Pirates Of The Bahamastop

From the late 1600s to the early 1700s, Nassau was a haven for pirates and government-sanctioned privateers preying on Spanish galleons laden with gold and silver from the New World. Pirates and privateers were essentially the same thing (privateers simply carried a government license called a "Letter of Marque"), though little difference was discerned by those whose ships they plundered. As the potential gain increased, many privateers turned to indiscriminate piracy. For the most part, these marauders were beneficial to British interests as they preyed on merchant ships of Britain's enemies. However, once a rogue, always a rogue, and lawless behavior extended to the Crown's own ships when a convenient opportunity arose. By 1700, the pirates actually ruled Nassau, insofar as lawless riot and drunken revelry constitute rule, and chased off to Great Exuma most of what remained of the law-abiding citizenry. Edward Teach, the notorious Blackbeard, took Fort Nassau as his residence and played cat and mouse games with the British Royal Navy. Finally in 1718, the British Crown had had enough and decided that the pirates needed "putting down."

The British government appointed the former privateer, Woodes Rogers, as Royal Governor of the colony, and he began his campaign by offering royal pardons to those who would cease their illegal activities. However there were a few exceptions: Blackbeard, a swashbuckler named Roger Vane, and eight other pirates were sought for criminal prosecution. Blackbeard and Vane escaped--the latter after burning a ship to cover his getaway. Blackbeard was eventually killed in June 1718 off the coast of Virginia in a legendary sea battle.

A risk-taker to the end, Blackbeard ignored the warnings of his compatriots and allowed the British ship, Pearl, to trap his vessel in a sandbar. After toasting the British commander with a mug of rum, Blackbeard declared that he would take no quarter and be damned if he gave any. In the hand-to-hand fight that followed, he received "5 pistol balls and 20 cutlass wounds" before he fell. The British commander, Lieutenant Robert Maynard, beheaded Blackbeard and displayed his glowering head on the tip of the Pearl's bowsprit (the foremost point of a sailing ship).

Roger Vane was also apprehended, but not in so ferocious a manner. Vane was shipwrecked and picked up by a vessel whose crew knew nothing of his exploits. That ship in turn was met by a British frigate whose captain, upon spotting the infamous Vane, arrested him posthaste. Taken to Kingston, Jamaica, Vane was tried, convicted and hanged for piracy.

Nor did any of the other eight pirates escape the determined Governor Rogers. They were hanged from gallows standing on what is now the British Colonial's west beach. Having cleaned up the port city, Woodes Rogers moved into Fort Nassau and lived there until his death a few years later from "mysterious causes."

The Bahamas were an ideal location for buccaneering. The region was a major shipping lane. Many of the Spanish boats laden with treasure after plundering South and Central America were in turn plundered as they came through The Islands of The Bahamas on their way to Europe. The hundreds of islets and cays allowed pirate ships to hide from and pounce on their unwitting prey, and the numerous sandbars and reefs put the captains of heavy, slow, treasure-laden galleons at a distinct disadvantage. After the galleons were relieved of their precious cargo, the islands' many limestone caverns provided the plunderers with convenient caches for their treasure. Some of which may still be there today...

There were many major and minor pirates and privateers who plied the waters of The Bahamas. Each of them, like tourists today, had a favorite island. Henry Morgan, whose treasure has yet to be found, preferred the dangerous shoals off Andros. Captain Kidd lurked at Kidd Cove, his favorite anchorage in Elizabeth Harbour, Exuma. William Catt is reputed to have buried treasure in the waters off Cat Island, and the infamous Anne Bonney also favored this area. In San Salvador, British pirate captain George Watling took over the island and named it after himself. The island retained his name until the early 1900's.

The art of rapacious behavior was not the sole purview of pirates. Many people of The Abacos essentially made their living by plundering ships unfortunate enough to be wrecked off the islands, either by a storm or by some help from unscrupulous islanders swinging lanterns at night off the treacherous sandbars and reefs. This lucrative industry did not stop until the first lighthouse was built in 1836. The waters off these islands are said to be the final resting place for nearly 500 Spanish galleons in their seabeds. Divers in the waters off the coasts of Bimini and Grand Bahama Island can also view the wrecks of numerous galleons and pirate ships.  top