John Clipperton
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John Clipperton (c. 1676 – June 1722) was an English
privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
who fought against the Spanish in the 18th century. He was involved in two
buccaneer Buccaneers were a kind of privateer or free sailors, and pirates 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 u ...
ing expeditions to the South Pacific—the first led by William Dampier in 1703, and the second under his own command in 1719. He used
Clipperton Island Clipperton Island ( ; ), also known as Clipperton Atoll and previously as Clipperton's Rock, is an uninhabited French coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The only French territory in the North Pacific, Clipperton is from Paris, France ...
in the eastern Pacific Ocean as a base for his raids.


Early life and personality

John Clipperton was born in
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...
,
Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
, in about 1676 into a family of seafarers. In his younger days he sailed all the seas of Europe, made one trip to the
West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
and one around the world. He was an able pilot and seaman, but also a man of faults. He was a blunt, plain-spoken
sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...
. He was definitely no gentleman; but at times tried to be seen as one. Rash fits of rage would befall him, although he was soon appeased. Then he would be ready to repair any injustice that he had committed in the heat of anger—at least when this was possible.


Privateering voyage with Dampier

In 1703 he sailed with the expedition of Captain William Dampier during the
War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...
. Dampier appointed Clipperton
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
of one of the Spanish ships they had taken as a
prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
. This first voyage of Clipperton did not proceed well. He led a mutiny against Dampier, and was later taken captive by the Spanish. José Antonio de la Rocha y Carranza, the Marquis of Villa-Rocha, who would subsequently become governor of Panama, treated him with much indifference. Clipperton returned home in 1712 after four years of captivity. It was, however, during this journey that he is said to have discovered
Clipperton Island Clipperton Island ( ; ), also known as Clipperton Atoll and previously as Clipperton's Rock, is an uninhabited French coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The only French territory in the North Pacific, Clipperton is from Paris, France ...
, which he would use as a hideout. He would later become captain of the ''Success'' as part of a different privateering syndicate, which he also held under his nominal command Captain
George Shelvocke George Shelvocke (baptised 1 April 167530 November 1742) was an English Royal Navy officer and later privateer who in 1726 wrote the memoir ''A Voyage Round the World by Way of the Great South Sea'' based on his exploits. It includes an account o ...
of the ''Speedwell''. In his activities attacking Spanish targets on the west coast of the Americas, he used
Clipperton Island Clipperton Island ( ; ), also known as Clipperton Atoll and previously as Clipperton's Rock, is an uninhabited French coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The only French territory in the North Pacific, Clipperton is from Paris, France ...
as a base from which to stage his attacks and store loot and supplies, fortifying Clipperton Rock and expanding its cave network. In 1714, Clipperton attacked the Manila Galleon while the crew was resting at
Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Luke the Evangelist, Saint Luke Cape (geography), Cape"), also known simply as Cabo, is a Resort town, resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the Mexican Political divisions of Mexico, state of Baja ...
at the foot of the Baja California peninsula. This incident prompted King
Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...
to call for the settlement of
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, presumably as a base from which to defend the western coast of
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...
.


Later privateering expedition

Much more is known about Clipperton's second voyage to the Pacific Ocean in 1719. By that time he had become an able and diligent captain, but he was still unable to control his rash temper. In 1718 a group of London merchants, the "Gentleman Venturers", had financed a privateering expedition in expectation of the outbreak of the
War of the Quadruple Alliance The War of the Quadruple Alliance, 1718 to 1720, was a conflict between Spain and a coalition of Austria, Great Britain, France, and Savoy, joined in 1719 by the Dutch Republic. Most of the fighting took place in Sicily and Spain, with minor engag ...
, with a
commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...
to cruise against the Spanish in the South Sea. Clipperton in the ''Success'' sailed with the ''Speedwell'', captained by George Shelvocke. Clipperton had replaced Shelvocke as overall commander of the expedition before the two ships left
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
in February 1719. The ships lost contact with each other shortly after during a storm in the
Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...
and did not meet up again until nearly two years later in the Pacific. On the voyage around
Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...
, Clipperton dallied in the islands there hoping that ''Speedwell'', which had been separated from ''Success'' in the storm, would catch up. When the ''Success'' departed the area, Clipperton left two men marooned as punishment on Juan Fernández, which Alexander Selkirk (who may have partly inspired the
Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' ( ) is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary novel, epistolary, Confessional writing, confessional, and Didacticism, didactic forms, the ...
story) had been marooned on years before. Clipperton sailed right around South America, raiding Spanish shipping about the coasts of Perú at the so-called "Southern Seas", where he was chased by Spanish admiral
Blas de Lezo Admiral Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta (3 February 1689 – 7 September 1741) was a Spanish Navy officer best known for his victory at the 1741 Battle of Cartagena de Indias, where forces under his command defeated a large British invasion force u ...
during the latter's first safety operations in the area. The privateer managed to escape Blas de Lezo and finally fled to Asian shores, where he was taken for dead. He captured his old enemy the Marquis de Villa-Rocha, whom he treated with much respect. Later, his travels carried him to Mexico. On May 10, 1721, Clipperton arrived in the
Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...
after 53 days of sailing from
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, having lost six crew and the rest weak. He decided to seek provisions at
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
and anchored off
Merizo Malesso' (formerly Merizo) is the southernmost village in the United States territory of Guam. Cocos Island (Chamorro: Islan Dåno) is a part of the municipality. The village's population has decreased since the island's 2010 census. Malesso' is ...
. Clipperton and the Spanish governor of the Marianas, Luis Antonio Sánchez de Tagle, agreed to trade for provisions. Matters escalated when Clipperton proposed that the governor ransom the Marquis de Villa-Rocha, who was still aboard. The Marquis and two of the ''Successs crew went ashore, but Clipperton grew increasingly aggravated when the promised ransom and his crewmen were not returned. He sent a message ashore threatening to "demolish all the houses on shore, burn the ship in the harbour, and do all the mischief he could at the Philippine Islands" if his demands were not met, according to Shelvocke's journal. On May 28, the Spanish refused to trade for provisions unless ''Success'' continued trading its powder and shot. In response, Clipperton ordered to sail close to shore and start firing. However, ''Success'' grounded itself, becoming an easy target for Spanish cannon fire, killing the ship's first lieutenant. Shelvocke writes, "Clipperton, by now quite overcome with liquor, was unable to command. Another officer took over and after three days of false starts got the ship afloat after all the while under attack from the Spanish on shore." Clipperton finally managed to sail from Guam on May 31, 1721. Spain's
Council of the Indies A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
was already concerned about competing navies threatening the
Manila galleon The Manila galleon (; ) refers to the Spain, Spanish trading Sailing ship, ships that linked the Philippines in the Spanish East Indies to Mexico (New Spain), across the Pacific Ocean. The ships made one or two round-trip voyages per year betwe ...
trade and Spain's possessions in the Pacific, and this incident appears to have finally convinced Spain that it needed to better protect its ships at Guam. In 1734, new anchorages were opened at
Apra Harbor Apra Harbor, also called Port Apra, is a deep-water port on the western side of the United States territory of Guam. It is considered one of the best natural ports in the Pacific Ocean. The harbor is bounded by Cabras Island and the Glass Breakwat ...
and two cannon batteries protecting approaches were constructed. Clipperton then traveled to
Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
, where he stayed as his health deteriorated. He then sailed to Batavia (now Jakarta) in the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
, finally returning to his family in
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
in Ireland in June 1722. He died a week after returning home.


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clipperton, John 1670s births 1722 deaths Circumnavigators of the globe Clipperton Island English privateers People from Great Yarmouth 18th-century English people People of the War of the Quadruple Alliance