John, or George, Watling (died 1681) was a 17th-century

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

buccaneer Buccaneers were a kind of privateers or free sailors particular to the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. First established on northern Hispaniola as early as 1625, their heyday was from the Restoration in 1660 until about 168 ...

. It was said that he would never plunder on the Sabbath and refused to allow his crew to play cards on this holy day. John Watling is best known for making his headquarters on the island currently dubbed San Salvador and naming it

Watling Island San Salvador Island (known as Watling's Island from the 1680s until 1925) is an island and district of The Bahamas. It is widely believed that during Christopher Columbus's first expedition to the New World, this island was the first land he s ...

. It is believed to be the island ''

Guanahani Guanahaní is an island in the Bahamas that was the first land in the New World sighted and visited by Christopher Columbus' first voyage, on 12 October 1492. It is a bean-shaped island that Columbus changed from its native Taíno name to San ...

,'' as named by the

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

Lucayan people The Lucayan people ( ) were the original residents of the Bahamas before the European conquest of the Americas. They were a branch of the Taínos who inhabited most of the Caribbean islands at the time. The Lucayans were the first indigenous Ame ...

, which

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

first saw in 1492 and renamed San Salvador. This is disputed by some. In 1925, the Bahamas officially named the island San Salvador after several scholars had argued that its features best matched Columbus' description of the island he visited.

Mutiny and taking charge

In 1680–1681 John Watling sailed under Captain

Bartholomew Sharp Bartholomew Sharp (c. 1650 – 29 October 1702) was an English buccaneer and privateer. His career of piracy lasted seven years (1675–1682). In the Caribbean he took several ships, and raided the Gulf of Honduras and Portobelo. He took command ...

aboard the ''Most Holy Trinity.'' Certain members of the crew were unhappy with Sharp. Each buccaneer had amassed a fortune under Sharp's leadership, but many had gambled all of their money away. Sharp had not gambled and wanted to retire with his fortune. On 6 January 1681 at Juan Fernandez, the crew mutinied and deposed Sharp, electing Watling as his successor. On 12 January, three armed Spanish vessels approached Juan Fernandez, and Watling and his crew fled the port. They left behind a Mosquito Indian named Will (see for this castaway-story Will (Indian)) whom they were unable to find before departure. The buccaneers waited just out to sea, but the Spanish did not leave and so Watling slipped away on the night of 13 January.

Arica

Several days later, the buccaneers decided to attack the rich Spanish settlement of

Arica Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the capita ...

Viceroyalty of Peru The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed fro ...

. They had attacked Arica previously but had not found any of the rumoured riches. A captured Indian warned Watling that Arica was heavily fortified, but Watling thought he was trying to trick them and shot him. As it was four or five days' walk from the coast to Arica, and the 92 buccaneers had to carry their own water, they were exhausted when reaching the town. They tried to approach the settlement secretly, but were seen by the Spanish, who prepared their defense. On January 30 Watling split his men into two groups, one to attack the

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

with

hand grenades A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade ge ...

and the rest to attack the town. Upon seeing how heavily outnumbered the men were in the town, Watling soon sent all his forces there. The buccaneers repeatedly forced the Spanish to retreat, but, as they were outnumbered, the Spanish quickly retook territory they left. Finally the buccaneers conquered the town, and Watling turned back to the fort. The Spanish regained the settlement and surrounded Watling's men. Completely overwhelmed, the buccaneers fled, losing several men, including Captain Watling, shot during the retreat.Esquemeling (1893), ''Buccaneers''; ''The Voyages and Adventures of Capt. Barth. Sharp'' (London, 1684), p. 59

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watling, John 1681 deaths English pirates Year of birth unknown 17th century in the Bahamas

Mutiny and taking charge

Arica

See also

Notes