St. Thomas is not an island rich in natural resources. In the Age of Pirates, St. Thomas didn’t promise gold or silver or jewels for plundering. But it did offer something of great value to those notorious sailors of the past. A safe haven. An escape.
After plundering ships and towns in the Americas, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Cuba, pirates needed a place to hide, repair their ships and buy supplies. At various times St. Thomas was a friendly and accommodating island for any and all comers, including pirates. St. Thomas also made for a easy target for Spanish privateers so St. Thomas was friendly with any enemy of the Spanish.
Captain William Kidd, often referred to as “Captain Kidd,” occupies a prominent place in the annals of piracy, his name synonymous with the Golden Age of Piracy during the late 17th century. He is a personal hero of mine. I’m sure he exacted all sorts of treachery and sins on innocents, but nobody’s perfect.
William Kidd was born around 1645 in Dundee , Scotland, to a respectable seafaring family. Eventually he made his way to the American colonies and ended up in New York City. Not much is known about his earlier years but it is believed he was an apprentice on a pirate ship during his formative years. Which means he probably worked the trade routes between Europe, the Caribbean and American colonies. Kidd’s experience as a sailor made him an able navigator and seaman. Skills he put to effective and brutal use as a privateer and pirate.
In the 1660s Denmark was making moves to establish a colony in the Caribbean. It’s eye was squarely on St. Thomas. As the colony’s fortunes slowly grew as a port for trade, Kidd’s fortunes also grew. In the late 17th century Kidd secured a commission from the British Crown to hunt pirates wherever found and especially French ships.
Such commissions were valuable since Kidd would earn a piece of any captured ship. He outfitted a ship, the Adventure Galley, and set sail in 1696.
Sadly, Kidd’s expedition aboard the Adventure Galley didn’t go well. The crew included seasoned sailors and buccaneers. They were in it for the money as much as Kidd and when the plunder didn’t appear, they got increasingly frustrated with their captain. When mutiny seemed likely, Kidd made the decision to “modify” the mission. Instead of preying on pirates, they would seek out merchant ships for their plunder.
The single biggest prize of Kidd’s career was capturing the Indian ship Quedah Merchant. The ship was loaded with linens, muslin, gold, silver and silks. By this time, though, Kidd’s exploits and treachery became widely known, he was finding it more and more difficult to find a friendly mooring. And all that loot is only good if you can offload it somewhere.
Ordinarily St. Thomas would have been happy to assist, but Captain Kidd and his crew were a bit too hot for the Governor in St. Thomas at that time. The Governor in St. Thomas feared that harboring Kidd would bring an attack from the British. St. Thomas was mostly defenseless, so a British attack would have devastated the island. So instead of allowing Kidd to enter the island, a trader from St. Thomas met Kidd in Hispaniola. The trader arranged to have loot from Kidd’s prize the “Quedah Merchant” brought to St. Thomas to be laundered. For this reason, the British Admiral labeled St. Thomas a “receptacle for thieves.” Which it was. 🙂
In 1699, Captain Kidd’s career as a pirate came to end. Promised clemency by those that had previously supported his ventures, Kidd returned to Boston and was promptly arrested. He was returned to England in chains. Kidd maintained his innocence regarding most of his acts claiming he was acting squarely within his commission. His trial and legal defense was a farce. He was summarily charged with murder, found guilty and hung.
I, for one, think Kidd was railroaded. He was mostly guilty of having the wrong friends. As political winds changed, those that had previously supported him had turned their backs. But I guess I am just excited to know that somewhere on St. Thomas, loot from Kidd’s famous pillaging was bought and sold. And just to make things more interesting, it is widely believed that he buried treasure during his reign. With all of St. Thomas’ coves and bays, it is easy to surmise that St. Thomas would have been a perfect place to hide his booty.
One final note: Kidd was known to be brutal toward his men and is also known to have killed one with his own hand. There is a tale told of Kidd’s encounter with a ghost of a former crew member. It is believed the ghost still haunts the islands, coastlines and cays where Kidd roamed freely.
Learn about Captain Kidd, murderers and other folks of ill-repute on one of our Crazy Tours.
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