The U.S. Navy: Occupation and Protest
Introduction: The U.S. Navy in Vieques
Construction of naval installations in Vieques began in the 1940s. Two expropriation waves in the 1940s transferred ownership of 25,353 of Vieques’ 33,649 acreage by 1948 to the U.S. Navy, amounting to 75% of the island. [1] Vieques was split into thirds, with the east and west ends housing naval and Atlantic fleet installations, and the middle of the island becoming the civilian sector (Figure 1). Vieques became part of the Roosevelt Roads complex which straddled Vieques, Culebra, and the main island of P.R. at the time. Navy expropriation forced 7,000 of Vieques’ 9,000 residents to relocate; 4,000 of which moved to the civilian sector and the other 3,000 migrated to St. Croix. [2]
Resistance to the Navy occurred in micro and macro ways. From individual resistance to collective efforts to rescue Navy-controlled land, Viequenses employed a range of protest tactics. This present project is situated within the organized anti-Navy movement from 1978-1983. Although the 1960s had witnessed a broad community anti-Navy movement, Viequense fishermen began interfering with Navy ships and coordinating a cross-coalition movement in 1978. My project focuses on one protest that took place on May 19, 1979 in Vieques to illustrate Crucian participation and intra-colonial solidarity.
The documentary film The Battle of Vieques released in 1986 covers Viequense resistance through 1983, providing key historical context and mentioning the May 19, 1979 protest this project highlights. For more information, please view the documentary below.
The U.S. Navy left Vieques in 2003. Resistance to the Navy was a larger durational performance that spanned 60 years. Anti-Navy protests and resistance was international in scope. From diasporic communities in the continental U.S. to international allies, such as the Dalai Lama, the movement to oust the Navy traversed oceans, borders, and bodies. [3]
The Battle of Vieques (1986)
Annotations
04:48 - 07:46
This segment provides information on how the US Navy established its foothold in Vieques and the consequences of expropriation on local Viequenses. Many viequenses lost their homes and livelihoods during Navy expropriation.
07:47 - 08:10
Navy expropriation led to an exodus of Viequenses to several places spanning the continental U.S., the main island of P.R., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A large number of Viequenses migrated to St. Croix during this time.
13:02 - 13:40
Allies of the US also used naval installments in Vieques for training; making the island and its waters an international military training zone. Vieques is also used as a launching site for interventions in other Caribbean and Latin American countries.
20:46 - 21:40
More detailed coverage of the May 19, 1979 protest this project spotlights is in the "May 19, 1979 - The Vieques 21 and Crucian Crusaders" tab. Please refer to the tab for more information.
Notes:
[1] Marie Cruz Soto, “Inhabiting Isla Nena, 1514-2003: Island Narrations, Imperial Dramas and Vieques, Puerto Rico” (Dissertation, The University of Michigan, 2008), 196.
[2] Frances Olsen, “Civil Disobedience on Vieques: How Nonviolence Defeated the U.S. Military,” Florida Journal of International Law 16, no. 3 (2004): 547–60.
[3] Wilfred Chan, “‘I Thought They’d Kill Us’: How the US Navy Devastated a Tiny Puerto Rican Island,” US News, The Guardian, May 1, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/30/vieques-puerto-rico-us-navy-base-training.