Charles Vane

Charles Vane († March 29, 1721 in Port Royal, Jamaica) was a pirate in the 18th century.

Little is known about his youth. It is linked with the wreck of a Spanish galleon, which ran at the beginning of the 18th century before Florida due, in conjunction. It fought some pirates around the wreck and the goods thereon. The Spanish sent warships and drove out the pirates. Vane waited off until the Spaniards withdrew again, and seized on the poorly repaired galleon. This was one of the biggest booties on a single hijacking in the historic piracy. When he operated in the Bahamas, he found refuge on Green Turtle Cay, a small island of Abaco archipelago.

Vane was announced in June 1718. Woodes Rogers was at this time the new governor of New Providence, and Vane operated until its arrival from the port. The other pirates surrendered Rogers, which was intended to settle " pirate scourge " in the Bahamas, only Vane resisted. He lit a fresh hijacked ship in the harbor and let it run as Brander on the anchored ships of the Governor. Then he ran out with his crew from New Providence.

Vane was very popular with his crew because he was a leader and was lucky in finding rich booty.

At the height of his career, however, he made the mistake to let a French warship, because he feared to be the weaker in this duel. This gave him his men under the command of Calico Jack Rackham as cowardice before the enemy, and they sat him down as captain. He and some faithful were exposed in a small unarmed sloop. However, three months later, he again had a small pirate fleet and was by this power yet known.

It is said Vane, with the pirate Blackbeard ( engl. Black Bart ) to have been good friends when he was operating off the coast of North Carolina.

A hurricane sank Vanes ship in the Bay of Honduras, and he was able to save the sole survivor on a small island. There he lived on fish and bananas until the ship of his former, now royalist friend Holiford passed. Holiford refused to take him. He was afraid Vane could persuade his crew to mutiny.

A later passing by ship took him in ignorance of his identity as a sailor on board. There he was quick as a diligent and experienced sailor quite popular.

To Vanes fatality was a meeting of his captain with Holiford on the high seas. This saw Vane and reported to the captain of his true identity.

Vane was brought in chains to Port Royal and hung there in a week on March 29, 1721. He was accused, among other things, to have captured the sloop John and Elisabeth off the coast of Abaco.