Howell Davis

Welsh sailor Howell Davis was a pirate. His 11-month pirate career—which spanned from 11 July 1718 to 19 June 1719—was cut short by an ambush and his death. The Cadogan, Buck, Saint James, and Rover were his ships. Davis seized 15 well-known French and English ships.

Davis, a cunning and charming man, tricked the commander of a Royal African Company slave fort in the Gambia by pretending to be a genuine privateer. At a welcome supper, Davis kidnapped the commander, held him for ransom, and made 2,000 pounds in gold.

By hoisting a black pirate flag from a different sizable but lightly armed ship he had previously captured, he once captured a more formidable French vessel. As soon as she saw she was outgunned, the French ship capitulated.

He attempted to kidnap the governor of the Portuguese island of Prncipe, but the governor was able to see through his pretense of being a Royal Navy pirate hunter. Davis was welcomed to stop into the fort for a wine glass. On June 19, 1719, the pirates were ambushed en route, and Davis was killed by gunfire. He was replaced by Bartholomew Roberts, who later that evening stormed the island in vengeance.