Rogue Gallery of Famous Pirates.
Rogue Gallery of Famous Pirates. |
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At the sight of this pirate, many of his victims were quick to surrender without a fight. If they did, he would often times just take their valuables, rum, and weapons� allowing them to sail away. However, if the vessel resisted capture, he would either kill the crew, or maroon them. Blackbeard needed to maintain his devilish image in order to maintain the respect of his crew (very few members of the crew doubted that he was the devil himself, very few didn�t fear him, and therefore they obeyed him).
Blackbeard began his pirating career sometime after 1713, as an ordinary crewmember aboard a Jamaican sloop commanded by the pirate Benjamin Hornigold. In 1716, Hornigold supplied Teach with a small crew, and a small captured vessel to command. By 1717 Hornigold and Teach were sailing in alliance, and together were feared throughout the seas. In November 1717, Hornigold and Teach were able to capture a 26 gun French vessel called the Concorde (recent research has shown that the vessel had originally been built in Great Britain). Blackbeard�s pirate partner, Hornigold, decided to take advantage of a recent offer of general amnesty from the British Crown- and retire in comfort. Teach rejected the offer and resolved to convert the captured French vessel Concorde into his flagship. Teach increased her armament to 40 guns, and re-named her the Queen Anne's Revenge.
Soon Teach and the Queen Anne's Revenge met another pirate vessel. She was the ten-gun pirate sloop Revenge from Barbados, commanded by Stede Bonnet. Soon after agreeing to sail together, Blackbeard thought that Bonnet was a poor leader and an incompetent sailor. He promptly appointed a different pirate to command the Revenge, and made Bonnet a "guest" aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge , where he remained until the ship finally wrecked six months later.
In the winter of 1717-1718, Blackeard sailed the Caribbean with his two ships. While plundering vessels, Teach decided to add two more captured vessels to his group of pirating watercraft. in the Spring of 1718 Blackbeard was in command of four pirate ships, and well over 300 pirates.
In late May, Blackbeard�s flagship was lost at Beaufort Inlet, and a smaller vessel of his fleet was lost that same day while trying to assist the stranded Queen Anne's Revenge . Before leaving Beaufort Inlet, Blackbeard left twenty-five members of his crew on a deserted rocky ledge, and stripped the Revenge of her provisions. Stede Bonnet helped the marooned men, and in return they agreed to obey his commands. Together with his crew, Bonnet resumed his lawless ways aboard the Revenge, which he re-named the Royal James.
Meanwhile, Teach and his crew had sailed to Bath, and then to the capital of North Carolina, where Governor Charles Eden pardoned them. Blackbeard; however, did not stop his pirate habits, and continued to take ships after the period of amnesty had expired. A government official spotted him and thus a fleet of Royal Navy ships surprised Blackbeard at Ocracoke Inlet on November 22, 1718, where he was killed. Although it was a short battle, it was one of the most bloody in Blackbeard�s pirating career. Before he fell, he had a reported 5 bullet wounds and more than twenty sword cuts before dying. As a show of victory, the Royal Navy captain decapitated Blackbeard, and hung his head on the ships rigging. Blackbeard had captured over 40 ships during his piratical career, and had been the cause of the deaths of hundreds of people. Although Blackbeard's lawless career lasted only a few years, his fearsome reputation has long outlived him.
Bartholomew Roberts, referred to as the " Great Pirate Roberts", roamed the seas in the early eighteenth century. He traveled the coasts of North and South America. His reputation had grown so immense that guard ships stationed in the West Indies were reluctant to get involved with him, and even seemed to sail out of their way to avoid confrontation.
Roberts was known as a tall, dark, and attractive man, with "personal Bravery, though he applied it to such wicked purposes". He was a popinjay among his fellow pirates dressing in rich crimson waistcoat, and breeches, a hat with a red feather, and a diamond cross hanging from a golden chain around his neck. In time of action, he was known to carry two pairs of pistols at the end of a silk sling across his shoulder.
His boldness was reflected in his reliance on the unusual, relying on the both surprising and awesome. For example he was recalled to have sailed into Trepassey in Newfoundland, in a sloop of ten guns manned by sixty men, with "black colors flying, drums beating and trumpets sounding." The crews of the twenty-two ships in anchor in the harbor, immediately withdrew from the site and fled to safety off shore.
Roberts held so much hatred for the people of the islands of Martinique and Barbados, that he created his black flag to illustrate it. On it was an image of himself holding a flaming sword in one hand, and dagger in the other. His feet resting on two human skulls. Under one the initials A.M.H., for A Marinican�s Head, and beneath the other, A.B.H., for A Barbadian Head.
Roberts career came to an end when he was killed at sea in a conflict off the coast of Africa.
One of the most well known Pirates of all times was Captain Kidd, who had originally been employed to rid the seas of pirates. Kidd was born around 1645 (the exact date is unknown). He found employment as an English Privateer who found such success in New York and the West Indies that he was called back to serve England. The King�s officers asked Kidd to captain a new powerful ship: the Adventure Galley. The Adventure Galley was equipped with 34 cannons and a crew of 80. Its mission was to capture all French ships, and the pirates of Madagascar. Kidd accepted the proposition.
Kidd thought his ship could use a better crew so he recruited a gang of cutthroats in New York and sailed for Madagascar. Once there, a good portion of his new crew left Kidd�s ship in order to join the pirates. The remaining portion of pirates on Kidd�s crew, threatened him with mutiny, unless Kidd would attack any and all ships. Kidd refused. Mutiny was close at hand, and a fight between him and the ship gunner erupted. Kidd killed the man, and the crew did not pursue the revolt further; however, after that incident, Kidd was a changed man. Plundering ships of all kinds along India�s Malabar coast: Kidd had become a pirate. The holds of the Adventure Galley were already full when Kidd decided to plunder the Quedagh Merchant. The Quedagh Merchant was a huge treasure ship of 400 tons (the Adventure galley weighed only 284 tons). As the pirates approached the merchant, the captain of the vessel gave the sign of surrender; however, the captain of the merchant was secretly preparing for battle.
Sails were trimmed, sand was poured for better footing, ammunition was readied, and buckets were filled for fire fighting. As the pirates neared, the merchant vessel fired- but due to a sudden ocean swell, the shot missed its mark. The pirates immediately threw their grappling hooks, bringing the two ships together. The pirates rapidly boarded the ship, and soon Captain Kidd was in the possession of one of the greatest pirate treasures ever. With this final accomplishment under his belt: he ordered his crew to set sail for New York. Kidd thought he could fool the New Yorkers into believing that all his plunder had been taken only from French and pirate vessels.
Unfortunately for him, he was very mistaken: a great deal of the booty belonged to the powerful British East India Company. Kidd was clapped into chains and shipped to England were he was sentenced to death. Kidd experienced a terrible death: the hangman�s rope broke twice, the third time it held. Once Kidd was dead: his body was dipped in tar and hung by chains along the Thames River. Kidd�s body served as a warning to all would-be pirates for years to come.
Jean Laffite, thought to have been born in France, was more of a businessman than seafarer. Along with his brother, Laffite practiced pirating and privateering out of Barataria Bay, south of New Orleans. With over 10 vessels he and his crew raided among others, British, American, and Spanish vessels. Due to his frequent trips to various worldwide coastal ports, many in New Orleans traded with his band of pirates.
Laffite was renown for working his way out of trouble, when arrested by a certain governor, he failed to show up at the trial. The governor set a bounty for him at $750, in return, Laffite offered double that price for the capture of the governor.
British officials offered Laffite monetary rewards among others, in 1814, in return for his help in their attack on New Orleans. Laffite notified New Orleans officials, who paid no heed to his warnings. A few weeks later a small Naval fleet attacked, before which Laffite and his crew slipped out of town. Later that same year, General Andrew Jackson accepted Laffites aid in combat with the British. In return for his help, he and his crew were pardoned for their maritime crimes, but lost their pirate privileges in Barataria Bay.
During an increase in naval activity, Laffite and his crew sailed towards Spanish occupied territory of Texas. He took over Galveston, from where he established his pirating activities. Being run out of Galveston, he left, but only after burning the entire settlement. With his brother, Laffite continued pirating around Central American ports until he died around 1821.
Sir Francis Drake was born around 1540 as the son of a puritan farmer and preacher. He taught himself the art of sailing as the navigator of a small merchant sail vessel. Later in the beginning of his career, he served as an officer aboard West African slave ships.
Sailing from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of Mexico in 1567 Drake and his cousin John Hawkins were attacked and defeated by a Spanish Armada. They lost all of their vessels, and barely left with their lives. From that time on Drake would have a deep hatred for Catholic Spaniards. In the years 1570 and 1571 Drake familiarized himself with the Caribbean territory, and made many friends amongst escaped African slaves. Soon Drake led battles against the Spanish with the help his African friends.
In 1572 Drake was equipped with 2 ships and 73 sailors by his cousin Hawkins, and his associates. Queen Elizabeth also commissioned Drake as a privateer, to sail for America. In 25 days Drake crossed the Atlantic and found himself in the Caribbean Sea. After an unsuccessful attack on the Spanish port Nombre de Dios (today�s Nicaragua), Drake started to make new plans on plundering a Spanish caravan transporting gold. From the beginning the entire escapade seemed to be another loss for Drake. However, with certain setbacks, the enterprise brought Drake success and fame. Bringing his plunder to queen Elizabeth, he was selected to be the head of an expedition that was to sail around the world. Drake was flattered with this appointment, and made new more extravagant and hazardous plans.
On December 13th 1577, Drake began his expedition. Drake set sail with 3 ships, accompanied by two supply ships (Which he later planned to abandon). Drake sailed with the queen�s courtesan and his friend Thomas Doughty. After harsh weather, and tough sailing, Thomas Doughty, a mutineer, convinced Drake�s exhausted crew to revolt against their captain. Drake�s reaction was ruthless. When Drake reached his destination on the West Coast of South America, Drake had Doughty convicted to be beheaded in a court-martial. After the incident, Drake changed his ship�s name to "Golden Hind".
Sailing to Valparaiso, Drake encountered rain, and storms. His three-mast ship was devastated by the journey. No Spaniards were able to identify the Golden Hind as a pirate ship (make link to ship page), and fell victim to Drakes attacks. Drake plundered a Spanish war-ship, and the port of Callo. Drake�s real treasure was the information on the heading of Spanish galleon named "Nuestra Senora de la Conception", popularly named by the Spanish sailors "Cacafuego" ("Fireball"). The Spanish galleon sailed smoothly to the coast of Panama unaware of the impending danger.
On the 3rd of March 1579 with the first sign of the "Cacafuego" on the horizon, Drake commanded all sails to be prepared. Around 6:00 p.m., the Golden Hind met the Spanish Galleon with cannon fire, in short the Galleon was forced to surrender. Drake plundered unimaginable wealth. The task of relocating the Galleons hold took Drake�s crew four days. Drake acquired 80 pounds of gold, 20 tons on silver, 13 cases of silver coins, and cases full of pearls and precious stones. On the 26th of September 1580, the Golden Hind burdened with the holds heavy and precious cargo, sailed to the port of Plymouth after three years of adventures around the world.
Upon Drake�s return in 1580, Queen Elizabeth knighted him on the deck of the "Golden Hind", and made him the mayor of Plymouth. Queen Elizabeth had a good deal to be grateful for with Drake�s journey, as for each pound used to finance it, she earned 47.
Although Drake established fame for his bravery and courage, he wasn�t well liked by his contemporaries. Drake was; however, liked by Queen Elizabeth, and she placed him in command of a fleet of ships with which he inflicted a great deal of damage on the oversea Spanish Empire.
On the 28th of January 1596, 16 years after Drake was knighted, he began his last journey against the Spanish strongholds of the West Indies where after successfully accomplishing his objectives Drake passed away. As a farewell, Drake�s crew ignited two captured vessels, and while the cannon�s did solute him, the water of the Caribbean Sea had engulfed him.
In the year 1655 England seized a weakly guarded Spanish Island: Jamaica, and converted it into an English colony. The guards defending the Island were generally taken from the streets, and represented the worst criminal elements. The guards were thieves, murderers, and cheats. From this band of criminals formed many groups of buccaneers who terrorized the region. At this time Henry Morgan began his overwhelming pirate career.
This gives the reader a background of what was to come of Henry Morgan: from an ordinary soldier, to a never crowned king of Jamaica. Morgan earned fame and respect among his friends and enemies alike thanks to his successful (and profitable) attacks on Vilahermosa (Capital of the Mexican province Tobasco), and Gran Granada (the silver mining center of Nicaragua).
Gran Granada, for those times considered a large and prosperous city, was located 200 kilometers inland on the shore of Nicaragua Lake. Access to the town was restricted by dense wild Jungle. Henry Morgan embarked on a difficult and daring escapade involving a long and dangerous journey through the unexplored jungle. This expedition was followed by a triumphant lightning assault on Gran Granada. The attack yielded enormous spoils, and was considered a great success for Henry Morgan.
Henry Morgan was pleasantly surprised upon his return to Jamaica: the island had a newly appointed commander of all English troops in the west Indies, this commander was Henry Morgan�s uncle.
So the continuing pirate career of Henry Morgan was so secured. After the death of Henry Morgan�s uncle (Edward Morgan), the governor of Jamaica chose Henry Morgan to become the commander of the militia in Port Royal. By 1668 Henry Morgan was already an English vice admiral of a fleet of 15 ships. At the same time pirates elected Henry Morgan to become the successor to Edward Mansfield (leader of all pirate activities in Jamaica). As an English officer and pirate general: Henry Morgan became the terror of all Spaniards in the West Indies.
In 1668 Morgan made two pirating ventures. Morgan�s attack on the inland city of Peurto Principe (pwert-o PREEN-the-pay), Cuba, was considered his first Major attack. Unfortunately for Morgan, his crew of pirates were ambushed along the way, and only took the city with bitter struggle and great loss. Things got worse for Morgan when word came that the city�s treasure had been hidden. Morgan and his crew were forced to settle for 50,000 pieces of eight in return for sparing their captives. Half of Morgan�s crew quit after the attack on Puerto Principle. Morgan was not discouraged, and announced plans for attacking the great treasure city of Porto Bello, Panama. Experienced sea pirates scoffed at the plan: Porto Bello was larger, better fortified, and had an army troop when compared to Puerto Principle. Morgan, however, had a plan. When he attacked Porto Bello, he arrived on canoes, silently, and under the cover of darkness, Morgan�s men slipped into the harbor before anyone knew they were there. The first two forts of Porto Bello both fell quickly, but the third withstood each attack the pirates implemented. Morgan finally devised a sinister plan: he used captured catholic priests and nuns to shield his crew as they climbed the walls of the fort. It was only a matter of time before the city fell into the hands of Henry Morgan, along with 250,000 pieces of eight, and 300 slaves. When word of this attack spread, Morgan�s force swelled to 15 ships and 900 men. Henry Morgan was quickly known by the nickname: Morgan "the terrible".
A year later Morgan led an expedition of 8 ships and 650 buccaneers to attack the Venezuelan cities of Marcaibo (a coastal city located at the mouth of an inland lake) and Gilbraltar (located on the other side of the lake). Compared with his last venture, the plunder was not comparable, and Morgan found the cities virtually deserted. The result: 50,000 English pounds, and slaves and goods of the same value. When the pirates tried to sail from the lake, they found that their exit had been blocked. Maracaibo�s powerful fort had their gun trained on Morgan, and three huge Spanish men-o-war stood just outside the channel. Morgan offered the Spanish the option of surrender, instead of accepting, the Spanish laughed. Morgan decided to teach them a lesson they would, indeed, never forget. Morgan had his lead ship (a small sloop, covered with pitch, tar, and brimstone.) loaded with kegs of gunpowder, and had dummies (made of pumpkins and wood, dressed as buccaneers) placed at battle stations throughout his ship. While the Spanish still laughed the small vessel slowly approached them and suddenly burst into flames, it then exploded: sinking the first man-o-war, and burning the second to the hull. The remaining man-o-war was easily captured by the pirates. Once again Morgan offered the Spanish the option of surrender: once again the Spanish refused. Shrugging his shoulders Morgan had his crew embark for shore with longboats: upon seeing this the Spanish assumed the pirates were massing for a land attack. As a result the Spanish moved their cannon to the other side of the fort. Before the Spanish had a chance to move the cannon back into place, Morgan took advantage of the opportunity by safely sailing past the fort that night. Only then did the Spaniards finally realize that they had been tricked: instead of landing on the other side of the jetty, Morgan�s men had simply crouched below the gunwale and returned to their ships. After this battle, Henry Morgan was the undisputed king of the buccaneers.
In January 1670, Morgan set out after the largest venture of his career, to plunder the gold of Panama. Answering his call, 2000 buccaneers on 36 ships assembled to prepare for an attack on Panama. Once Morgan took over Fort San Lorenzo, he led his crew on a rough 16-day journey through dense almost impassable Jungle. The Spaniards were prepared for Morgan, and six hundred cavalry swooped down on the pirates. Thousands of muskets fired; both sides took their loses, but the pirates held their ground. A stampede of 2,000 Spanish bulls did not deter the pirates, and the Spanish finally fled in retreat. The city belonged to the buccaneers, and yielded 100,000 English Pounds. Unfortunately, at that time, England was no longer at war with Spain. Morgan was recalled to England and thrown into the dungeons to stand trial as a pirate. However, King Charles II, learning about Morgan�s great deeds, knighted him instead in 1673, making him lieutenant governor of Jamaica. Morgan was ordered to rid the seas from all buccaneers.
Morgan had done well in executing the Kings orders. When he died in 1688 there were almost no buccaneers left.
Henry Morgan was one of the most ruthless of pirates, his daring, brutality, and intelligence made him the most feared, and respected buccaneer of all time. Henry Morgan really was the king of all pirates.