Jack Rackham (Jack Rackham), aka - Calico Jack (born December 21, 1682 - November 17, 1720) is a famous pirate who became famous for several of his remarkable deeds.
First of all, Rackham dared to challenge Captain Charles Wayne, who was known for his unparalleled cruelty. In addition, he had a special relationship with two legendary female pirates of his time - Anne Bonnie and Mary Reed. Both of them - in violation of all customs - served on his ship, while Anne Bonnie was taken away from her husband by Rackham. In addition, Rackham invented a pirate flag of his own design, which over time became incredibly popular. Finally, it should be noted that although Jack Rackham pirated for a short time, he was able to seize loot for about $ 1.5 million, which gave him the opportunity to enter the "golden twenty" of pirates.
Jack Rackham, nicknamed Calico Jack (he received it for his addiction to calico robes) is first mentioned in history as the quartermaster on the ship of the terrible Charles Wayne. Apparently, Rackham got to Wayne when the pirate squadron left the island of New Providence. Wayne preferred to pirate, a peaceful life was not for him. However, Rackham himself also always dreamed of the fate of a pirate.
Rackham under Charles Wayne
Having instantly won the trust of Wayne himself and found a common language with the team, Jack was soon appointed quartermaster. His duty was to observe the interests of the team and to help the captain manage the squadron. As he was able to discover over time, Charles Wayne not only mocked the prisoners terribly, but also constantly robbed his own team. At the same time, the pirate captain preferred to attack only if he was absolutely sure of victory. The team did not like this very much.
The final straw was Wayne's deliberate reluctance to attack a wealthy French ship. The team rebelled and chose a new captain, Jack Rackham. It happened at the end of the autumn of 1718.
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Captain Jack Rackham
To a large extent, this decision was influenced by Jack's unconditional adherence to principles. Having caught Wayne intending to appropriate his share of the booty (by the way, it was about alcohol), Jack, realizing that he was making a mortal enemy, nevertheless refused to obey. The team remembered it well! And when Wayne was forcibly removed, the pirates had no hesitation about who could replace him on the bridge.
As a result, Jack, who commanded Kingston, one of Wayne's ships, instantly became the head of the entire squadron. In fact, it was from this moment that his independent career as a corsair began.
Arrest and pardon
Its beginning can hardly be considered successful. At the very first stop, the thinning squadron of pirates was taken by surprise by two military sloops. The pirates were captured and taken to New Providence to see Governor Woods Rogers. The pirates were asked to repent and receive royal pardon. In the future, they pledged never to go out to sea with bad thoughts. On the part of Jack Rackham and most of the other pirates, this step was, of course, forced. In case of refusal, they were awaited by the court, and then - the gallows. There was no choice.
Rackham Jack 18th century engraving
For some time Rackham thought about how to proceed. He really wanted to be the captain of the pirates again, because, in fact, he did not even have a real opportunity to fully experience what it was like to manage an entire squadron! But then he met with the Bonney couple (Bonnie), who enjoyed a rather dubious reputation. With James Bonney, Rackham, in principle, had no business. But his wife, Anne Bonnie, he was carried away in earnest! And Anne, in turn, became passionate about Jack.
Capturing the sloop
They planned to escape together from the island. But not just escape, but leave the island, as befits real pirates! Rackham gathered his old crew (those who still wanted to live a pirate life), and they kidnapped the sloop, anchored in the harbor. Because it was night, nobody noticed them. The sails were instantly raised on the sloop, and the pirates were back in their element. It was the end of 1719. They took the course to Bermuda.
Anne Bonnie and Mary Reed
As it turned out, Anne Bonnie was not the only woman on the ship. In addition to her, Mary Reed was on board, who could not imagine her life without pirate raids. Some of the historians note that such a blatant violation of sea customs happened only because almost any member of the crew could use these ladies. But the development of events showed that both women in battle behaved no worse than the male pirates, and even surpassed them in their bloodthirstiness!
They consumed an inordinate amount of rum and swore horribly - to the loud approval of the entire pirate company. In addition, sweat smelled so monstrously from them that sometimes even men who preferred to stay away could not stand it.
Piracy again
It was in such a cheerful atmosphere that the pirate raid continued. The captain did not set himself unrealistic tasks. Soberly assessing the capabilities of the stolen sloop and yearning for his former "Kingston", he understood that they probably did not have to dream of capturing a large ship. He began to methodically plunder small vessels that were encountered in shallow waters.
Pirate flag designed by Jack Rackham
Fishing boats were the classic prey at the time - at least Jack Rackham's crew now had no food problems. Fresh fish was always on the menu. From time to time, pirates cruising directly off the northern coast of Jamaica raided land, terrorizing fishermen's homes and raping local women. They did not disdain to seize nets with a fresh catch. In short, they tried to survive in the hope of luck.
1720, early November - Captain Rackham met an unfamiliar sloop at sea, somewhat like his own. There were only 9 men on board, armed with muskets and sabers. This was off the western tip of the island, near Point Negril. Rackham decided to move closer. At the sight of the maneuver of his ship, the sloop headed straight for the shore and dropped anchor. Immediately after that, 8 people disembarked from it; one stayed on board. Jack approached and asked who they were. They answered that they were English. Rackham asked them to go up to the deck of his ship, taste punch, and at the same time talk about the possibilities of joint hunting. The strangers readily accepted the invitation - unfortunately, as it turned out later!
The fact is that, as the attacks and raids of the Rackham pirates continued, and even more, he began to bully larger ships (in particular, two sloops were captured), the inhabitants of the coast began to complain. And, despite the fact that the pirates failed to capture especially significant prey, the terror that they perpetrated on the coast, in the end, could not hide from the attention of the authorities.
Pirate hunt
Governor Nicholas Loes was informed that pirates are brazenly rampaging in his domain, and they even dare to land right ashore! The governor was a stern and orderly man. Besides, he was a man of action. He ordered to immediately equip a military sloop and send him to capture the pirates, since the sail was very close. Jonathan Barnett was appointed captain of the sloop.
Barnett was able to track down Rackham's flotilla with little difficulty. When the pirate ship sailed past the Ocho Bay, there, right on the shore, was a fisherman with his boat. Recognizing the pirates immediately, he waited until they were far enough away, and, having lowered the boat into the water, sailed to report to the authorities. He soon met with Barnett's ship and said that he had seen Rackham's sloop. Barnett only needed to go around the island halfway, and both boats were in front of him at a glance!
The pirates, of course, did not try to resist the warship. All of them, including Rackham, were immediately arrested and taken to Jamaica. Nine strangers caught by the military aboard the pirates' ship were also arrested along with their sloop, although they swore and swore that they had just dropped in to the punch party.
Pirate trial and execution
The trial, held in the town of Art. - Iago de la Vega (Spanish City), was extremely fast (everything was over in just one day!). Rackham and nearly all of his crew were sentenced to death by hanging. The court was informed that earlier Jack Rackham and his pirates had already been granted royal pardon, which meant for them a complete ban on robbery at sea. Having violated the main condition of their pardon, the pirates thereby signed their own death warrant.
All of them (except for the women who found themselves in a position for whom the execution, however, was only postponed) were transported to Port Royal. In a strange irony of fate, Jack had to wait for the execution in the next cell with Charles Wayne, who was also awaiting his fate. Only in the case of Wayne the execution of the sentence for some reason was delayed for a whole year; he was still on hold when, on November 18, 1720, Rackham, once his quartermaster, was hanged. After the execution, the body of the pirate was suspended in a cage and placed in a prominent place to teach a good lesson to those who had the imprudence to dream of becoming a pirate.
As for the 9 pirates who, unfortunately for themselves, found themselves in the company with Jack at the time of his arrest, they were tried separately. They were convicted in January 1721 (everyone was found guilty of pirate actions), and in February they were hanged. Mary Reed and Anne Bonnie gave birth safely. It was not possible to find out who was the father of the babies in their womb. A little later, Mary Reed, without waiting for the execution, died of a terrible fever, which she caught in the process of childbirth. Anne Bonnie, successfully relieved of the burden, managed to escape from custody and hide. Subsequently, legends were made about her, Rackham's fleeting lover and a fierce pirate. Anne Bonnie, however, was never discovered.
G. Blagoveshchensky
