become a popular dive site.ARCHAEOLOGY
During the summer of 1994, the Sint Maarten National Heritage Foundation and Maritime Archaeology & Research, co-sponsored an investigation, designed to survey, identify and map historical material at the "Proselyte" shipwreck site.
The report of this investigation may be consulted on request.ARTIFACTS
The Sint Maarten Museum has many artifacts of the HMS "PROSELYTE" on display, including barrelhoops, coaks, musketballs, cannonballs, coppernails, rigging parts and pieces of wood, rope, metal , ceramics etc.