The Whydah was first launched in 1715 from London, England. A
three-masted ship of galley-style design, it measured 105 feet in
length, rated at 300 tons burden, and could travel at speeds up to
13 knots (14.95 mph). Christened Whydah after the West African
slave trading kingdom of Ouidah (pronounced WIH-dah), the vessel
was configured as a heavily-armed trading and transport ship for
use in the Atlantic slave trade, carrying goods from England to
exchange for slaves in West Africa.
It would then travel to the Caribbean to trade the slaves for
precious metals, sugar, indigo, and medicinal ingredients, which
would then be transported back to England. Fitted with a standard
complement of eighteen six-pound cannon, which could be increased
to a total of twenty-eight in time of war, the Whydah represented
one of the most advanced weapons systems of the time.
In late February of 1717, the Whydah, under the command of
Captain Lawrence Prince, was navigating the Windward Passage
between Cuba and Hispaniola when it was attacked by pirates led by
"Black Sam" Bellamy. At the time of the Whydah's capture, Bellamy
was in possession of two vessels, the 26-gun galley Sultana and the
converted 10-gun sloop Marianne.
After a three-day chase, Prince surrendered his ship near the
Bahamas with only a desultory exchange of cannon fire. Bellamy
decided to take the Whydah as his new flagship; several of its crew
remained with their ship and joined the pirate gang.
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