Dirk Chivers
Encyclopedia
Dirk Chivers was a Dutch
pirate
active in the Red Sea
and Indian Ocean
during the 1690s.
, under Captain Joseph Farrell in early 1694. Soon after leaving Rhode Island
, Chivers saw action as Farrell and Henry Every
successfully captured two ships sometime around June 1695. On its return voyage to Rhode Island, the ship ran aground on Mayotte
in the Comoro Islands
and chose to stay behind with several others while Farrell and the others continued on with Every.
near the end of the year. After several months in the Red Sea however, Chivers took part in a mutiny against Glover and had him and his 24 supporters placed onto the recently captured Arab ship Rajapura. Elected captain by the crew after the mutiny, he had the ship renamed the Soldado which, during the next year, was successful in capturing a number of valuable prizes before joining up with privateer John Hoar
.
Together they captured, and subsequently ransomed, two East India Company
ships. However, the ships were burned when the governor of Aden
refused to pay the ransom. According to popular lore one of the captured sailors, a Captain Sawbridge, was said to have had his lips sewn shut with a sail needle in response to his constant complaining.
Chivers and Hoar sailed with four captured prizes into the harbour of Calcutta in November 1696, where they demanded a ransom of £10,000 for their release sending a message to the governor stating "We acknowledge no country, having sold our own, and as we are sure to be hanged if taken, we shall have no scruple in murdering and destroying if our demands are not granted in full."
The governor of Calcutta disregarded their threats and sent out ten ships against the privateers and, as they appeared in the harbor, Chivers and Hoar fled without their prizes and made their way to Saint Mary's Island for repairs arriving in the summer of 1697 where the two parted company as Hoar sailed for the Red Sea.
In September, Chivers joined up with Robert Culliford
(who had recently left William Kidd) and Nathaniel North
. Together Chivers, Culiford and North captured the Great Mohammed along with £130,000. Taking command of his new prize, the ship was renamed the New Soldado (or the Soldado II) and returned to Saint Mary's Island.
The following year however, Chivers was forced to sink the New Soldado to block the harbor passage of Saint Mary's with the appearance of four British battleships in September 1699. Despite his efforts, he and Culiford eventually accepted a royal pardon and returned to the Netherlands
on the merchantman Vine.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
pirate
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
active in the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
and Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
during the 1690s.
Early career
Dirk Chivers is first recorded as a crew member of the Portsmouth Adventure, a privateering ship bound for the Red SeaRed Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, under Captain Joseph Farrell in early 1694. Soon after leaving Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, Chivers saw action as Farrell and Henry Every
Henry Every
Henry Every, also Avery or Avary, , sometimes given as John Avery, was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in the mid-1690s. He likely used several aliases throughout his career, including Benjamin Bridgeman, and was known as Long Ben to his crewmen and associates...
successfully captured two ships sometime around June 1695. On its return voyage to Rhode Island, the ship ran aground on Mayotte
Mayotte
Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and...
in the Comoro Islands
Comoro Islands
The Comoros Islands form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the south-east coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and north-west of Madagascar. They are divided between the sovereign state of Comoros and the French overseas department of Mayotte...
and chose to stay behind with several others while Farrell and the others continued on with Every.
Chivers in the Red Sea & India
Chivers eventually signed aboard the 28-gun Resolution after being picked by Captain Robert GloverRobert Glover
Robert Glover was an English Protestant martyr who was burnt at Coventry in September 1555.Glover was born at Mancetter, Warwickshire, and educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. Under Henry VIII he became attracted to protestant views. He gained in BA in 1538, MA in 1541, and was...
near the end of the year. After several months in the Red Sea however, Chivers took part in a mutiny against Glover and had him and his 24 supporters placed onto the recently captured Arab ship Rajapura. Elected captain by the crew after the mutiny, he had the ship renamed the Soldado which, during the next year, was successful in capturing a number of valuable prizes before joining up with privateer John Hoar
John Hoar
John Hoar was a militia leader & Indian liaison in colonial Massachusetts during King Philip's War. A founding settler of Concord, Massachusetts, he is best known for securing the release of Mary Rowlandson from Indian captivity at Redemption Rock.-Ransom of Mary Rowlandson:On Feb...
.
Together they captured, and subsequently ransomed, two East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
ships. However, the ships were burned when the governor of Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
refused to pay the ransom. According to popular lore one of the captured sailors, a Captain Sawbridge, was said to have had his lips sewn shut with a sail needle in response to his constant complaining.
Chivers and Hoar sailed with four captured prizes into the harbour of Calcutta in November 1696, where they demanded a ransom of £10,000 for their release sending a message to the governor stating "We acknowledge no country, having sold our own, and as we are sure to be hanged if taken, we shall have no scruple in murdering and destroying if our demands are not granted in full."
The governor of Calcutta disregarded their threats and sent out ten ships against the privateers and, as they appeared in the harbor, Chivers and Hoar fled without their prizes and made their way to Saint Mary's Island for repairs arriving in the summer of 1697 where the two parted company as Hoar sailed for the Red Sea.
Later career
In April 1698, Chivers captured an English ship, the Sedgwick and striking a deal with the Sedgwicks captain. He would be allowed to keep his ship if he agreed to supplying the privateers crew with rum.In September, Chivers joined up with Robert Culliford
Robert Culliford
Robert Culliford was an English pirate from Cornwall who is best remembered for repeatedly checking the designs of Captain William Kidd.-Early career and capture:...
(who had recently left William Kidd) and Nathaniel North
Nathaniel North (pirate)
Nathaniel North was a pirate during the Golden Age of Piracy who operated in the Indian Ocean. He served under John Bowen and succeeded him as captain of the Defiant following Bowen's retirement in 1704. After losing the Defiant, he was ruler of a pirate colony at Ambonavoula made up of his former...
. Together Chivers, Culiford and North captured the Great Mohammed along with £130,000. Taking command of his new prize, the ship was renamed the New Soldado (or the Soldado II) and returned to Saint Mary's Island.
The following year however, Chivers was forced to sink the New Soldado to block the harbor passage of Saint Mary's with the appearance of four British battleships in September 1699. Despite his efforts, he and Culiford eventually accepted a royal pardon and returned to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
on the merchantman Vine.
Further reading
- Pennell, C. R. Bandits at Sea: A Pirates Reader. New York: NYU Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8147-6678-1
- Rogozinski, Jan. Pirates!: Brigands, Buccaneers, and Privateers in Fact, Fiction, and Legend. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN 0-306-80722-X
- Rogozinski, Jan. Honor Among Thieves: Captain Kidd, Henry Every, and the Pirate Democracy in the Indian Ocean. Stackpole Books, 2000. ISBN 0811715299