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Fancy (ship)
Encyclopedia
The Fancy was Henry Every
's ship, and was commanded by him between May 1694 to late 1695, when he retired from piracy and the fate of the Fancy becomes unknown.
named Charles II - after Charles II of Spain
- in Spanish
service, commanded by a Captain Gibson, and was anchored at A Coruña
, Spain
. On May the 7th, 1694
, Henry Every
and a few other conspirators organised and carried out a successful mutiny
and, setting Captain Gibson ashore, left A Caruña for the Cape of Good Hope
. At this time the Charles II was renamed Fancy.
Upon arriving at the Cape, Every sailed to the island of Johanna (Anjouan)
in the Comoros Islands, where he had the Fancy careened
- removing barnacles and weed from the section of the hull that was permanently below water, increasing her speed. He also had the Fancy razee
d, intentionally removing parts of the ship's superstructure
in order to increase her speed. Following this work, the Fancy became one of the fastest ships active in the Indian Ocean
, and Every used this speed to attack and take a French pirate ship, looting the vessel and recruiting approximately 40 of the crew to his own ship, leaving him with a total complement of around 150.
Every continued to be active in the Indian Ocean where he worked alongside other famous pirates of his time, including Thomas Tew
. Most notable in his captures was the Ganj-I-Sawai
, a Mughal ship under the command of Ibrahim Khan during Emperor Aurangzeb
's era. Mounting 62-cannons and four to five hundred musket-armed guards, cannon fire from the Fancy was instrumental in Every's victory - the first salvo caused a cannon to explode, and a number of gunners were killed. Every's career ended when the crew returned to Nassau
, in the Bahamas, where Every returned to Britain aboard the sloop
Isaac.
Although the fate of the Fancy is unknown, it was rumored that Every gave her to governor of Nassau as bribe.
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...
's ship, and was commanded by him between May 1694 to late 1695, when he retired from piracy and the fate of the Fancy becomes unknown.
History
The Fancy was initially a 46-gun privateerPrivateer
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...
named Charles II - after Charles II of Spain
Charles II of Spain
Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...
- in 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...
service, commanded by a Captain Gibson, and was anchored at A Coruña
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
, Spain
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...
. On May the 7th, 1694
1694 in piracy
See also 1693 in piracy, other events in 1694, 1695 in piracy, and Timeline of piracy.-Europe:*May 7 - Henry Every leads a mutiny aboard the privateer ship Charles II at La Coruña and turns the crew to piracy.-North America:...
, 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...
and a few other conspirators organised and carried out a successful mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
and, setting Captain Gibson ashore, left A Caruña for the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
. At this time the Charles II was renamed Fancy.
Upon arriving at the Cape, Every sailed to the island of Johanna (Anjouan)
Anjouan
Anjouan is an autonomous island, part of the Union of Comoros. The island is located in the Indian Ocean. Its capital is Mutsamudu and its population as of 2006 is about 277,500. The total area of the island is 424 sq. kilometers Anjouan (also known as Ndzuwani or Nzwani) is an autonomous island,...
in the Comoros Islands, where he had the Fancy careened
Careening
Careening a sailing vessel is the practice of beaching it at high tide. This is usually done in order to expose one side or another of the ship's hull for maintenance and repairs below the water line when the tide goes out....
- removing barnacles and weed from the section of the hull that was permanently below water, increasing her speed. He also had the Fancy razee
Razee
A razee or razée is a sailing ship that has been cut down to reduce the number of decks. The word is derived from the French vaisseau rasé, meaning a razed ship.-Sixteenth century:...
d, intentionally removing parts of the ship's superstructure
Superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...
in order to increase her speed. Following this work, the Fancy became one of the fastest ships active in the 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...
, and Every used this speed to attack and take a French pirate ship, looting the vessel and recruiting approximately 40 of the crew to his own ship, leaving him with a total complement of around 150.
Thomas Tew
Thomas Tew , also known as the Rhode Island Pirate, was a 17th century English privateer-turned-pirate. Although he embarked on only two major piratical voyages, and met a bloody death on the latter journey, Tew pioneered the route which became known as the Pirate Round. Many other famous pirates,...
. Most notable in his captures was the Ganj-I-Sawai
Ganj-i-Sawai
The Ganj-i-Sawai or Gang-i-Sawai was a heavily armed trading ship belonging to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb which, along with its escort the Fateh Muhammed, was captured on 7 September 1695 by the English pirate Henry Every en route from present day Mocha, Yemen to Surat, India.In August 1695,...
, a Mughal ship under the command of Ibrahim Khan during Emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
's era. Mounting 62-cannons and four to five hundred musket-armed guards, cannon fire from the Fancy was instrumental in Every's victory - the first salvo caused a cannon to explode, and a number of gunners were killed. Every's career ended when the crew returned to Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, in the Bahamas, where Every returned to Britain aboard the sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
Isaac.
Although the fate of the Fancy is unknown, it was rumored that Every gave her to governor of Nassau as bribe.