''Ambrose Light'' was a brigantine, operated by Colombian rebels during the

Colombian Civil War of 1885 The Panama Crisis of 1885 was an intervention by the United States in support of a rebellion in Panama, at the time part of Colombia, and an ensuing show of force by Chile. Background The 1846 Mallarino–Bidlack Treaty, signed by Republic ...

.Oppenheim, p. 435 It was captured by the USS ''Alliance'' as a suspected pirate vessel in 1885. The accusation of

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

was rejected by a court of law.

Capture

On April 24, Commander Lewis Clark, of the

South Atlantic Squadron The Brazil Squadron, the Brazil Station, or the South Atlantic Squadron was an overseas military station established by the United States in 1826 to protect American commerce in the South Atlantic during a war between Brazil and Argentina. When th ...

, was sailing to Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, when the lookouts aboard the ''Alliance'' sighted the one-gun ''Ambrose Light''. It was flying a strange flag featuring a red cross over a white background so the Americans assumed the vessel was a

pirate ship Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

. A chase began. The Americans were preparing to fire a shot over the vessel's bow when a Colombian ensign was observed and the ''Ambrose Light'' came to a halt. Commander Clark put

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

M. Fisher, and a boarding party, on the rebel ship and it was found to have been armed with one cannon and sixty heavily armed sailors. A large cache of ammunition was also discovered. The Colombians revealed their letter of marque from the rebel leader Pedro Lara, giving the men of ''Ambrose Light'' permission to

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are leg ...

Cartagena. Commander Clark disregarded this and took the rebels prisoner and the brigantine as a prize. The ship was put under the command of Lieutenant Fisher with ten others and sent to be condemned in New York. After arriving on June 1, a stowaway was found, starving to death, hiding behind some casks in the cargo hold. The man immediately received medical attention.

Legal case

Following the court proceedings, it was agreed that ''Alliance'' had lawfully seized the rebels as pirates because Pedro Lara, as a rebel, had no right to commission warships. After a legal decision, the ship was returned to her Colombian owners, in return for costs. The court ruled that the ship could legally be used to transport troops between Colombian ports during the Colombian Civil War. When fighting broke out in Cartagena, American Secretary of State Thomas F. Bayard released ''Ambrose Light'' and her crew. This incident was the basis for a decision in case law that defines who can be called a

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

in the United States.

Citations

References

* {{1885 shipwrecks Pirate ships Vessels captured by the United States Navy United States admiralty case law United States Navy in the 19th century 1885 in Colombia 1885 in the United States Maritime incidents in April 1885 Battles and conflicts without fatalities Piracy in the Caribbean Brigantines

Capture

Legal case

See also

Citations

References