Action of 20 October 1720
Encyclopedia
The Capture of the William refers to a small single ship action fought between Calico Jack
's pirate ship and a British
sloop-of-war
from Port Royal, Jamaica
. The battle was fought in Dry Harbor Bay, and ended with the capture of the famed pirate and his small crew of which several were hanged later on as a warning to other brigands.
and Anne Bonny
. Calico Jack was originally a privateer
under Captain
Charles Vane
but soon after turned to piracy. In 1719, he sailed to Kingston to receive a pardon and a letter of marque
from Governor
of New Providence
Captain Woodes Rogers
. The War of the Quadruple Alliance
had begun and England
hoped to make privateers of Caribbean brigands to fight the Spanish
. Captain Jack was capable of receiving a pardon, but he did not receive a commission to attack the Spanish fleet.
Calico settled in Jamaica, where he met Anne Bonny, but when his money was gone he returned to his life of crime. On August 22, 1720, Jack and thirteen others captured the William from Nassau
harbor. In response, the Governor of Jamaica, Nicholas Lawes
, directed Captain Jonathan Barnet to take two privateer sloops on a mission to hunt him down. One, the Tyger, was heavily armed with several guns and carried about twenty Royal Navy sailors and some British Army
troops; the other also carried about twenty men, but did not participate in the battle. The encounter is remembered more for its participants than the actual combat.
The pirates immediately set sail, trying to flee, but most of the crew retreated into the cabins. The William made it only a few yards before the Tyger caught up with her and continued the boarding. Mary Read, Anne Bonny and another pirate remained on deck and attempted to fight off the attackers, but eventually surrendered. Angered by the cowardice displayed by her shipmates, Read killed one of her fellow pirates after witnessing the retreat into the cabin, which ultimately lost the battle. The boarding party stormed the cabins and the remaining pirates were captured along with the drunk Calico. A few British fighting men were wounded but none were killed in the quick action. The Tyger sustained light damage to her sails and rigging and the William suffered heavy damage to her poop.
ed on the small Deadman's Cay at the entrance of Port Royal. The remains of the other pirates were placed at various locations around the port. Mary Read and Anne Bonny avoided hanging by claiming that they were pregnant, Read died several months later before her scheduled execution, while Bonny was never heard from again. Some accounts say Bonny retired and settled in North America and others say she returned to piracy. Before Read's death, she spoke of Calico and reportedly said that "if he had fought like a man, he need not have been hanged like a dog", a now famous saying.
Calico Jack
John Rackham , commonly known as Calico Jack, was an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas during the early 18th century...
's pirate ship and a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sloop-of-war
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
from Port Royal, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. The battle was fought in Dry Harbor Bay, and ended with the capture of the famed pirate and his small crew of which several were hanged later on as a warning to other brigands.
Background
Calico Jack commanded the William, a small but fast twelve ton sloop during the action. Her armament was light, consisting of at least four cannons and at the time of battle carried twelve crewmen including Jack, and two female pirates; Mary ReadMary Read
Mary Read was an English pirate. She is chiefly remembered as one of only two women known to have been convicted of piracy during the early 18th century, at the height of the Golden Age of Piracy....
and Anne Bonny
Anne Bonny
Anne Bonny was an Irish woman who became a famous female pirate, operating in the Caribbean. What little is known of her life comes largely from A General History of the Pyrates.-Historical record:...
. Calico Jack was originally a privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
under Captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
Charles Vane
Charles Vane
Charles Vane was an English pirate who preyed upon English and French shipping. His pirate career lasted from 1716 - 1719. His flagship was a brigantine named the Ranger....
but soon after turned to piracy. In 1719, he sailed to Kingston to receive a pardon and a letter of marque
Letter of marque
In the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...
from Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of New Providence
New Providence
New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It also houses the national capital city, Nassau.The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, but the Spanish government showed...
Captain Woodes Rogers
Woodes Rogers
Woodes Rogers was an English sea captain, privateer, and, later, the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas. He is known as the captain of the vessel that rescued the marooned Alexander Selkirk, whose plight is generally believed to have inspired Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.Rogers came from an...
. The War of the Quadruple Alliance
War of the Quadruple Alliance
The War of the Quadruple Alliance was a result of the ambitions of King Philip V of Spain, his wife, Elisabeth Farnese, and his chief minister Giulio Alberoni to retake territories in Italy and to claim the French throne. It saw the defeat of Spain by an alliance of Britain, France, Austria , and...
had begun and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
hoped to make privateers of Caribbean brigands to fight the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Captain Jack was capable of receiving a pardon, but he did not receive a commission to attack the Spanish fleet.
Calico settled in Jamaica, where he met Anne Bonny, but when his money was gone he returned to his life of crime. On August 22, 1720, Jack and thirteen others captured the William from Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
harbor. In response, the Governor of Jamaica, Nicholas Lawes
Nicholas Lawes
Sir Nicholas Lawes was Governor of Jamaica from 1718 to 1722.He was a British knight.In his capacity as Governor during the Golden Age of Piracy he tried many pirates, among them "Calico Jack" Rackham, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Robert Deal, & Charles Vane...
, directed Captain Jonathan Barnet to take two privateer sloops on a mission to hunt him down. One, the Tyger, was heavily armed with several guns and carried about twenty Royal Navy sailors and some British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
troops; the other also carried about twenty men, but did not participate in the battle. The encounter is remembered more for its participants than the actual combat.
Capture
It was around 10:00 at night on October 20, 1720 when the Tyger discovered the William at anchor in Dry Harbor Bay near the shore. The Williams crew was mostly drunk and sleeping, including Captain Rackham. Barnet ordered his men to extinguish all lights and to silently approach the resting pirates. Once his sloop was near the William, Barnet ordered the pirates to surrender. Captain Rackham awoke and the pirates on deck answered with a few shots from their swivel gun. Captain Barnet then order his ship to return a broadside and to close in and board the enemy.The pirates immediately set sail, trying to flee, but most of the crew retreated into the cabins. The William made it only a few yards before the Tyger caught up with her and continued the boarding. Mary Read, Anne Bonny and another pirate remained on deck and attempted to fight off the attackers, but eventually surrendered. Angered by the cowardice displayed by her shipmates, Read killed one of her fellow pirates after witnessing the retreat into the cabin, which ultimately lost the battle. The boarding party stormed the cabins and the remaining pirates were captured along with the drunk Calico. A few British fighting men were wounded but none were killed in the quick action. The Tyger sustained light damage to her sails and rigging and the William suffered heavy damage to her poop.
Aftermath
Calico Jack and his crew were taken to Port Royal, where Jack and eleven others were tried on November 16 and hanged on November 19 and 20 of 1720. Calico was disemboweled and his body placed in a cage and gibbetGibbet
A gibbet is a gallows-type structure from which the dead bodies of executed criminals were hung on public display to deter other existing or potential criminals. In earlier times, up to the late 17th century, live gibbeting also took place, in which the criminal was placed alive in a metal cage...
ed on the small Deadman's Cay at the entrance of Port Royal. The remains of the other pirates were placed at various locations around the port. Mary Read and Anne Bonny avoided hanging by claiming that they were pregnant, Read died several months later before her scheduled execution, while Bonny was never heard from again. Some accounts say Bonny retired and settled in North America and others say she returned to piracy. Before Read's death, she spoke of Calico and reportedly said that "if he had fought like a man, he need not have been hanged like a dog", a now famous saying.