Jan Willems
Encyclopedia
Jan Willems also known as Janke or Yankey Willems, was a 17th century Dutch buccaneer. Based out of Petit-Goâve, Willems participated in a number of expeditions against the Spanish during the early to-mid 1680s with other well-known privateers including Michiel Andrieszoon
, Thomas Paine, Laurens de Graaf
, Nicholas van Hoorn
and Michel de Grammont
.
sailed together from Bocas del Toro
. Although Willems did not have a commission himself, he captured a Spanish merchantman with a cargo of sugar
and tobacco
while sailing with Wright south along the coast of Colombia
. Taking the Spanish prize as his own, he gave his old barque
to Wright who burned his own ship. They attempted to sell the Spanish cargo at Curaçao
, however they were forced to leave by the governor. He and Wright then sailed to the Isla Aves
and Islas Roques where they remained until February 1682 and presumably parted ways soon after. During next year, he was among those present at a conference on Roatan
in one of the largest held gatherings of the "Brethren of the Coast
".
Willems, along with Laurens de Graaf
, Nicholas van Hoorn
and Michel de Grammont
, successfully raided Vera Cruz
on May 17, 1683. Using two captured Spanish galleons in the vanguard
, he and Laurens de Graaf were able to sneak into the Spanish harbor during the early morning hours and landed a small force on shore. The buccaneers caught the garrison off guard, many of the soldiers still sleeping, and took out the city's defenses allowing the rest of the fleet to enter the harbor. After three or four days, Willems and the others looted the town before retreating at the sight of the New Spain fleet. In late-November, he joined Michiel Andrieszoon
, François Le Sage and Laurens de Graaf in attacking Spanish shipping off Cartagena
resulting in an altercation with Governor Juan de Pando Estrada who commandeered two Spanish slavers to go after them.
He participated in de Graaf's later raids against Cartagena
in 1684 and Campeche
in 1685. After the raid on Cartagena, de Graff gave Willems his old flagship, the Princesa. Willems reportedly died in the Gulf of Honduras
in 1688.
Michiel Andrieszoon
Michiel Andrieszoon was a Dutch buccaneer who served as lieutenant to Captain Laurens de Graaf. He commanded the le Tigre which was manned by a 300-man crew and armed with between 30-36 guns and, in 1683, was one of the leaders of the raid on Veracruz...
, Thomas Paine, Laurens de Graaf
Laurens de Graaf
Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf (ca. 1653, Dordrecht, Dutch Republic – probably 24 May 1704, Cap-Français, Saint-Domingue, alias Laurencillo/Lorencillo & El Griffe (Spanish); Sieur de Baldran, alias de Graff (French); or...
, Nicholas van Hoorn
Nicholas van Hoorn
The pirate Nicholas van Hoorn was born in Holland and died near Vera Cruz, Mexico. Nikolaas or Klaas was engaged in the Dutch merchant service from about 1655 until 1659, and then bought a vessel with his savings. With a band of reckless men whom he had enlisted, he became a terror to the...
and Michel de Grammont
Michel de Grammont
Michel de Grammont was a French pirate. He was born in Paris, France and was lost at sea, north-east Caribbean, April 1686. His pirate career was from c.1670 - 1686. His flagship was the Hardi.-Pirate career:...
.
Biography
Although a Dutchman, Willems worked with English privateers during the first years of his buccaneering career raiding Rio de la Hacha with Thomas Paine in 1680. In September 1681, he and English privateer William WrightWilliam Wright (privateer)
William Wright was an English privateer in French service and later buccaneer who raided Spanish towns in the late 17th century.Little is known of William Wright before he settled in French Hispaniola in the mid 1670s...
sailed together from Bocas del Toro
Bocas del Toro Province
Bocas del Toro is a province of Panama. Its extension is 4,643.9 square kilometers comprising the mainland and nine main islands. The province consists of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Bahía Almirante , Laguna de Chiriquí , and adjacent mainland. The capital is the city of Bocas del Toro on Isla...
. Although Willems did not have a commission himself, he captured a Spanish merchantman with a cargo of sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
while sailing with Wright south along the coast of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. Taking the Spanish prize as his own, he gave his old barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
to Wright who burned his own ship. They attempted to sell the Spanish cargo at Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, however they were forced to leave by the governor. He and Wright then sailed to the Isla Aves
Isla Aves
Isla de Aves , or Aves Island, is a Caribbean dependency of Venezuela. It has been the subject of numerous territorial disputes between the neighboring independent islands, such as Dominica, and European mother countries of surrounding dependent islands, such as the Netherlands. It lies to the west...
and Islas Roques where they remained until February 1682 and presumably parted ways soon after. During next year, he was among those present at a conference on Roatan
Roatán
Roatán, located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, is the largest of Honduras' Bay Islands. The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan...
in one of the largest held gatherings of the "Brethren of the Coast
Brethren of the Coast
The Brethren or Brethren of the Coast were a loose coalition of pirates and privateers commonly known as buccaneers and active in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico....
".
Willems, along with Laurens de Graaf
Laurens de Graaf
Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf (ca. 1653, Dordrecht, Dutch Republic – probably 24 May 1704, Cap-Français, Saint-Domingue, alias Laurencillo/Lorencillo & El Griffe (Spanish); Sieur de Baldran, alias de Graff (French); or...
, Nicholas van Hoorn
Nicholas van Hoorn
The pirate Nicholas van Hoorn was born in Holland and died near Vera Cruz, Mexico. Nikolaas or Klaas was engaged in the Dutch merchant service from about 1655 until 1659, and then bought a vessel with his savings. With a band of reckless men whom he had enlisted, he became a terror to the...
and Michel de Grammont
Michel de Grammont
Michel de Grammont was a French pirate. He was born in Paris, France and was lost at sea, north-east Caribbean, April 1686. His pirate career was from c.1670 - 1686. His flagship was the Hardi.-Pirate career:...
, successfully raided Vera Cruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
on May 17, 1683. Using two captured Spanish galleons in the vanguard
Tactical formation
A tactical formation is the arrangement or deployment of moving military forces such as infantry, cavalry, AFVs, military aircraft, or naval vessels...
, he and Laurens de Graaf were able to sneak into the Spanish harbor during the early morning hours and landed a small force on shore. The buccaneers caught the garrison off guard, many of the soldiers still sleeping, and took out the city's defenses allowing the rest of the fleet to enter the harbor. After three or four days, Willems and the others looted the town before retreating at the sight of the New Spain fleet. In late-November, he joined Michiel Andrieszoon
Michiel Andrieszoon
Michiel Andrieszoon was a Dutch buccaneer who served as lieutenant to Captain Laurens de Graaf. He commanded the le Tigre which was manned by a 300-man crew and armed with between 30-36 guns and, in 1683, was one of the leaders of the raid on Veracruz...
, François Le Sage and Laurens de Graaf in attacking Spanish shipping off Cartagena
Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
resulting in an altercation with Governor Juan de Pando Estrada who commandeered two Spanish slavers to go after them.
He participated in de Graaf's later raids against Cartagena
Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
in 1684 and Campeche
Campeche
Campeche is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in Southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west...
in 1685. After the raid on Cartagena, de Graff gave Willems his old flagship, the Princesa. Willems reportedly died in the Gulf of Honduras
Gulf of Honduras
The Gulf or Bay of Honduras is a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea, indenting the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. From north to south, it runs for approximately 200 km from Dangriga, Belize, to La Ceiba, Honduras....
in 1688.
Further reading
- Marley, David. Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the New World, 1492 to the Present. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 1998. ISBN 0-87436-837-5
- Rogozinski, Jan. Pirates!: Brigands, Buccaneers, and Privateers in Fact, Fiction, and Legend. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN 0-306-80722-X