West Indies Anti-Piracy Operations of the United States
Encyclopedia
The West Indies Anti-Piracy Operations refer to the United States
Navy presence in the Antilles
, and surrounding waters, which fought against pirates
. In between 1817 and 1825, the American West Indies Squadron
constantly pursued pirates on sea and land, primarily around Cuba
and Puerto Rico
. After the capture of Roberto Cofresi
in 1825, acts of piracy became rare and the operation was considered a success although limited occurrences went on until after the turn of the century.
ships had operated against piracy and the slave trade in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico
for several years prior to 1822 when a permanent squadron was formed. After a September 1821 attack by pirates, in which three American merchant ships were captured, Congress
authorized Commodore James Biddle
to deploy a fleet to the Caribbean. This force consisted of two frigate
s, USS Macedonian, and USS Congress
, two corvette
s, USS Cyane and USS John Adams
, two sloops-of-war
, USS Hornet
and USS Peacock
, two brig
s, USS Spark
and USS Enterprise
, the schooner
s USS Grampus
, USS Alligator
, USS Shark
and USS Porpoise
. Two gunboat
s, No. 158 and No. 168 also participated with a total of over 1,500 naval personnel. Before the fleet was sent, only single ship operations had been undertaken. Over the course of a few decades the American West Indies Squadron continually engaged Spanish
, Venezuela
n, Cuba
n and Puerto Rican
pirates. Many of the actions ended with the sinking or capturing of pirate vessels though often the outlaws escaped to shore.
and USS Lynx
with the gunboats No. 158 and No. 168 were among the vessels deployed between 1817 and 1822. All of these ships operated independently and there was no commander of the squadron until it's official establishment. Many of the pirates in the period were Latin Americans and doubled as privateer
s. Revolution against Spain was widespread and both the rebel governments and the Spanish issued letters of marque. Often the privateers captured American merchantmen and attacked their crews which resulted in them being branded as pirates. In 1819 President James Monroe
sent Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry
to Venezuela with the frigate USS Constellation
, the corvette USS John Adams and USS Nonsuch. The commodore's orders were to demand restitution for the capture of American merchant ships by Venezuelan privateers and to receive an assurance that the privateers would be restrained from attacking again. Perry was successful in completing his mission initially and a treaty was signed on August 11, though on his cruise back to the United States, he died of yellow fever
at Trinidad
which caused the agreement to fail. On December 22, 1817, USS John Adams forced the pirate Luis Aury to evacuate his base at Amelia Island
, Florida
. Later, John Adams was flagship
of Commodore Biddle's squadron.
By 1820, hostilities with the pirates and privateers started to increase, United States warships engaged in several naval actions that year and a total of twenty-seven American merchant ships were captured. In Between 1818 and 1821, USS Enterprise captured thirteen pirate and slave ships while serving with the New Orleans Squadron
and later in the West Indies. On October 24, 1819, while under command of Lieutenant
J. R. Madison, USS Lynx captured two pirate schooners and two boats in the Gulf of Mexico and on November 9, she captured another pirate boat in Galveston Bay
. Lynx disappeared in January 1820 while sailing to Jamaica
, she likely sank due to a storm, none of her crew were ever seen or heard from again.
In October, 1821, while sailing off Cape Antonio, Cuba, USS Enterprise came to the assistance of three merchantmen which had been seized by four pirate craft. Boats were launched and attacked the brigands, in the end, over forty pirates were killed or captured and two of their vessels taken. A month later, the Enterprise attacked a pirate base near Cape Antonio and cleared the area criminals. In September 1821, three American merchant ships were massacred off Matanzas, Cuba. The crew of one ship was tortured and the vessel was set on fire, survivors were able to escape to shore in a boat. Three men were killed on the second American ship and everyone on the third vessel which was also burned. This incident was one of the main reasons why the anti-piracy operation was continued.
USS Hornet captured a privateer schooner named Moscow on October 29, 1821 and on December 21, she captured a pirate ship apparently without a fight and the crew escaped to shore.
On December 16, 1821, Lieutenant James Ramage in USS Porpoise was sailing off Cape Antonio and found five enemy vessels, including the merchant brig Bolina. Forty sailors were lowered into five boats and Ramage led the advance. Though some of the pirates fled to shore, many resisted and the five American boats destroyed the five pirate ships by burning them. They also freed the Bolina. Three pirates were captured and a several killed according to reports. In autumn of 1821, USS Spark, under Lieutenant John Elton, departed Boston
and joined the list of vessels assigned to counter piracy. In January 1822, Elton captured a Dutch
flagged pirate sloop. Seven prisoners were taken to Charleston
for trial, Spark then returned to the Caribbean and remained on station for the next three years by which time the official West Indies Squadron was formed.
When the United States Navy began campaigning against the pirates, the Royal Navy
was quick to follow suit and created their own West Indies Squadron. Three significant engagements occurred between the British and the pirates in 1822 and 1823. In March, boat crews from the USS Enterprise captured two launch
es and four boats in a creek near Cape Antonio and on March 6, they seized eight more craft and over 150 pirates. A British merchantman under Captain William Smith
was taken over by Spanish pirates of the schooner Emanuel in July 1822. The pirates made the British commander walk the plank
and when he attempted to swim away, he was shot in the back. Also on the ship was the captain's fourteen year old son, the boy's head was crushed by the pirate captain when he could no longer stand to hear the crying child. USS Grampus encountered the brig Palyrma flying Spanish colors on August 15, 1822. Commanding Lieutenant Gregory suspected the ship to be a pirate so he approached to board but as the Grampus drew near, the Palyrma opened fire and a brief three and a half minute battle was fought. After boarding the wrecked vessel, the pirates were found to be from Puerto Rico and had a letter of marque
that was intended to get the outlaws out of a situation like this. The letter was found to be fake so the pirates were detained and handed over to the Spanish in Cuba. At this time the usual procedure for dealing with captured pirates was turning them over to Spain because the United States didn't have the authority to imprison them.
The United States Navy could not pursue the pirates on Spanish soil either so in April 1822, Commodore David Porter
, in USS Macedonian, assumed command of the station and one of his first missions was to consult with Governor
Captain General
Don
Nicholas Mahy of Cuba and the governor of Puerto Rico. Both governors denied Porter's request to allow American shore parties to land but at the same time the United States government permitted the West Indies Squadron to do so but only in remote areas. Commodore Porter then attacked and destroyed a pirate force at Funda Bay, Cuba between September 28 and 30, 1822. Also on September 28, the Peacock captured a boat filled with pirates about sixty miles from Havana
an later that afternoon, USS Peacock encountered the merchant vessel Speedwell which was attacked by pirates two hours before. In response, Captain Stephen Cassin
launched a boat expedition which captured four schooners but again most of the pirates escaped. On September 30, 1822, the twenty-six gun HMS Tyne
was escorting a one-gun merchant sloop Eliza when attacked by a five gun pirate felucca named Firme Union. During the engagement that ensued, the British boarded and captured the pirate ship. Ten pirates were killed and the rest abandoned ship and escaped. On November 2, 1822, USRC Louisiana
along with USS Peacock and the Royal Navy schooner HMS Speedwell captured five pirate vessels off Havana. On November 8, 1822, Lieutenant William Howard Allen
of USS Alligator was killed in battle while leading an attack against three enemy schooners which were holding five merchantmen hostage. In the action
, two of the schooners were captured and at least fourteen pirates were killed. Due to Lieutenant Allen's death, Secretary of the Navy
Smith Thompson
authorized Commodore Porter to procure new vessels for the squadron.
Porter acquired eight new shallow draft schooners, five large barge
s, a steam powered riverboat
and a storeship schooner. The schooners were each armed with three guns and became the USS Beagle
, USS Ferret, USS Fox
, USS Greyhound
, USS Jackal, USS Terrier
, USS Weasel, and the USS Wild Cat. The storeship was USS Decoy
and the steamer became USS Sea Gull
. The new squadron left the United States for Cuba on February 15, 1823. Commodore Biddle also received new orders of conduct, he was now able to land shore parties in populated areas as long as he informed the locals first. Biddle was also ordered to cooperate with any other sovereign naval forces operating against pirates. HMS Grecian of six guns captured the eight gun schooner La Cata on March 1, 1823 south of Cuba. Thirty brigands were killed in action and only three were taken prisoner out of a force of over 100 men. USS Fox was sent to San Juan, Puerto Rico
, in March 1823 to obtain a list of all legally commissioned privateers and a details of their instructions. When the American schooner entered San Juan Harbor on March 3, an artillery battery
fired on the ship. A few shots hit the Fox which mortally wounded her commander, Lieutenant William H. Cocke. Commodore Porter later accepted an apology for the incident from Puerto Rico's governor. The British warships Tyne and HMS Thracian of eighteen guns defeated the notorious pirate Captain Cayatano Aragonez's thirteen gun ship Zaragozana on March 31, in a running battle, the two British ships chased Captain Aragonez into Mata Harbor where boats were lowered and captured the vessel. Ten pirates were killed and twenty eight were captured while the Royal Navy sustained only slight casualties. Two barges, USS Gallinipper and USS Mosquito, liberated an American merchant vessel on April 8. The navy sailors killed two of the pirates and arrested one other though most got away.
On April 16, Mosquito, Gallinipper and USS Peacock, spotted a felucca
off Colorados. Peacock managed to capture the felucca though it's crew fled to shore before scuttling
three of their schooners.
Grampus rescued the crew of the American schooner Shiboleth after it was taken by pirates in June 1823. The brigands boarded the merchantman silently, killed the guards, and then cornered the remainder of the crew within the ship. The pirates robbed the ship and set her on fire, Grampus arrived when the Shiboleth was still burning and took off her surviving crew. A few days later, pirates attacked another merchant before being detected by the Spanish Army
and captured. USS Ferrets crew skirmished with the brigands in June. During one incident, the Ferret found a few pirate craft in shallow water off Matanzas. First the Ferret attacked using her broadside guns and sank two of the boats which were fleeing along the coast. Due to the low depth, a boat was used to attack the remaining craft but when the Americans came within range, the pirates opened fire and shot a hole through their boat which returned to the Ferret and sank. With their only boat destroyed, the Americans were forced to continue their patrol and the brigands got to shore. Later that day, Ferret commandeered a small vessel with a shallow draft and returned to where their boat was sunk, hoping to engage the pirates again but bad weather stopped the operation. The following morning the Americans encountered a British merchantman which gave them a boat. Again Ferret returned to Matanzas Bay but all that was there was the two sunken boats that she destroyed earlier.
On July 5, 1823, USS Sea Gull, under the command of Lieutenant William H. Watson
, with the barges Gallinipper and Mosquito, fought pirates off Matanzas, near where Lieutenant Allen was killed a year earlier. The three American vessels encountered a heavily armed schooner, with a crew of about seventy-five, near a Cuban village. The United States Navy attacked with their cannon and the schooner was hit so her captain were began a retreat. When further hits struck the schooner, the pirates panicked and began to abandon ship by jumping into the water. The barges maneuvered in close to the schooner and the sailors and marines on board fired volleys into their fleeing enemy, shouting "Allen, Allen" in the process. Fifteen pirates made it ashore but were attacked by an American landing party. Eleven more were killed and the last four were captured by the Cuban villagers. In total about seventy pirates were killed while only five survived. On July 21, the commanders of Beagle and Greyhound were investigating Cape Cruz
, Cuba in a boat when it was fired upon from the shore. The Americans withdrew to their ship and on the next morning they landed sailors and marines who attacked and destroyed a makeshift fort. The pirates evaded the American shore party but their base was dismantled and a few heavy artillery pieces were removed. USS Sea Gull, with Ralph Voorhees in command, recaptured the merchant schooner Pacification from pirates on March 30.
Throughout the history of the West Indies Squadron, tropical disease was common among the American warships which had to sail back to the United States when outbreaks occurred. By January 1824, most of the West Indies Squadron ships had been recalled, mainly because of illness though in February, the squadron under Commodore Porter, returned to operate for a few months before sailing north again in July. During this time, piracy in Puerto Rican waters began to briefly rise until mid 1825, between July and August, ten attacks on American merchant vessels were reported and only a few warships remained on station, by October the majority were back in home waters. Commodore Porter was relieved of duty in February 1825 and joined the Mexican Navy
, this was after the Spanish authorities in Puerto Rico detained USS Peacocks commander Lieutenant Platt in October 1824. That month pirates raided Saint Thomas in the Danish Virgin Islands and returned to Fajardo with $5,000 worth of stolen merchandise from an American owned business. The stores owner requested that Lieutenant Platt help him recover his goods. Platt landed men in Fajardo on October 27, in order to not alert the pirates, the shore party wore civilian clothes and as result, they were arrested by the Spanish Army and charged with piracy. Platt explained why he was out of uniform and later on the Spanish allowed for one of his men to retrieve the lieutenant's uniform and commission. Upon seeing this, the Americans were released. When Commodore Porter heard of this he sailed to Fajardo with USS John Adams, the Beagle and Grampus. There he landed a shore party on November 14 and demanded an apology from the Spanish. Eventually the Spaniards agreed to make a public apology so the expedition boarded their ships and sailed away. The United States government was not happy with Commodore Porter's actions and he was court martialed before resigning his commission. The American operation against West Indies pirates was declared a victory in 1825 though occasional outbreaks of piracy continued.
In March 1825, the Gallinipper was accompanied by the frigate HMS Dartmouth
and the schooners HMS Lion
and HMS Union
in an operation against Cuban pirates. United States Navy Lieutenant Isaac McKeever commanded and led an attack against a hostile schooner at the mouth of the Sagua la Grande
. American and British forces took the ship, killed eight enemies and captured nineteen others with the loss of only one man wounded. On the following day, another schooner was captured but the pirates escaped and the vessel was taken without bloodshed. Famed pirate Roberto Cofresi was defeated
on March 2, by the USS Grampus and two Spanish sloops off Boca del Infierno. Cofresi was considered the last Caribbean pirate to be successful. After he was executed on March 29, 1825, piracy declined in the region for good. United States naval operations in the West Indies were eventually turned over to the Home Squadron
and the Brazil Squadron
by 1842.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Navy presence in the Antilles
Antilles
The Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
, and surrounding waters, which fought against pirates
Piracy in the Caribbean
] The era of piracy in the Caribbean began in the 16th century and died out in the 1830s after the navies of the nations of Western Europe and North America with colonies in the Caribbean began combating pirates. The period during which pirates were most successful was from the 1690s until the 1720s...
. In between 1817 and 1825, the American West Indies Squadron
West Indies Squadron (United States)
The West Indies Squadron, or the West Indies Station, was a United States Navy squadron that operated in the West Indies in the early nineteenth century. It was formed due to the need to suppress piracy in the Caribbean Sea, the Antilles and the Gulf of Mexico region of the Atlantic Ocean...
constantly pursued pirates on sea and land, primarily around Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. After the capture of Roberto Cofresi
Roberto Cofresí
Roberto Cofresí , better known as "El Pirata Cofresí", was the most renowned pirate in Puerto Rico. He became interested in sailing at a young age. By the time he reached adulthood there were some political and economic difficulties in Puerto Rico, which at the time was a colony of Spain...
in 1825, acts of piracy became rare and the operation was considered a success although limited occurrences went on until after the turn of the century.
Origins
United States Navy and Revenue ServiceUnited States Revenue Cutter Service
The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1790 as an armed maritime law enforcement service. Throughout its entire existence the Revenue Cutter Service operated under the authority of the United States Department of the Treasury...
ships had operated against piracy and the slave trade in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
for several years prior to 1822 when a permanent squadron was formed. After a September 1821 attack by pirates, in which three American merchant ships were captured, Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
authorized Commodore James Biddle
James Biddle
James Biddle , of the Biddle family, brother of financier Nicholas Biddle and nephew of Captain Nicholas Biddle, was an American commodore. His flagship was USS Columbus.-Education and early career:...
to deploy a fleet to the Caribbean. This force consisted of two frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s, USS Macedonian, and USS Congress
USS Congress (1799)
USS Congress was a nominally rated 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was named by George Washington to reflect a principal of the United States Constitution. James Hackett built her in Portsmouth New Hampshire and she was launched on 15 August 1799...
, two corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
s, USS Cyane and USS John Adams
USS John Adams (1799)
The first John Adams was originally built as a frigate in 1799, converted to a corvette in 1809 and later converted back to a frigate in 1830 for use in the United States Navy...
, two sloops-of-war
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
, USS Hornet
USS Hornet (1805, brig)
The third USS Hornet was a brig-rigged sloop-of-war in the United States Navy. Later, however, she was re-rigged as a ship. Hornet was launched on 28 July 1805 in Baltimore and commissioned on 18 October...
and USS Peacock
USS Peacock (1813)
The first USS Peacock was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the War of 1812.Peacock was authorized by Act of Congress 3 March 1813, laid down 9 July 1813 by Adam & Noah Brown at the New York Navy Yard, and launched 19 September 1813. She served in the War of 1812, capturing twenty ships...
, two brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
s, USS Spark
USS Spark (1813)
USS Spark was a heavily-armed brig in the services of the United States Navy, built for service in the War of 1812. However, she was completed too late for that war and was assigned, instead, to the Barbary Wars in the Mediterranean...
and USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise (1799)
The third USS Enterprise, a schooner, was built by Henry Spencer at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1799, and placed under the command of Lieutenant John Shaw...
, the schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
s USS Grampus
USS Grampus (1820)
USS Grampus was a schooner in the United States Navy. She was the first U.S. Navy ship to be named for the Grampus griseus, also known as Risso's Dolphin....
, USS Alligator
USS Alligator (1820)
The third USS Alligator was a schooner in the United States Navy. On 6 June 1996, the site of its wreck was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places....
, USS Shark
USS Shark (1821)
The first USS Shark was a schooner in the United States Navy. Built in the Washington Navy Yard, Shark was launched on 17 May 1821. On 11 May 1821, Matthew C. Perry was ordered to take command of Shark, and the ship was ready to receive her crew on 2 June 1821.-History:Shark sailed from the...
and USS Porpoise
USS Porpoise (1820)
The first USS Porpoise was a topsail schooner in the United States Navy.Porpoise was built in 1820 at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine...
. Two gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
s, No. 158 and No. 168 also participated with a total of over 1,500 naval personnel. Before the fleet was sent, only single ship operations had been undertaken. Over the course of a few decades the American West Indies Squadron continually engaged Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n and Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
pirates. Many of the actions ended with the sinking or capturing of pirate vessels though often the outlaws escaped to shore.
1817 - 1821
The first American vessels to serve against West Indies piracy were the schooners USS Enterprise, USS NonsuchUSS Nonsuch (1813)
USS Nonsuch was an armed schooner in the United States Navy during the War of 1812.-Privateer:Nonsuch was built in 1812 in Baltimore, Maryland. Her owner, George Stiles and Company, requested a commission for Nonsuch as a letter of marque on 29 June 1812...
and USS Lynx
USS Lynx (1814)
The first USS Lynx, a 6-gun Baltimore Clipper rigged schooner, was built for the US Navy by James Owner of Georgetown, Washington, D.C., in 1814, intended for service in one of the two raiding squadrons being built as part of President James Madison's administration’s plan to establish a more...
with the gunboats No. 158 and No. 168 were among the vessels deployed between 1817 and 1822. All of these ships operated independently and there was no commander of the squadron until it's official establishment. Many of the pirates in the period were Latin Americans and doubled as privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s. Revolution against Spain was widespread and both the rebel governments and the Spanish issued letters of marque. Often the privateers captured American merchantmen and attacked their crews which resulted in them being branded as pirates. In 1819 President James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
sent Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry
Oliver Hazard Perry
United States Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island , the son of USN Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and Sarah Wallace Alexander, a direct descendant of William Wallace...
to Venezuela with the frigate USS Constellation
USS Constellation (1797)
USS Constellation was a 38-gun frigate, one of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. She was distinguished as the first U.S. Navy vessel to put to sea and the first U.S. Navy vessel to engage and defeat an enemy vessel...
, the corvette USS John Adams and USS Nonsuch. The commodore's orders were to demand restitution for the capture of American merchant ships by Venezuelan privateers and to receive an assurance that the privateers would be restrained from attacking again. Perry was successful in completing his mission initially and a treaty was signed on August 11, though on his cruise back to the United States, he died of yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
at Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
which caused the agreement to fail. On December 22, 1817, USS John Adams forced the pirate Luis Aury to evacuate his base at Amelia Island
Amelia Island
Amelia Island is one of the southernmost of the Sea Islands, a chain of barrier islands that stretches along the east coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida. It is long and approximately 4 miles wide at its widest point. Amelia Island is situated off the coast in Nassau County,...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Later, John Adams was flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of Commodore Biddle's squadron.
By 1820, hostilities with the pirates and privateers started to increase, United States warships engaged in several naval actions that year and a total of twenty-seven American merchant ships were captured. In Between 1818 and 1821, USS Enterprise captured thirteen pirate and slave ships while serving with the New Orleans Squadron
New Orleans Squadron
The New Orleans Squadron or the New Orleans Station was a United States Navy squadron raised out of the growing threat the United Kingdom posed to Louisiana during the War of 1812. The first squadron consisted of over a dozen vessels and was mostly defeated during the war...
and later in the West Indies. On October 24, 1819, while under command of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
J. R. Madison, USS Lynx captured two pirate schooners and two boats in the Gulf of Mexico and on November 9, she captured another pirate boat in Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay is a large estuary located along the upper coast of Texas in the United States. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by sub-tropic marshes and prairies on the mainland. The water in the Bay is a complex mixture of sea water and fresh water which supports a wide...
. Lynx disappeared in January 1820 while sailing to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, she likely sank due to a storm, none of her crew were ever seen or heard from again.
In October, 1821, while sailing off Cape Antonio, Cuba, USS Enterprise came to the assistance of three merchantmen which had been seized by four pirate craft. Boats were launched and attacked the brigands, in the end, over forty pirates were killed or captured and two of their vessels taken. A month later, the Enterprise attacked a pirate base near Cape Antonio and cleared the area criminals. In September 1821, three American merchant ships were massacred off Matanzas, Cuba. The crew of one ship was tortured and the vessel was set on fire, survivors were able to escape to shore in a boat. Three men were killed on the second American ship and everyone on the third vessel which was also burned. This incident was one of the main reasons why the anti-piracy operation was continued.
USS Hornet captured a privateer schooner named Moscow on October 29, 1821 and on December 21, she captured a pirate ship apparently without a fight and the crew escaped to shore.
On December 16, 1821, Lieutenant James Ramage in USS Porpoise was sailing off Cape Antonio and found five enemy vessels, including the merchant brig Bolina. Forty sailors were lowered into five boats and Ramage led the advance. Though some of the pirates fled to shore, many resisted and the five American boats destroyed the five pirate ships by burning them. They also freed the Bolina. Three pirates were captured and a several killed according to reports. In autumn of 1821, USS Spark, under Lieutenant John Elton, departed Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and joined the list of vessels assigned to counter piracy. In January 1822, Elton captured a Dutch
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...
flagged pirate sloop. Seven prisoners were taken to Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
for trial, Spark then returned to the Caribbean and remained on station for the next three years by which time the official West Indies Squadron was formed.
1822 - 1823
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
was quick to follow suit and created their own West Indies Squadron. Three significant engagements occurred between the British and the pirates in 1822 and 1823. In March, boat crews from the USS Enterprise captured two launch
Launch (boat)
A launch in contemporary usage refers to a large motorboat. The name originally referred to the largest boat carried by a warship. The etymology of the word is given as Portuguese lancha "barge", from Malay lancha, lancharan, "boat," from lanchar "velocity without effort," "action of gliding...
es and four boats in a creek near Cape Antonio and on March 6, they seized eight more craft and over 150 pirates. A British merchantman under Captain William Smith
William Smith
-Academics:* William Smith , English geologist* William Smith , English lexicographer* William Robertson Smith , philologist, physicist, archaeologist, and Biblical critic...
was taken over by Spanish pirates of the schooner Emanuel in July 1822. The pirates made the British commander walk the plank
Walk the Plank
Walk the Plank is a South African television gameshow produced for the South African Broadcasting Corporation in 2005. It was hosted by Rutendo Matinyarare. A crossover of Survivor and traditional quiz shows but with a voiceover and puzzle games and costumes...
and when he attempted to swim away, he was shot in the back. Also on the ship was the captain's fourteen year old son, the boy's head was crushed by the pirate captain when he could no longer stand to hear the crying child. USS Grampus encountered the brig Palyrma flying Spanish colors on August 15, 1822. Commanding Lieutenant Gregory suspected the ship to be a pirate so he approached to board but as the Grampus drew near, the Palyrma opened fire and a brief three and a half minute battle was fought. After boarding the wrecked vessel, the pirates were found to be from Puerto Rico and had a letter of marque
Letter of marque
In the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...
that was intended to get the outlaws out of a situation like this. The letter was found to be fake so the pirates were detained and handed over to the Spanish in Cuba. At this time the usual procedure for dealing with captured pirates was turning them over to Spain because the United States didn't have the authority to imprison them.
The United States Navy could not pursue the pirates on Spanish soil either so in April 1822, Commodore David Porter
David Porter (naval officer)
David Porter was an officer in the United States Navy in a rank of commodore and later the commander-in-chief of the Mexican Navy.-Life:...
, in USS Macedonian, assumed command of the station and one of his first missions was to consult with Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Captain General
Captain General
Captain general is a high military rank and a gubernatorial title.-History:This term Captain General started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of commander in chief of an army in the field, probably the first usage of the term General in military settings...
Don
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Nicholas Mahy of Cuba and the governor of Puerto Rico. Both governors denied Porter's request to allow American shore parties to land but at the same time the United States government permitted the West Indies Squadron to do so but only in remote areas. Commodore Porter then attacked and destroyed a pirate force at Funda Bay, Cuba between September 28 and 30, 1822. Also on September 28, the Peacock captured a boat filled with pirates about sixty miles from Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
an later that afternoon, USS Peacock encountered the merchant vessel Speedwell which was attacked by pirates two hours before. In response, Captain Stephen Cassin
Stephen Cassin
Stephen Cassin was an officer in the United States Navy.Born in Philadelphia, the son of naval officer John Cassin, Cassin entered the United States Navy as a midshipman in 1800, and served in Philadelphia in the West Indies during the latter part of the Quasi-War with France...
launched a boat expedition which captured four schooners but again most of the pirates escaped. On September 30, 1822, the twenty-six gun HMS Tyne
HMS Tyne
Six ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Tyne, after the River Tyne, England:*The first Tyne, launched in 1814, was a 28-gun sixth-rate.*The second Tyne 1826 was another 28-gun sixth-rate....
was escorting a one-gun merchant sloop Eliza when attacked by a five gun pirate felucca named Firme Union. During the engagement that ensued, the British boarded and captured the pirate ship. Ten pirates were killed and the rest abandoned ship and escaped. On November 2, 1822, USRC Louisiana
USRC Louisiana (1819)
USRC Louisiana, was a wood hull topsail schooner designed by William Doughty that served in the United States Revenue Cutter Service from 1819 to 1824. Assigned the homeport of New Orleans, Louisiana, she sailed the Caribbean extensively and was used mainly in antipiracy activity...
along with USS Peacock and the Royal Navy schooner HMS Speedwell captured five pirate vessels off Havana. On November 8, 1822, Lieutenant William Howard Allen
William Howard Allen
William Howard Allen was a United States naval officer. He was born in Hudson, New York in 1790; appointed midshipman in 1808 and became a hero during the War of 1812 when he served aboard USS Argus. Later he commanded the Alligator, which was sent to the West Indies to destroy pirates as part of...
of USS Alligator was killed in battle while leading an attack against three enemy schooners which were holding five merchantmen hostage. In the action
Action of 9 November 1822
The Action of 9 November 1822 was a naval battle fought between the American schooner and a squadron of three piratical schooners off the coast of Cuba during the United States Navy's West Indies Anti-Piracy Operation. Fifteen leagues from Matanzas, Cuba, a large band of pirates captured several...
, two of the schooners were captured and at least fourteen pirates were killed. Due to Lieutenant Allen's death, Secretary of the Navy
United States Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...
Smith Thompson
Smith Thompson
Smith Thompson was a United States Secretary of the Navy from 1818 to 1823, and a United States Supreme Court Associate Justice from 1823 until his death in 1843....
authorized Commodore Porter to procure new vessels for the squadron.
Porter acquired eight new shallow draft schooners, five large barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s, a steam powered riverboat
Riverboat
A riverboat is a ship built boat designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such...
and a storeship schooner. The schooners were each armed with three guns and became the USS Beagle
USS Beagle (1822)
The first USS Beagle was a schooner in the United States Navy during the 1820s.Beagle was purchased by the Navy on 20 December 1822 in Baltimore, Maryland, and commissioned early in 1823, Lieutenant John T. Newton in command....
, USS Ferret, USS Fox
USS Fox
USS Fox may refer to:*A schooner Fox was listed as a United States naval vessel in the period 1817-21, but no information concerning such a ship is contained in the official manuscript records, was a schooner commissioned early in 1823...
, USS Greyhound
USS Greyhound (1822)
The first USS Greyhound was a United States Navy schooner in commission from 1822 to 1824.Greyhound was one of several ships the U.S. Navy purchased in 1822 to augment Commodore David Porters "Mosquito Fleet" combating piracy in the West Indies...
, USS Jackal, USS Terrier
USS Terrier (1822)
The first USS Terrier was a United States Navy schooner in commission from 1823 to 1825.-Acquition and commissioning:In 1822, the U.S. Navy pruchased Terrier at Baltimore, Maryland, for service in Commodore David Porter's "Mosquito Fleet" in conjunction with the campaign to suppress pirates in the...
, USS Weasel, and the USS Wild Cat. The storeship was USS Decoy
USS Decoy (1822)
USS Decoy was a schooner in the United States Navy during the 1820s.Decoy was purchased 27 December 1822 by Commodore David Porter at New York under the name Zodiac....
and the steamer became USS Sea Gull
USS Sea Gull (1818)
Sea Gull was a steamship in the United States Navy. She was the second steamship of the United States Navy and the first to serve actively as a warship....
. The new squadron left the United States for Cuba on February 15, 1823. Commodore Biddle also received new orders of conduct, he was now able to land shore parties in populated areas as long as he informed the locals first. Biddle was also ordered to cooperate with any other sovereign naval forces operating against pirates. HMS Grecian of six guns captured the eight gun schooner La Cata on March 1, 1823 south of Cuba. Thirty brigands were killed in action and only three were taken prisoner out of a force of over 100 men. USS Fox was sent to San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, in March 1823 to obtain a list of all legally commissioned privateers and a details of their instructions. When the American schooner entered San Juan Harbor on March 3, an artillery battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
fired on the ship. A few shots hit the Fox which mortally wounded her commander, Lieutenant William H. Cocke. Commodore Porter later accepted an apology for the incident from Puerto Rico's governor. The British warships Tyne and HMS Thracian of eighteen guns defeated the notorious pirate Captain Cayatano Aragonez's thirteen gun ship Zaragozana on March 31, in a running battle, the two British ships chased Captain Aragonez into Mata Harbor where boats were lowered and captured the vessel. Ten pirates were killed and twenty eight were captured while the Royal Navy sustained only slight casualties. Two barges, USS Gallinipper and USS Mosquito, liberated an American merchant vessel on April 8. The navy sailors killed two of the pirates and arrested one other though most got away.
On April 16, Mosquito, Gallinipper and USS Peacock, spotted a felucca
Felucca
A felucca is a traditional wooden sailing boat used in protected waters of the Red Sea and eastern Mediterranean including Malta, and particularly along the Nile in Egypt, Sudan, and also in Iraq. Its rig consists of one or two lateen sails....
off Colorados. Peacock managed to capture the felucca though it's crew fled to shore before scuttling
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
three of their schooners.
Grampus rescued the crew of the American schooner Shiboleth after it was taken by pirates in June 1823. The brigands boarded the merchantman silently, killed the guards, and then cornered the remainder of the crew within the ship. The pirates robbed the ship and set her on fire, Grampus arrived when the Shiboleth was still burning and took off her surviving crew. A few days later, pirates attacked another merchant before being detected by the Spanish Army
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...
and captured. USS Ferrets crew skirmished with the brigands in June. During one incident, the Ferret found a few pirate craft in shallow water off Matanzas. First the Ferret attacked using her broadside guns and sank two of the boats which were fleeing along the coast. Due to the low depth, a boat was used to attack the remaining craft but when the Americans came within range, the pirates opened fire and shot a hole through their boat which returned to the Ferret and sank. With their only boat destroyed, the Americans were forced to continue their patrol and the brigands got to shore. Later that day, Ferret commandeered a small vessel with a shallow draft and returned to where their boat was sunk, hoping to engage the pirates again but bad weather stopped the operation. The following morning the Americans encountered a British merchantman which gave them a boat. Again Ferret returned to Matanzas Bay but all that was there was the two sunken boats that she destroyed earlier.
On July 5, 1823, USS Sea Gull, under the command of Lieutenant William H. Watson
William H. Watson
Lieutenant Colonel William H. Watson commanded the Battalion of Baltimore and District of Columbia Volunteers in the Mexican-American War. Prior to that, he had been a captain in the Independent Blues Company of the 5th Maryland and served with the West Indies Squadron against pirates...
, with the barges Gallinipper and Mosquito, fought pirates off Matanzas, near where Lieutenant Allen was killed a year earlier. The three American vessels encountered a heavily armed schooner, with a crew of about seventy-five, near a Cuban village. The United States Navy attacked with their cannon and the schooner was hit so her captain were began a retreat. When further hits struck the schooner, the pirates panicked and began to abandon ship by jumping into the water. The barges maneuvered in close to the schooner and the sailors and marines on board fired volleys into their fleeing enemy, shouting "Allen, Allen" in the process. Fifteen pirates made it ashore but were attacked by an American landing party. Eleven more were killed and the last four were captured by the Cuban villagers. In total about seventy pirates were killed while only five survived. On July 21, the commanders of Beagle and Greyhound were investigating Cape Cruz
Cape Cruz
Cape Cruz, , is a cape which forms the western extremity of the Granma Province in southern Cuba. It extends into the Caribbean sea and marks the eastern border of the Gulf of Guacanayabo....
, Cuba in a boat when it was fired upon from the shore. The Americans withdrew to their ship and on the next morning they landed sailors and marines who attacked and destroyed a makeshift fort. The pirates evaded the American shore party but their base was dismantled and a few heavy artillery pieces were removed. USS Sea Gull, with Ralph Voorhees in command, recaptured the merchant schooner Pacification from pirates on March 30.
1824 - 1825
Mexican Navy
The Mexican Navy is the naval branch of the Mexican military responsible for conducting naval operations. Its stated mission is "to use the naval force of the federation for the exterior defense, and to help with internal order". The Navy consists of about 56,000 men and women plus reserves, over...
, this was after the Spanish authorities in Puerto Rico detained USS Peacocks commander Lieutenant Platt in October 1824. That month pirates raided Saint Thomas in the Danish Virgin Islands and returned to Fajardo with $5,000 worth of stolen merchandise from an American owned business. The stores owner requested that Lieutenant Platt help him recover his goods. Platt landed men in Fajardo on October 27, in order to not alert the pirates, the shore party wore civilian clothes and as result, they were arrested by the Spanish Army and charged with piracy. Platt explained why he was out of uniform and later on the Spanish allowed for one of his men to retrieve the lieutenant's uniform and commission. Upon seeing this, the Americans were released. When Commodore Porter heard of this he sailed to Fajardo with USS John Adams, the Beagle and Grampus. There he landed a shore party on November 14 and demanded an apology from the Spanish. Eventually the Spaniards agreed to make a public apology so the expedition boarded their ships and sailed away. The United States government was not happy with Commodore Porter's actions and he was court martialed before resigning his commission. The American operation against West Indies pirates was declared a victory in 1825 though occasional outbreaks of piracy continued.
In March 1825, the Gallinipper was accompanied by the frigate HMS Dartmouth
HMS Dartmouth
HMS Dartmouth was a small frigate or fifth-rate ship, one of six ordered by the Council of State on 28 December 1654 and built in 1655. After a lengthy career in the Royal Navy, she was wrecked in the Sound of Mull on 9 October 1690, while on a mission to persuade the MacLeans of Duart to sign...
and the schooners HMS Lion
HMS Lion
Eighteen ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Lion, after the lion, an animal traditionally associated with courage, and also used in several heraldric motifs representing England, Scotland and the British Monarchy...
and HMS Union
HMS Union
Eight ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Union:*HMS Union was a fifth rate of unknown origin, possibly a hired vessel. She was burnt in 1693 to avoid being captured by the French....
in an operation against Cuban pirates. United States Navy Lieutenant Isaac McKeever commanded and led an attack against a hostile schooner at the mouth of the Sagua la Grande
Sagua La Grande
Sagua La Grande is a municipality and city located on the north coast of the province of Villa Clara in central Cuba, on the Sagua la Grande River. The city is close to Mogotes de Jumagua, limestone cliffs...
. American and British forces took the ship, killed eight enemies and captured nineteen others with the loss of only one man wounded. On the following day, another schooner was captured but the pirates escaped and the vessel was taken without bloodshed. Famed pirate Roberto Cofresi was defeated
Action of 2 March 1825
The Capture of the El Mosquito refers to the defeat of Roberto Cofresí and his pirate ship off the port town of Boca Del Infierno, Puerto Rico by American and Spanish forces in March of 1825...
on March 2, by the USS Grampus and two Spanish sloops off Boca del Infierno. Cofresi was considered the last Caribbean pirate to be successful. After he was executed on March 29, 1825, piracy declined in the region for good. United States naval operations in the West Indies were eventually turned over to the Home Squadron
Home Squadron
The Home Squadron was part of the United States Navy in the mid-19th century. Organized as early as 1838, ships were assigned to protect coastal commerce, aid ships in distress, suppress piracy and the slave trade, make coastal surveys, and train ships to relieve others on distant stations...
and the Brazil Squadron
Brazil Squadron
The Brazil Squadron, the Brazil Station, or the South Atlantic Squadron was an overseas military station established by the United States in 1826 to protect American commerce in the South Atlantic during a war between Brazil and Argentina...
by 1842.
See also
- Pirates of the CaribbeanPirates of the CaribbeanPirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a series of films, a theme park ride, and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications. The franchise originates with the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which opened at Disneyland in...
- West Indies Squadron (United Kingdom)West Indies SquadronWest Indies Squadron can refer to one of the following:*West Indies Squadron , a US Navy formation*West Indies Squadron , a Royal Navy formation...
- Barbary Pirates