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Black Bart. Black Bart Bartholomew Roberts

Bartholomew Roberts

Bartholomew Roberts(Bartholomew Roberts) (1682-1722) - famous Welsh (real name - John Roberts).

He was born on May 17, 1682 in the village of Casnewid Bach (Little Newcastle), between Fishguard and Haverfordwest (Pembrokeshire, Wales) into a poor family. His father's name is believed to have been George Roberts. Addicted to maritime activities from a young age, Roberts, by the age of 36, received a position as third mate on the slave ship Princes, owned by the Royal African Company. The captain of the ship was Abraham Plumb from Stepney.

Leaving London in November 1718 ( Charles Johnson under whose name he was hiding Daniel Defoe, in his “General History of Robberies...” erroneously gives a different date - November 1719), he headed for the Gold Coast and in February 1719 arrived in Anamabo, where for some time he bought slaves to transport them to the West Indies. Apparently, in May, Plumb's ship was boarded by two pirate ships - the Royal James and the Royal Rover, commanded by a Welshman Howell Davis. As the American newspaper Boston News Letter wrote, “After this incident, Roberts himself became a pirate.” From that time on he became known as Bartholomew, and his comrades nicknamed him Black Bart.

After the death of Captain Davis on the Portuguese island of Principe in the Gulf of Guinea in July 1719, the crew of the Royal Rover elected Roberts as their new leader. The latter decided to take revenge on the Portuguese for the death of Davis and sent 30 volunteers led by an Irishman ashore Walter Kennedy. They captured the Portuguese fortress abandoned by the garrison, threw all its artillery from the walls into the sea and, having set the fort on fire, returned to the ship without losses. That same night, the pirates set fire to two prize ships in the harbor and, in the light of the fire, sailed out to the open sea.

Setting off for the Gold Coast, they soon met a Dutch slave ship, whose crew, counting 32 cannons and 27 falconets on board the Royal Rover, immediately lowered the flag. Later a short time The English merchant ship Experiment was robbed and burned, several sailors from which voluntarily joined Roberts.

In Anamabo, the pirates stocked up on drinking water, repaired and re-equipped their ship, after which it was decided to cross the Atlantic and visit the waters of Brazil.

In September 1719, Roberts discovered in the depths of the Brazilian Gulf of Todos os Santos, in the roadstead of Bahia (modern Salvador), a Portuguese flotilla of 42 ships, which was guarded by two 70-gun warships. Disguising his ship as a modest "merchant", he hid two-thirds of the sailors below deck, slipped into the harbor and took possession of the smallest ship of the Portuguese flotilla at night. The captured skipper confessed under torture that main part treasures are hidden in the powder magazine of the 40-gun galleon Sagrada Familia, whose crew numbered 170 people. Roberts boldly went straight to the galleon and boarded it. This operation brought the pirates 40 thousand moidors in gold (1 moidor was equal to $3.27), a cargo of sugar, hides, tobacco and other valuable goods, as well as a gold cross decorated with diamonds, intended for the king of Portugal.

Having rounded Cape Cabo Branco, the pirates moved along the coast South America to Devil's Island, which lies at the mouth of the Suriname River. There they spent two weeks stocking up on fresh provisions and repairing their ships. Having captured a merchant sloop, Roberts rushed on it in pursuit of some brigantine, leaving the Royal Rover under the command of the Irishman Walter Kennedy. The sloop was able to return to its anchorage only after eight days; here it turned out that the treacherous Kennedy had escaped with all the loot in the Royal Rover. Roberts renamed the prize sloop Fortune and drew up a new charter with his men, which everyone swore to abide by on the Bible.

Left alone, Roberts went to the Caribbean, where he captured a sloop from Rhode Island, and then visited the Danish colony on the island of St. Thomas. When the English Governor of the Leeward Islands, Sir Walter Hamilton When he learned about this, he immediately sent a warship to St. Thomas, but the pirates managed to escape. Some of them were later captured on the island of Nevis; The court sentenced six prisoners to hang.

Place of Birth: Date of death: A place of death:

Cape Lopez

Bartholomew/Bart Roberts(English) Bartholomew/Bart Roberts) - English pirate, born May 17, real name John Roberts, also known as Black Bart. One of the most famous pirates in the history of piracy. Born in Haverfordwest, South Wales.

Life as a Pirate

Bartholomew became one of the most successful pirates in history, capturing 456 ships and more than £50 million worth of booty during his short four-year career as a pirate. He was almost elusive; historians are inclined to believe that Roberts was much brighter than such pirates as Blackbeard or Anne Bonny.

Their sea travel Roberts started out as a mate on a slave trading ship. He joined a pirate ship at the age of 37, as 3rd mate aboard the Princess of London, commanded by pirate captain Howel Davis, near Annabamo, which is located on the Gold Coast of West Africa (the coast of modern Ghana). He was forcibly assigned to the crew as a navigator.

After 6 weeks of sailing under the command of Davis, Bartholomew was chosen captain of the ship Pirate ( Rover). This happened after Davis was killed in an attack on Prince Island (modern Principia, 200 km west of Equatorial Guinea). This was an unexpected decision, despite the fact that he was with the team for only a month and a half, but no one had mastered the skill of a navigator better than him, and, in addition, Roberts, as historians note, was a sincere and stubborn person.

His first act as captain was to convince the crew to return to Prince Island to avenge the death of Captain Davis. Roberts and his crew attacked the island at night, killing many people and looting much valuables. Thus began the career of the most successful pirate in history. Black Bart then went to sea and captured several merchant ships.

Not content with the spoils off the coast of Africa, Roberts set sail for the Caribbean early in the year. By the time of his arrival on the Devil's Islands, all merchant ships chose to take refuge under the protection of the cannons of the coastal forts, since Roberts's pirate fame had long reached these places. Deciding to seek his fortune in other waters, Roberts went north, where he profitably sold the goods captured off the coast of Guinea. Off the coast of Canada, he robbed 21 ships loaded with valuable furs.

he was always well dressed;
hated ruthlessness, foul language, drunkenness and bad manners;
prohibited gambling between team members;
on Sundays he conducted various services to honor God; he was a deeply religious person;
had excellent manners;
he was always clean-shaven;
never drank alcohol;
he had perfect handwriting;
loved music and therefore always had musicians on board;
he gave clear orders that if he was killed in battle, his body was to be buried at sea.

Flags

One of Bartholomew Roberts' flags

Life as a Pirate

Bartholomew became one of the most successful in history, capturing 456 ships and more than £50 million worth of booty during his short four-year career as a pirate. He was practically imperceptible; historians are inclined to believe that Roberts was much brighter than such pirates as or.

Roberts began his sea voyages as a mate on a slave trading ship. He became a pirate at the age of 37, when he became the 3rd mate on board the ship "Princess of London", commanded by pirate captain Howel Davis, near Annabamo, which is located on the Western Gold Coast (the coast of modern). He was forcibly attached to the team as a navigator.

After 6 weeks of sailing under the command of Davis, Bartholomew was chosen captain of the ship Pirate ( Rover). This happened after Davis was killed in an attack on Prince Island (modern Principia, 200 km west of). This was an unexpected decision, despite the fact that he was with the team for only a month and a half, but no one had mastered the skill of a navigator better than him, and, in addition, Roberts, as historians note, was a sincere and stubborn person.

Not content with the spoils off the coast of Africa, Roberts set out for the first of the year. By the time of his arrival on the Devil's Islands, all merchant ships chose to take refuge under the protection of the cannons of the coastal forts, since Roberts's pirate fame had long reached these places. Deciding to seek his fortune in other waters, Roberts went north, where he profitably sold the goods captured off the coast of Guinea. Off the coast, he robbed 21 ships loaded with valuables.

Death in battle

His pirate career was cut short on the coast, Roberts was killed in a battle with the Royal Navy flagship. The ship that opposed Bart was commanded by Shalonir Ogl. The battle took place near Cape Lopez, off the coast of modern Gabon.

On approaching the harbor where Bartholomew's ships were moored, Ogle had to change course to avoid the shoal. Roberts, seeing the maneuver, regarded it as a sign of indecision and sent the Drifter to capture the frightened enemy. Ogle continued to play the role of runner, dragging the Drifter further and further. When the pirates overtook the “victim” and raised it, Ogle slowed down and pretended to be ready to surrender. The ships caught up with each other, and at that time, on Ogle’s orders, the “Swallow” fired a cannon salvo. This time luck was not on the pirates' side. Having captured the Drifter, Ogle moved to Cape Lopez. Ogle's approaching ship did not at first arouse any suspicion among the captain. But when Roberts saw the royal flag, his reaction was lightning fast. The pirates raised the anchor and unfurled the sails. A plan was instantly born in Roberts’s head: go to Ogle’s ship with full sail, take his salvo, fire one of your own and, without slowing down, leave the bay. But the plan failed, as the first salvo damaged. Ogle fired a second broadside, Roberts was hit in the throat, and the enemy, paying tribute to his bravery, lowered the corpse of the captain into the sea with a gold chain and a diamond-studded cross around his neck, with a saber in his hand and two pistols in a silk sling, and then hanged them all the remaining pirates.

Roberts had character traits, which distinguished him from many others:

he was always well dressed;
hated ruthlessness, foul language, drunkenness and bad manners;
prohibited gambling between team members;
on Sundays he conducted various services to honor God; he was a deeply religious person;
had excellent manners;
he was always clean-shaven;
never drank alcohol;
he had perfect handwriting;
loved music and therefore always had musicians on board;
he gave clear orders that if he was killed in battle, his body was to be buried at sea.

Flags

Roberts is credited with being the first to call the pirate flag the “Jolly Roger.” How true this is is unknown.

Roberts' flag featured an unusual skull and crossbones design. It depicted a pirate with a drawn saber, standing on the heads of defeated enemies who were residents of Barbados (AVN, “A Barbados Head”) and Martinique (AMN, “A Martinique’s Head”). Another flag depicted a pirate and a skeleton with a spear holding an hourglass.

In just a 3-year career as a pirate, Bartholomew managed to capture 456 ships worth more than 50 million pounds sterling. Roberts began his career as an aspiring sailor-navigator on a slave trader’s ship at the rather late age of 37. He was forcefully recruited onto the ship “ Princess of London" led by Captain Howell Davis in Annabamo off the coast of West Africa (Ghana).
After 6 weeks of sailing, Captain Howell Davis was killed during the assault on Prince Island and because Bartholomew Roberts He had good navigator skills, the team had to choose him as captain. Later, Bart suggested that his pirates return to the shores of Prince in order to get even for the death of Howell Davis, whose idea was carried out late at night, when the enemies were sleeping. The opponents were killed, and rich booty was captured. Thus began Roberts' great fame.
Feeling confident strength, Bart and his command began to capture merchant ships off the coast of Africa, but not content with this, in 1720 he decided to sail to the shores of the Caribbean Sea. Having learned about the arrival of Roberts and his former glory, many merchant ships began to seek refuge in protected forts in order to to avoid bloodshed with the great pirate. Bart had no choice but to seek his fortune in other waters, sailing north. Here he sells the looted goods of Guinea and captures 21 ships loaded with valuable furs.
In the summer of the same 1720, Bartholomew got an easy prey from 22 ships, the crews of which fled to the shore in horror at the sight of a formidable robber; at that time there were only 60 people on board the pirate. A magnificent French brig was waiting in Roberts Bay, which the captain made his flagship, renaming it "Royal Pirate". Inspired by easy prey, Bart tried to cross the Atlantic Ocean, but not catching a fair wind, returned to the shores of the Caribbean. In September 1720, Roberts attacked the port on the island of St. Kitts, captured and plundered one of the ships, anchored, and set fire to the other two. A month later, in October 1720, Roberts captured and plundered 16 French, English and Dutch ships. In January 1721, he boarded a 32-gun Dutch slave ship and deceived the population of Martinique. The conflict with Martinique had "personal roots" for Black Bart. The governor of Martinique, deciding to join the fight against piracy (and, perhaps, in search of profit), went out with the ship in search of Bart Roberts. Bart considered this a personal insult, accepted the battle and, having captured the frigate, hanged the governor. Flying the Dutch flag, he sailed past the ports and gave signals to the French to visit the island of St. Lucia, where smugglers were selling slaves. As a result, the pirates captured and set fire to 14 French ships that went to sea.
In the Caribbean, Bartholomew captured about 100 ships and raided coastal cities. To instill even greater fear in his opponents, Bart hung the captured governor of one of the cities from the yardarm of his ship.
In the spring of 1721, Bartholomew returned to African waters. Here, off the coast of Sierra Leone, “Black Bart” was engaged in the slave trade, capturing new merchant ships each time. In August, he managed to capture the Liberian city of Onslow, where the headquarters of the Royal African Company was located. Roberts headed southeast, towards Nigeria and Gabon, and then returned to the Ivory Coast, capturing at least six ships along the way. On January 11, 1722, Roberts reached Ouidah (Ouidah in modern Benin) and boarded 11 ships carrying slaves.
He carried out attacks on the coasts of Brazil, Africa and Newfoundland during his pirate career. His production was always so great that the team never doubted his leadership abilities.

Bartholomew Roberts (May 17, 1682 - February 10, 1722) rounds out the top five luckiest pirates (according to Forbes magazine). The birthplace of this pirate is Pembrokeshire (Wales, England); the regions where he succeeded most are the Atlantic and the Caribbean. He became famous in history not only as one of the most successful pirates, but also as the most elusive of the entire buccaneer brethren. During his career, he captured over 470 ships!

In fact, there was no sign that young John (that was his real name, by the way) Roberts was destined for a career at sea, even a scandalous one.

At the same time, for a person from a poor family (and John’s father, George Roberts, could hardly claim the status of at least a partially successful person), in those days, in essence, there was no more realistic way to get rich. Not wanting to vegetate in poverty all his life like his father, John, at the age of 13, joined a merchant ship as a cabin boy. After all, you always need to start somewhere. Unfortunately, there is no information about his whereabouts from 1695 to 1718. It is known, however, that in 1718 he served as an assistant captain on a Barbados sloop. The following year, 1719, we meet him already in the status of third mate on the slave ship “Princess”; the ship was registered at the port of London, and was commanded by Captain Abraham Plumb. At the beginning of June 1719, the Princess dropped anchor off the west coast of Africa, in the region of Ghana. And it was there that she was suddenly attacked by pirates. The pirates came on two ships, the Royal Rover and the St. James. Both ships were under the command of Howell Davis. Davis, oddly enough, turned out to be a fellow countryman of Roberts; Moreover, he was also from Pembrokeshire! This, undoubtedly, was a special sign of Fate. Some of the sailors from the Princess were forced to join the pirates, Roberts was among them. However, there was no need to force him too much. Quickly getting used to his new position, he eagerly joined the crew, and immediately demonstrated to Davis his talent as a navigator - this profession, it must be said, was in great honor on pirate ships. Davis was very pleased with the acquisition and constantly consulted with Roberts regarding charting the right course. In addition, he sometimes trusted his fellow countryman with secrets unknown even to his team. Davis and Roberts, among other things, shared one passionate desire: to live a truly interesting, rich life. It may not be long, but it’s fun!

However, Howell Davis, although he trusted his fellow countryman very much, nevertheless kept him in strict rein. If we talk about the share of booty allocated to the new pirate navigator, it was, perhaps, unjustifiably small - only ‡ 3 monthly. Of course, such a sum might have seemed hefty to John Roberts' father and John himself, but to Bartholomew Roberts it seemed extremely meager. Being very ambitious, he himself dreamed of becoming a captain. But the status of captain usually implies having his own ship. To collect a sufficient amount, having a monthly salary of ‡ 3, is a utopia!

However, life went on.

The pirate squadron set course for Principe, simultaneously robbing a rich Dutch brig, from which they managed to take £15,000 worth of gold alone! True, the squadron was soon reduced by one ship, since the St. James had to be abandoned due to a leaky bottom. All the pirates were now sailing on the Royal Rover. Once in Principe harbor, Howell Davis attempted to kidnap the governor under the guise of an invitation to a dinner party. Davis's daring plan, however, was discovered, and he was killed in the ensuing shootout.

The governor was confident that the death of the leader would deprive the pirates of their presence of mind, and they would simply surrender to the mercy of the victors. If he had known what was happening on the ship at this time, he would have been horrified. And on board the Royal Rover there was... an election for a new captain! Howell Davis divided the crew during his lifetime, following the structural division of the English Parliament; True, there were no chambers, but each pirate belonged to either the Lords or the Communities. The lords were the most authoritative pirates; it was their decision that depended on who would be the new captain. Their verdict was quite unusual: the choice fell on Roberts! By the way, he was on board the Royal Rover for six weeks at most, and he still hesitated whether to be with the pirates or not. However, the pirates liked him - he was tall, strong and brave. Moreover, everyone knew perfectly well that he was a skilled sailor. It was worth a lot. So, we can say that the result of the vote was predetermined in advance. Roberts, upon learning of the pirates' decision, was shocked. Six weeks ago he was only the third mate on a medium-sized merchant ship - and suddenly now he is elected captain of a real pirate brig! He immediately decides to change his name to Bartholomew - in honor of the famous buccaneer Bartholomew Sharpe. However, such long names were not in honor among the pirates - the newly-minted captain was later called Black Bart (apparently due to his long, unruly hair the color of a raven's wing).

Black Bart's first order immediately followed. He called on the pirates to take brutal revenge on the governor of Principe for the death of Howell Davis. The Royal Rover rushed with full sail to attack the fort. The governor never dreamed that something like this could happen at all. Truly overconfidence has serious consequences! The city came under furious fire from every gun on board the Royal Rover. The fort was engulfed in fire, many died, and the souls of the survivors were filled with horror for a long time.

Having thus paid a generous tribute to revenge, Black Bart went to sea; “for warm-up” he captured one Dutch brig and completely plundered it. A little later, the pirates met an English slave ship, which was their bedroom. After this, Black Bart took his ship to the shores of Brazil in the hope of special prey.

The tests were not long in coming. Already in September 1719, the Royal Rover literally encountered a huge flotilla of 44 ships. Of these, 42 ships were Portuguese merchant ships, and they were guarded by 2 well-armed frigates; each had 70 guns on board. Black Bart did not lose his presence of mind. He led the Royal Rover into the attack, and his daring and courage brought the desired results. The prey of the pirates was an impressive size sloop with ten guns; over ‡ 30,000 gold and other valuables were discovered in its holds. However, while Black Bart was fighting with a detachment of daredevils on the deck of a Portuguese sloop, a change of power occurred on the Royal Rover. A former pickpocket, and now a gentleman of fortune named Walter Kennedy, Black Bart's assistant, whom he blindly trusted, also decided... to become a captain! He waited until most of the loot was transferred aboard the Royal Rover, and then calmly ordered the sails to be hoisted and departed. As for the crew, Kennedy took advantage of a tempting trump card: he invited the pirates to return home, sharing all the valuables among themselves! Kennedy acted for sure: Black Bart, who had just begun to enjoy his new role, firmly intended to move towards the coast of Brazil. And here was the opportunity to soon feel solid ground under my feet and have fun spending my share. In addition, when planning to board the Portuguese sloop, Black Bart appointed Kennedy as captain - as his assistant. So Walter Kennedy didn't even need to put himself up for voting: in fact, he was the captain!

Black Bart took the incident calmly. In essence, things weren't so bad. First of all, he still had a ship. It may not be that big, but it is quite worthy. Plus ten guns. This was also important. Black Bart renamed the sloop “Luck” and began pirate terror of the seas. He captured several ships of medium displacement; however, their holds were not particularly rich. Since news of the attack on the Portuguese soon became public, several warships were dispatched to capture the pirates. Black Bart's sloop had to become the object of pursuit by an English frigate. However, Bart was clearly lucky, and he happily escaped pursuit. Meanwhile, the volume of loot aboard the Luck grew and grew. Bartholomew Roberts thought it best to return to New England.

After a good walk on land, Black Bart went to sea again in the summer of 1720. His "Luck" moved to the shores of Newfoundland. It was there that he was destined to show himself in full glory. “Luck” instantly became the terror of the entire coast. All attempts to catch up with the pirates and destroy them were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, he captured twenty-six ships, one hundred and fifty fishing boats, and in the end he became so carried away that he began to destroy coastal buildings. One of his trophies was an 18-gun whaleboat, which he replaced with a 28-gun French frigate. Black Bart called him "Royal Fortune" and, feeling that he was beginning to get bored, moved his ships south. On the way, he robbed a dozen more ships of the English merchant fleet. The number of crew of his small flotilla grew literally by leaps and bounds. This happened because many sailors, tired of pulling the government strap, voluntarily went over to the side of the pirates. Since the number of volunteers did not decrease, Black Bart had to limit his intake. However, he always favored the British, so they were willingly accepted into the team. But the French were clearly not to his liking. According to some sources, Black Bart did not even disdain to brutally torture his captives if they turned out to be of French nationality. He actually killed many.

It is curious that all this time Bartholomew Roberts dreamed of trying his luck as a pirate off the coast of Africa. His first attempt was not very successful due to bad weather conditions; in addition, due to the lack of travel experience in this direction, prepared supplies drinking water There was a catastrophic shortage (in the end there was only no more than one sip of water per day left per team member!). Upon returning home, Black Bart decided to undertake a new voyage in the spring of the next year (1721), and in the next six months - to prove himself as brightly as possible in the Caribbean Sea.

And he succeeded!

The autumn of 1720 turned out to be troublesome, but extremely fruitful for Black Bart. He started from the island of St. Kitts, in the harbor of which he plundered one ship and set several others on fire. After a short repair on the island, Black Bart captured fifteen ships - both French and English. At the beginning of January 1721, it was the turn of the Dutch. The pirates managed to board a 32-gun slave frigate flying the Dutch flag. And then a very witty combination was born in Black Bart’s head. He ordered some of the pirates to board a Dutch frigate and follow to the shores of Martinique (Lesser Antilles) and, sailing along them, convey an invitation using flags to go to the island of St. Lucia for the supposedly record-breaking cheap sale of slaves there. Since slaves were always at a high price, this proposal was received by the French (Martinique was and remains a possession of France) with ardent enthusiasm. A whole flotilla of ships moved towards the island of St. Lucia. However, along the way they were suddenly attacked by pirates, who, of course, were led by Black Bart. The result was truly terrible: about 15 ships were plundered and subsequently burned! The crew of the ships were captured and subjected to severe torture. For example, the pirates cut off the ears of some prisoners, and the bodies of other victims, strung up on a yardarm, were used by unruly thugs... as shooting targets!

Black Bart was quite satisfied; he was already preparing for the African voyage. But before that it was necessary to put his squadron in proper order. Upon detailed examination, it turned out that it would be more expedient to replace the “Royal Luck” with a more recent vessel. The Brigantine, armed with eighteen guns, appeared to them. Black Bart immediately dubbed her “Big Luck.” Everything was ready for the African voyage. But just before the start of the voyage, Black Bart struck the final chord. He managed to get a 50-gun frigate that belonged to the governor of Martinique, and the latter himself was on board. Black Bart was absolutely delighted; He immediately hanged the governor, and attached his majestic frigate to his squadron. By the way, even here it was not without renaming: the former frigate of the governor began to be called with the light hand of Black Bart ... “Royal Fortune”!

The pirate was so obsessed with his incredible luck that he tried to emphasize it at the slightest opportunity.

It was April 1721. Having completed all the necessary preparations, Bartholomew Roberts moved to the coveted shores of Africa. In addition to receiving new loot, he intended, for the benefit of himself and the team, to exchange the looted valuables they had for gold. It should be noted that Black Bart somehow especially trusted gold. The flagship of the squadron was, as one might have guessed, the governor's frigate. Moreover, in the holds of the “Royal Fortune” there was most of the treasures obtained by the pirates. The frigate's crew numbered 228 people, including 48 blacks. On “Big Luck,” the crew size was not so large: 140 souls, and 40 of them were blacks. The diversity of the team led to problems in terms of obedience. To keep this rabid pack under control, Black Bart often resorted to overly savage measures, mercilessly punishing them for the slightest offense. The fact that he sometimes went too far could not win him much sympathy from the team. A riot was brewing. It was headed by Thomas Anstis, Howell Davis's closest associate, who went over to Roberts' service after his death. Despite the fact that Roberts valued Anstis, and so much so that he even entrusted him with “Big Fortune,” he considered himself undeservedly deprived. He persuaded the crew of the Big Fortune, and they decided to escape with the loot they had on board. Black Bart was beside himself, but did not pursue the traitors, not wanting to give up his route. And in June 1721, the Royal Fortune anchored off the coast of Africa, simultaneously capturing four ships; Black Bart ordered three of them to be burned, and the fourth one, the one that was better than the rest, renamed him “Little Tramp” and transferred part of the team to him. After this, the pirate ships moved towards Liberia; there the frigate Onslow with a large cargo of valuables and money became their victim. This frigate Black Bart also did not burn or sink, since he preferred to join the squadron. True, there was no time to think carefully about the name, and therefore “Onslow” turned into another “Royal Fortune”.

Then the pirate squadron moved to Nigeria, and from there to the Ivory Coast. Six more ships became his prey. Then the pirates reached the coast of Benin. There they were even luckier: as many as eleven slave ships! Black Bart offered to pay a huge ransom to the captains; Only one of them, the Portuguese, refused. As a result, both of his ships with their entire cargo of slaves were burned. The rest paid without complaint. Having looked at all the ships, Black Bart noted one frigate, deciding that it was time to change the flagship. And so it happened. Roberts' new flagship was the Great Tramp. Having taken stock of all the spoils, Black Bart considered it advisable to return to Brazil. The pirates were happy with his decision; they were really eager to spend their money well! They did not yet know that the decision was mature in Roberts’ soul to end his pirate career, and simply disband the crew upon arrival home.

And then Black Bart’s luck changed. His squadron attracted the attention of two English frigates. One of the frigates, the Swallow, captured the Big Tramp. This happened on February 5, 1722. By luck, Roberts remained on board the Royal Fortune, otherwise he would certainly have been captured. Moreover, the pirates did not even know what happened. On the "Big Tramp" they mistook the "Swallow" for a merchant ship and set off in pursuit of it. "Swallow" waited until the "Big Tramp" moved away from the ships of the pirate squadron, and when this happened, it turned around and attacked. And five days later, “Swallow” managed to overtake “Royal Luck”. She, with two more ships, was at Cape Lopez, waiting in vain for the return of the “Big Tramp”. However, there was joy on board: the pirates had just taken possession of another merchant sloop with all its contents. The team was completely drunk. Nevertheless, Black Bart, always on the alert, noticed the “Swallow”, instantly understood everything and planned to attack first. He led the “Royal Fortune” towards the English frigate, but due to a change in the wind, maneuverability was impaired, and the ship turned around on its entire side. The British immediately took advantage of the whim of the elements and fired a volley of grapeshot at the pirates from all guns. Bartholomew Roberts, who was directly on the bridge, died on the spot. Fulfilling his last wish, the pirates threw the body of their captain overboard so that the British would not get it.

Meanwhile the battle continued. Despite their numerical superiority, the pirates, left without a leader, acted chaotically and illiterately. Three hours later, the Royal Fortune surrendered, and then the other two ships of the pirate squadron. All the spoils went to the British. With the exception, however, of a certain share of the treasure, which the captain of the “Little Tramp” took with him in the heat of battle, managing to escape on a boat. The captain of the Swallow, Challoner Ogle, took the other pirates to Ghana, where they were put on trial on the Cape Coast. The Negro pirates were returned to slavery; As for the whites, forty-four people ended up on the gallows, another thirty-seven were sent to hard labor. The most amazing thing was that the remaining seventy-four people were acquitted by the court... and released!

Thus ended the life epic of Bartholomew Roberts, nicknamed Black Bart, and his team.