Mansel Alcantra or Alcantara ( fl. 1829) was a Spanish pirate active in the

South Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

during the early 19th century. As well as committing acts of piracy, he carried out several incidents of

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

. In 1829, his

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

, the ''Macrinarian'', captured the

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packet ship Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed for domestic mail, passenger, and freight transportation in European countries and in North American rivers and canals, some of them steam driven. They were used extensively during the 18th and 19th ...

''Topaz'' near

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while en route from

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. After he and his men had finished looting the ship, Alcantara had the entire crew killed. Lubbock, Basil. ''The Western Ocean Packets''. Mineola, New York: Courier Dover Publications, 1988. (pg. 27-28) That same year, he seized and plundered a United States ship, the ''Candace'' from Marblehead. The ship's

supercargo A supercargo (from Spanish ''sobrecargo'') is a person employed on board a vessel by the owner of cargo carried on the ship. The duties of a supercargo are defined by admiralty law and include managing the cargo owner's trade, selling the merchandi ...

, allegedly an amateur actor, disguised himself as a

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by dressing in a black gown and broad rimmed hat. He waited in his cabin pretending to "tell his beads" and, when the pirates finally entered his cabin, they respectfully crossed themselves and left the room. The young man was the only one of the crew and passengers not robbed by the pirates.Lindsey, Benjamin J. ''Old Marblehead Sea Captains and the Ships in Which They Sailed''. Marblehead, Massachusetts: Marblehead Historical Society, 1915. (pg. 92)

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Captain Mansel Alcantra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcantra, Mansel Year of death missing Spanish pirates 19th-century Spanish people 1829 births 19th-century pirates Spanish mass murderers