Ahoy mateys! This week I am writing about a rather unknown pirate captain, John Martel of Jamaica, but nevertheless had gains in excess of $1.5 million US in a present value adjustment. Like most carribbean pirates, Martel started out as a privateer in a war against the Spanish, but at the conclusion of the war, turned to piracy.
At the start of his pirate career, Martel commanded a pirate sloop of eight guns and 80 men, and his first recorded act of piracy was in September 1716, when he attacked the galley Berkley, robbing a Captain Saunders of £1000 in cash, and afterwards raided another sloop by the name of King Solomon, from which he took an indeterminate but valuable amount of money, provisions and goods.
At the start of his pirate career, Martel commanded a pirate sloop of eight guns and 80 men, and his first recorded act of piracy was in September 1716, when he attacked the galley Berkley, robbing a Captain Saunders of £1000 in cash, and afterwards raided another sloop by the name of King Solomon, from which he took an indeterminate but valuable amount of money, provisions and goods.
Martel's flag
Martel eventually captured a galley called the John and Martha from a Captain Wilson, and took the ship as an upgrade. The new ship had 20 guns, as opposed to Martel's original eight, and had cargo of logwood and sugar that Martel carried to market. Martel marooned most of the original crew of the John and Martha but detained a few to bolster his crew. Martel now had a galley of 22 guns, 100 men, and left 25 hands aboard his old sloop. Thus armed, Martel began a lucrative pirate career, plundering ships across the Caribbean and the east coast of America, including fellow pirate vessels, taking everything from gold dust, to slaves, to ivory.
By 1717, Martel had a small flotilla comprised of two ships with 20 guns, a sloop of eight, a sloop of four and one sloop unarmed. He made a base for himself on the tiny island of St. Croix, and mounted guns at the mouth of the inlet as defence. Martel was known for his cruelty even by his own men, who reported that he killed the entire crew of a merchant vessel he captured for no reason.
By 1717, Martel had a small flotilla comprised of two ships with 20 guns, a sloop of eight, a sloop of four and one sloop unarmed. He made a base for himself on the tiny island of St. Croix, and mounted guns at the mouth of the inlet as defence. Martel was known for his cruelty even by his own men, who reported that he killed the entire crew of a merchant vessel he captured for no reason.
Captain Hume
Martel's eventual downfall would come in the form of Captain Hume of Barbados, commander of the HMS Scarborough, who was hunting two pirate sloops that molested the colonies. The Scarborough was fitted with 30 guns and 140 men, but battle and illness had thinned Hume's ranks to just 80, and was therefore in an ill state to go to sea, however Hume left his sick men behind and recruited more from the other islands, taking on soldiers from Antigua, Nevis, and St. Christopher's. Hume set out in search of the sloops, but to no avail, and returned to Barbados. By chance, that night a boat had anchored there from St. Croix, and Hume received information about a pirate ship of 22 or 24 guns with other vessels in tow going into the Northwest part of the island.
The Scarborough weighed immediately, and by next morning of the 17th of January 1717, came in sight of Martel and his crew. The larger ship was unable to continue due to the shallow water of the inlet and the fact that it was guarded by an armed sloop. So Hume exchanged fire with the coast for several hours. Eventually he came to anchor alongside the reef, and at about 4 in the afternoon, managed to sink the sloop that had been guarding the inlet. For three more days the Scarborough laid siege to the island, until Martel made a break for it, but his ship ran aground and Hume quickly caught up to him. In a panic, Martel and his crew abandoned ship, and set her alight with 20 slaves burned alive in the hold. 19 of Martel's crew escaped on a second sloop, but Martel and the rest took to the woods of the island, and were never seen again, presumably dying of starvation on the island.
The Scarborough weighed immediately, and by next morning of the 17th of January 1717, came in sight of Martel and his crew. The larger ship was unable to continue due to the shallow water of the inlet and the fact that it was guarded by an armed sloop. So Hume exchanged fire with the coast for several hours. Eventually he came to anchor alongside the reef, and at about 4 in the afternoon, managed to sink the sloop that had been guarding the inlet. For three more days the Scarborough laid siege to the island, until Martel made a break for it, but his ship ran aground and Hume quickly caught up to him. In a panic, Martel and his crew abandoned ship, and set her alight with 20 slaves burned alive in the hold. 19 of Martel's crew escaped on a second sloop, but Martel and the rest took to the woods of the island, and were never seen again, presumably dying of starvation on the island.
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