The ships that were lying at anchor when Mont Pelée erupted on 8 May 1902, a dozen of them on the bottom of the bay, from the…The ships that were lying at anchor when Mont Pelée erupted on 8 May 1902, a dozen of them on the bottom of the bay, from the Roraima downwards, and ashore, the ruins of a city of 30,000 people that was destroyed in minutes. The 1902 eruption killed around 30,000 people in Saint-Pierre and left two known survivors, one of them a prisoner in a stone cell. The fleet in the roadstead burned and sank where it lay. The wrecks are protected, which is why anchoring over them is banned. Anchorage: A deep anchorage at the foot of Mont Pelée off the town the volcano destroyed. The rade runs more than a mile north to south with three usable spots, off the Roxelane river, off the market jetty, and south towards the dive centre. Hazards: Deep water close in, so anchoring takes care, and the wreck field itself is closed to anchors. Several wrecks are beyond recreational depth. Plus