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Pirate Legend
On this day, February 7'th 1687, English merchant turned pirate Joseph Bannister and his crew were hanged from the yardarms of the HMS Duke in the harbor of Port Royal, Jamaica.
Joseph Bannister started his career as a pirate in early 1686 by capturing 4 merchant vessels that were trading to Jamaica. After capturing two English ships off Caracas, he sailed to the north-eastern side of Hispaniola to careen his 30 gun frigate, the Golden Fleece, near Samaná Bay, along with one of the small prize ships. While he was doing this, he offloaded his bigger cannon on shore, while this had the advantage of removing some weight from the vessel, it more importantly allowed him to set up a couple of shore batteries that would prove invaluable in giving his ship and crew protection.
On July 4'th, 1686, two Royal Navy frigates from Jamaica, Charles Talbot's Falcon and Thomas Spragge's Duke, caught Bannister and his crew by surprise.The shore batteries kept the English frigates from coming in two close, keeping them in the shallows just offshore where they proceeded to pound the Golden Fleece to pieces. The fight lasted from 3 in the afternoon, through the might, and in to the evening of the next day. The Duke suffered 13 casualties, the Falcon, 10, before running out of ammunition. The English captains withdraw, returning to Port Royal a few days later. and are censured for not destroying both of Bannister's craft. They return to Samaná Bay after resupplying, only to discover that in the interim, Bannister has torched the remains of the Golden Fleece and sailed away in his prize.
Bannister's freedom was short lived though. A few months later off the Mosquito Coast, he would once again run in to Captain Thomas Spragge. After a short running battle, Bannister and what was left of his crew were captured, during his return to Port Royal, Jamaica, Captain Spragge hung Bannister and the remnants of his crew from the Duke's yardarms as he sailed in to to port.
Joseph Bannister started his career as a pirate in early 1686 by capturing 4 merchant vessels that were trading to Jamaica. After capturing two English ships off Caracas, he sailed to the north-eastern side of Hispaniola to careen his 30 gun frigate, the Golden Fleece, near Samaná Bay, along with one of the small prize ships. While he was doing this, he offloaded his bigger cannon on shore, while this had the advantage of removing some weight from the vessel, it more importantly allowed him to set up a couple of shore batteries that would prove invaluable in giving his ship and crew protection.
On July 4'th, 1686, two Royal Navy frigates from Jamaica, Charles Talbot's Falcon and Thomas Spragge's Duke, caught Bannister and his crew by surprise.The shore batteries kept the English frigates from coming in two close, keeping them in the shallows just offshore where they proceeded to pound the Golden Fleece to pieces. The fight lasted from 3 in the afternoon, through the might, and in to the evening of the next day. The Duke suffered 13 casualties, the Falcon, 10, before running out of ammunition. The English captains withdraw, returning to Port Royal a few days later. and are censured for not destroying both of Bannister's craft. They return to Samaná Bay after resupplying, only to discover that in the interim, Bannister has torched the remains of the Golden Fleece and sailed away in his prize.
Bannister's freedom was short lived though. A few months later off the Mosquito Coast, he would once again run in to Captain Thomas Spragge. After a short running battle, Bannister and what was left of his crew were captured, during his return to Port Royal, Jamaica, Captain Spragge hung Bannister and the remnants of his crew from the Duke's yardarms as he sailed in to to port.
