Action of 10 June 1723
Encyclopedia
The Capture of the Fancy was a famous British
victory over two pirate ships under Captain
Edward Low. When off Delaware Bay
of North America
Low attacked a Royal Navy
man-of-war which he mistook for a whaler. The resulting combat lasted several hours and ended with the capture of one pirate vessel.*
known for his extreme cruelty. He personally killed over fifty men and committed several atrocities such as forcing prisoners he captured to cannibalism
. By summer of 1723 Low commanded the eighty-ton schooner
named Fancy and was the most feared pirate in the Atlantic, so the British dispatched several warships on counter-piracy patrols. Accompanying Fancy was the sloop-of-war
Ranger under Captain Charles Harris
. Fancy was armed with ten guns and had a crew of forty-four, many of whom were forced into service. Ranger was a former French
sloop which was captured by Low off Grenada
earlier in 1723. Her armament and number of crew is not known. Some accounts cite Low as having commanded the sloop Fortune during the encounter with the British post ship
HMS Greyhound under Captain Peter Solgard. The sixth-rate
mounted a twenty gun armament and a complement of about 120 officers and crewmen.*
to attack shipping off the British North American colonies. Searching for Low was HMS Greyhound. While cruising off Delaware Bay's mouth, Low and his pirates sighted the man-of-war and gave chase. Low hoisted his Jolly Roger
fully suspecting his prey to be an English
whaler but when the pirates drew near, HMS Greyhound revealed herself with the raising of her colors and released a broadside into the Fancy as the pirates were preparing for boarding.
Low's schooner took damage and began returning shot while Harris in the Ranger maneuvered into firing position. Ranger opened fire briefly with her guns but after only a few minutes both the sloop and schooner chose to flee. A running battle then continued for several hours. Fancy was dismasted by well-placed cannon fire but escaped, while Captain Harris in the Ranger was defeated. Wind was not in favor of the pirates, so they used oars to help steer their ships away from the British. The use of oars proved to be pointless when the faster Greyhound came alongside the Ranger and the two crews began skirmishing with small arms. Grappling hooks were thrown and the British sailors boarded the sloop. After a few more moments of intense close-quarters combat the pirates surrendered and were taken prisoner. Captain Low's schooner Fancy is said to have carried around £150,000 in gold during the engagement.*
on June 19, 1723. Captain Solgard became famous in New York
and in England and also received prize money for the sloop he captured which also carried gold during the time of battle. Solgard eventually rose to the rank of admiral
in the Royal Navy. Ned Low continued his life of piracy and took several more ships, including a 22-gun French man-of-war. He seemingly grew more cruel after his defeat, particularly to his English captives. Circumstances of his death are unknown, though he perished sometime in 1724.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
victory over two pirate ships under Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Edward Low. When off Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
Low attacked a Royal Navy
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...
man-of-war which he mistook for a whaler. The resulting combat lasted several hours and ended with the capture of one pirate vessel.*
Background
Edward Low was an eighteenth-century pirate from New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
known for his extreme cruelty. He personally killed over fifty men and committed several atrocities such as forcing prisoners he captured to cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
. By summer of 1723 Low commanded the eighty-ton 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....
named Fancy and was the most feared pirate in the Atlantic, so the British dispatched several warships on counter-piracy patrols. Accompanying Fancy was the sloop-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...
Ranger under Captain Charles Harris
Charles Harris (pirate)
Captain Charles Harris joined the notorious pirate Edward Low. He captained the sloop Ranger in the Action of 10 June 1723. While Low escaped, Charles and his crew were captured and hung in Newport.-References:...
. Fancy was armed with ten guns and had a crew of forty-four, many of whom were forced into service. Ranger was a former French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
sloop which was captured by Low off Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
earlier in 1723. Her armament and number of crew is not known. Some accounts cite Low as having commanded the sloop Fortune during the encounter with the British post ship
Post ship
Post ship was a designation used in the Royal Navy during the Age of Sail to describe a ship of the sixth-rate that was smaller than a frigate , but by virtue of being a rated ship , had to have as its captain a post captain rather than a lieutenant or commander...
HMS Greyhound under Captain Peter Solgard. The sixth-rate
Sixth-rate
Sixth rate was the designation used by the Royal Navy for small warships mounting between 20 and 24 nine-pounder guns on a single deck, sometimes with guns on the upper works and sometimes without.-Rating:...
mounted a twenty gun armament and a complement of about 120 officers and crewmen.*
Capture
Low was headed due northwest from the AzoresAzores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
to attack shipping off the British North American colonies. Searching for Low was HMS Greyhound. While cruising off Delaware Bay's mouth, Low and his pirates sighted the man-of-war and gave chase. Low hoisted his Jolly Roger
Jolly Roger
The Jolly Roger is any of various flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates. The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly Roger today is the skull and crossbones, a flag consisting of a human skull above two long bones set in an x-mark arrangement on a black field. This design was used by...
fully suspecting his prey to be an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
whaler but when the pirates drew near, HMS Greyhound revealed herself with the raising of her colors and released a broadside into the Fancy as the pirates were preparing for boarding.
Aftermath
Thirty-seven white and six black pirates were captured. Twenty-five of these, including the young Harris, were hung near Newport, Rhode IslandNewport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
on June 19, 1723. Captain Solgard became famous in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and in England and also received prize money for the sloop he captured which also carried gold during the time of battle. Solgard eventually rose to the rank of admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
in the Royal Navy. Ned Low continued his life of piracy and took several more ships, including a 22-gun French man-of-war. He seemingly grew more cruel after his defeat, particularly to his English captives. Circumstances of his death are unknown, though he perished sometime in 1724.