The ship soon meets with another vessel and the two captains take dinner together. Aboard the ship he is not recognized as a wanted pirate and agrees to join the crew. He is eventually rescued by a passing ship. In February 1719, Vanes sloop strikes a reef in a storm and he is shipwrecked on a small island off of Honduras. Vane and his 15 men are given a small sloop and some provisions and are cast off. This not being the first time Vane had broken the Pirate Code, the men put it to a vote to replace the Captain. Vane decides to ignore the vote and flee anyway. ![]() It is put to a vote, only 15 men side with Vane. He decides that he is out matched and decides not to take her, against the wishes of his crew. On November 23rd 1718, Charles Vane encounters a frigate off the coast of New York. Ironically Blackbeard would be captured and killed on Ocracoke in less than a month. Blackbeard decides to remain on Ocracoke Island for a while longer and Vane returns to sea. Vane tries to convince Blackbeard to join him in an attempt to retake Nassau, but he refuses. He stays with Blackbeard for a week while the two crews relax and celebrate their recent victories. In October of 1718, Vain then meets with the pirate Blackbeard at one of his favorite hiding spots, Ocracoke Island. Feeling the pressure, one of Vanes three Captains sails away in the night along with a hold full of captured treasure. When news reaches Rogers, he sends Colonel William Rhett to search for Vane there but again he is gone. Woodes Rogers sends Captain Hornigold to arrest Vane, but by the time he arrives Vane is gone.Vane then begins working off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. Several of the pirates in Nassau, who had taken the pardon, decide to return to piracy and leave to join Vane there. 14 1718, word reaches Nassau that Vane is 120 miles to the north, at Green Turtle Cay. Vane continues taking ship after ship, and soon he has three ships under his command again. They flee the western entrance of the bay just in time, but in their haste, Vane slips by. Before leaving, however, he fills the hold of the twenty gun french merchant ship with powder, sets it on fire and sends it directly towards the English ships. He waits until night fall and equips a small, fast six gun sloop and prepares to depart. He sends a message to Rogers to discuss taking the Kings pardon. Vane soon realizes his position is hopeless and tries to negotiate. Upon entering the harbor Vane immediately opens fire on the ships from the fort. He holds the town for two weeks until on JWoodes Rogers, an English Governor arrives with three Man-o-war to take the town and end pirate activity in the area. In July of 1718, Vane takes Nassau and the fort that guards it. Unlike many other pirates who might let captured crews escape after looting, Vane was not so generous. At this point, traffic in the area began to slow as few captains would risk crossing paths with Vane in open water. By June he had taken a dozen more including a twenty gun French merchant ship. He upgraded his flagship to a twelve gun brigantine he named the Ranger. In April of 1718 Vane was in command of six ships. Among the new recruits were Calico Jack Rackham and Edward English. He then took on several new recruits and sailed out of harbor to continue pirating. ![]() The Phoenix brought word from the King that any pirate who would agree to not return to piracy would be pardoned. ![]() On February 23 1718, The HMS Phoenix arrived in Nassau where Vane was docked. Whether Vane was operating under the traditional set of pirate codes, which would have protected those who joined, at the time is not known. Reports began coming in to towns along the Spanish Mane of a pirate stalking ships who would torture or kill those he captured, even those who agreed to join his crew. Vane becomes successful very quickly, taking dozens of ships and looting tons of cargo. He decides to settle down and Vane becomes Captain. A short time later Jennings is elected to be co-leader of the Republic of Pirates in Nassau, Jamaica. He continues plundering the Caribbean and builds a reputation for cruelty and violence, which Vane begins to emulate. In April of 1716, Jennings recovers a large portion of the 1715 wreck of a Spanish treasure fleet, making both him and his crew very wealthy. He took Vane as one of his crew and it is under Jennings that Vanes story really begins. We do know that in 1715 he met the pirate, Captain Henry Jennings while in Port Royal. ![]() Charles Vane was an English born seaman, born sometime around 1680.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |