Pirate+Hunters+and+Captures


 * Pompey the Great:** **All it Took was Everything**

Pompey Great was a Roman general. He was loved by his people. The Romans were afraid of the pirates of the Mediterranean, so they elected Pompey to destroy them. They had pillaged the Roman coast for centuries and threatened Roman’s grain supply. Also, Pompey’s supporters may have exaggerated the true amount of threat. However much the threat might have been bloated, Pompey still completed an impossible feat. He was given control of the entire Roman Navy, an unlimited budget, and the power to attack anywhere. In several short months he eradicated the sea of pirates for the first time in written history.

By: Nick


 * Pedro de Menendez de Avilles**

Pedro de Menedez de Avilles was a Spanish nobleman. He bought his own ship and was hired by the Spanish to lead a group soldiers to protect the Spanish Main. He attacked several locations. His most well known success was his massacre of a French fort in Florida. He led his men to the fort but they were attacked and many of his men were killed. The remaining men marched to the fort and promptly killed every last person there. Besides this significant victory he killed many, many other French invaders throughout his travels.

By: Nick

**Woodes Rogers was born in Poole in 1679. He took over his father’s business of a merchant. He married the daughter of a naval officer. Part of the shipping business owned privateering vessels that preyed on French shipping in the waters of the English Channel and the Caribbean. Woodes found many treasures and was a good commander for his crew. In 1717, government pressure forced the landowners of the Bahamas to appoint Rogers as the new governor of the islands. He was well respected. Charles Vane sent a fireship against the frigate (warship) and firing on it as he escaped. The worst pirates had already left and the rest promised to give up piracy in return of a pardon, and cheered Rogers when he stepped on shore. Some helped Rogers defend the island against the Spanish or pirate attacks by forming a militia and an anti-piracy squadron. Rogers returned to London, where he was imprisoned for debt. He died in 1732. Woodes was mostly remembered for being a pirate hunter. Almost single-handedly, he cleaned up the Bahamas pirate haven and greatly contributed to the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.**
 * Woodes Rogers**

By: Gia

**David Porter**

David Porter was born on February 1, 1780. He was an officer in the United States Navy in a rank of commodore. He was regarded as a naval hero and served in Washington as a member of Board of Naval Commissioners. He built the Mosquito Fleet and rode it to the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. His crew hit hard at pirate bases, escorted American ships, and captured pirate ships. It was hard to get past them, so Porter and his crew disguised as fishermen and local traders. His orders were to suppress piracy and the slave trade. The Spanish merchants encouraged the Cuban authorities to support Porters activities. They defeated the notorious Cuban pirate Diabolito (Little Devil).

By: Gia


 * The Sack of Cartegena:** **//That wasn’t very nice!//**

The Sack of Cartagena was a French military raid during the War of the League of Augsburg. Opposed to what most people would think, originally this raid involved absolutely no sacks. It was called that because they sacked, or looted, Cartagena- a coastal city in the Spanish Main. The French decided upon Cartagena because it was one of the richest cities in the Spanish Main. They enlisted the help of pirates to assist in their raid. The city of Cartagena immediately surrendered, however the French agreed to raid only half the city. This made the pirates feels cheated out of their fair share, so they used their pirate logic and decided to come back and loot the rest of the city themselves. They did just that.

By: Nick

When pirates were captured, they didn’t have a choice of punishment. In the late 17th century, the pirate captains and ringleaders were executed. Pirates had to have consequences and were brought to trial. It took an immense amount of time to capture them, but pirate hunters worked hard and were very confident that they were going to be caught. Some of the punishments were: Hanging bodies, Beheading heads, or even death at war. On both sides of the Atlantic, a growing clamor for anti-piracy legislation and maritime security led to a major clamp-down on piratical activity. Governors such as Woodes Rogers in the Bahamas and Alexander Spotswood in Virginia, led the way by establishing anti-pirate naval patrols and maintaining a tough judicial line when pirates fell at their hands.
 * Bringing Pirates to Justice**

By: Gia