William Read (died 1701, last name occasionally Reed) was a pirate active in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

near

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. He is best known for rescuing fellow pirate captains John Bowen and Thomas White.

History

Read was captain of ''Alexander'', a 60-ton

brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Older ...

based out of Madagascar. Around 1701 he stopped near the settlement of a local native king. Thomas White and John Bowen had been aboard a French pirate ship which wrecked nearby and had been in the care of the king for over a year. The king was hospitable but insisted they leave on the first ship to arrive. Read took them aboard and proceeded around the Madagascar coast, picking up stranded European sailors to increase his crew. Bowen was elected

sailing master The master, or sailing master, is a historical rank for a naval officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing vessel. The rank can be equated to a professional seaman and specialist in navigation, rather than as a military ...

and handled navigation for ''Alexander''. Now with 40 to 60 men they sailed to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

and took a 200-ton grab loaded with bale goods. Thinking the bales worthless, the pirates threw them overboard, not realizing the ship's crew had hidden their gold and valuables inside the bales. Read soon died of illness, replaced by a Captain James, who was himself replaced by Bowen after they had exchanged ''Alexander'' for the captured grab. Thomas White remained aboard until leaving to sail with

Nathaniel North Nathaniel North (ca. 1671 - ca. 171?) was a Bermuda-born pirate during the Golden Age of Piracy, operating in the Indian Ocean under John Bowen (pirate), John Bowen and then as captain of the ''Defiant'' following Bowen's retirement in 1704. Aft ...

. William Read of ''Alexander'' should not be confused with William Read of ''Ranger'', a pirate who served under Captain Charles Harris until Harris was abandoned by

Edward Low Edward "Ned" Low (also spelled Lowe or Loe; 16901724) was a notorious pirate of English origin during the latter days of the Golden Age of Piracy, in the early 18th century. Low was born into poverty in Westminster, London, and was a thief from ...

and captured by HMS ''Greyhound'' in 1723.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, William 18th-century pirates English pirates 1701 deaths Piracy in the Indian Ocean

History

See also

References