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 approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

near

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. 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. Ol ...

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 (armed forces), officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing ship, sailing vessel. In the Royal Navy, the master was originally a warrant officer who ...

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

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

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. 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 Low (also spelled Lowe or Loe; c. 16901724) was a 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 an early ag ...

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