Christopher Newport

Christopher Newport ( * 1561, † 1618) was an English navigator and pirate.

Life

Newport sailed as a young man with the fleet Sir Francis Drake, was involved in the attack on the Spanish fleet off Cadiz, and fought against the Spanish Armada. During the war against Spain Newport piled by hijacking Spanish and Portuguese overseas ships to a considerable fortune. Christopher Newport was one of the privateers in the service of Queen Elizabeth I, who raided a large scale Spanish ships and bases in the Caribbean and robbed. During a battle with an enemy ship off Cuba, he lost an arm and was then called " Christopher Newport of the one hand".

1606 he was commissioned by Bartholomew Gosnold and its sponsor Sir Thomas Smyth, to bring English settlers to North America. His task was to navigate the settlers to America to keep an eye on their inclusion and to transport trade goods and products from mining to England.

In the last years of his life he made ​​three long trading voyages in the service of the East India Company in the Far East and accompanied the first British ambassador to Persia and India.

After Newport Christopher Newport University was named in Newport News, Virginia.