The Adventure Galley, a.k.a. Adventure, was an English ship
captained by William Kidd, the notorious privateer turned pirate.
It weighed 287 tons and had 34 cannons and a crew of about 150.
While badly leaking, it was lost at the Île Sainte-Marie (Saint
Mary's Island), a formidable pirate base off the northeastern coast
of Madagascar. It was stripped and the rest burned. It still
remains in the shallow bay of the island.
On December 11, 1695, Richard Coote, the Earl of Bellomont, who
was governing New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, asked the
"trusty and well beloved Captain Kidd to attack Thomas Tew, John
Ireland, Thomas Wake, William Maze, and all others who associated
themselves with pirates, along with any enemy French ships”.
This request preceded the voyage which established Kidd's
reputation as a pirate, and marked his image in history and
folklore.
Four-fifths of the cost for the venture was paid for by noble
lords, who were among the most powerful men in England: the Earl of
Orford, The Baron of Romney, the Duke of Shrewsbury and Sir John
Somers. Kidd was presented with a letter of marquee, signed
personally by King William III of England. This letter reserved 10%
of the loot for the Crown, and Henry Gilbert's The Book of Pirates
suggests that the King may have fronted some of the money for the
voyage himself. Kidd and an acquaintance, Colonel Robert
Livingston, orchestrated the whole plan and paid for the rest. Kidd
had to sell his ship Antigua to raise funds.
The new Adventure Galley, was well suited to the task of
catching pirates; weighing over 284 tons, it was equipped with 34
cannons, oars, and 150 men. The oars were a key advantage as they
would enable the Adventure Galley to maneuver in a battle when the
winds had calmed and other ships were dead in the water. Kidd took
pride in personally selecting the crew, choosing only those he
deemed to be the best and most loyal officers.
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