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{{Era|AC4}}
{{Era|Timeline}}
{{Revamp}}
{{Conjecture}}
{{Event
{{Battle Infobox
|prev =  
|prev=[[Blockade of Nassau]]
|image = [[File:Do Not Go Gently 8.png|300px]]
|conc=[[Golden Age of Piracy]]
|name = Attack on Ocracoke
|next=[[1720s Chinese Assassin purge]]
|date = 22 November 1718
|name=Attack on Ocracoke
|place = [[Ocracoke]], [[North Carolina]]
|image=Do Not Go Gently 7.png
|outcome = [[Edward Thatch]] was killed.
|date=22 November 1718
|key = *[[Piracy|Pirates]]
|place=[[Ocracoke]], [[North Carolina]], [[United States|British America]]
**Crew of ''[[Queen Anne's Revenge]]''
|result=[[Royal Navy]] victory:
**Crew of the ''[[Jackdaw]]''
*[[Edward Thatch]] and most of his crew were slain
**Crew of the ''[[Ranger]]''
|side1=*[[File:Flag of Pirate's Republic.png|15px]] [[Piracy|Pirates]]
*[[Royal Navy]]
**[[File:Edward Thatch Flag.png|15px]] Crew of ''[[Queen Anne's Revenge]]''
|participants = *Edward Thatch
**Crew of the ''Adventure''<ref name="WP">{{WP|Blackbeard}}</ref>
**[[File:Jackdaw flag.png|15px]] Crew of the ''[[Jackdaw]]''
|side2=*[[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.png|15px]] [[Royal Navy]]
**Crew of ''Jane''<ref name="WP"/>
**Crew of ''Ranger''<ref name="WP"/>
|commanders1=*Edward Thatch
*[[Edward Kenway]]
*[[Edward Kenway]]
*[[Robert Maynard]]}}
|commanders2=*Lt. [[Robert Maynard]]
The '''Attack on Ocracoke ''' wass the [[Royal Navy]]'s successful ambush attempt to kill [[Edward Thatch|Blackbeard]] on 22 November 1718 at the island of [[Ocracoke]], near the state of present [[North Carolina]]. The attacks, mostly seen as an attempt to curb piracy by the Royal Navy by killing one of the most notorious pirates in the [[Caribbean]], is also seen as a ploy done by the [[Templars]] to reduce the threats of the [[Piracy|pirates]], who frequently raided their [[ships]].
*[[Officer]] Hyde †<ref name="WP"/>
|forces1=*1 [[Man O' War]]
**25 crew<ref name="WP"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/generalhistoryof00john/page/n11/mode/2up|title=''A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates''.|author=Johnson, Charles|date=14 May 1724|publisher={{Wiki|Charles Rivington}}, J. Lacy, and J. Stone|accessdate=14 September 2024|pages=}}</ref>
*1 {{Wiki|sloop}}<ref name="WP"/>
*1 [[brig]]
|forces2=*2 sloops<ref name="WP"/>
*~60 crewmen<ref name="WP"/>
|casual1=*9 dead<ref name="WP"/>
*14 captured and hanged<ref name="WP"/>
|casual2=*''Ranger'' incapacitated<ref name="WP"/>
*29 killed<ref name="WP"/>
}}
The '''attack on Ocracoke''' was an ambush executed by the [[Royal Navy]] with the aim of capturing [[Edward Thatch]], more infamously known as Blackbeard, on 22 November 1718 at the island of [[Ocracoke]], near the state of present [[North Carolina]].


==Background==
==Background==
In early 1718, Blackbeard was approached by [[Benjamin Hornigold]] about the stagnation of Nassau, the recently independent Pirate Republic, and about the lack of medicine that is needed for the inhabitant's survival. Hearing this, Thatch asked his fellow pirate [[Edward Kenway]] to help him with his search for medicine. Thatch asks Kenway to dive into a Spanish shipwreck to find medicines, but the medicines recovered were stale. The lack of success resulted in Thatch, [[Stede Bonnet]] and Hornigold attacking a [[Great Britain|British]] [[Man O' War]], using the ''[[Queen Anne's Revenge]]'' and the ''[[Benjamin (ship)|Benjamin]]'', ships of Thatch and Hornigold respectively. The ''Benjamin'' was heavily damaged during the fight and Thatch ran aground on [[Mariguana Island]] and Kenway rescued him and Bonnet from attacking British [[soldier]]s.
{{Dialogue|Thatch|I'd wager the nearest doctor is sitting pretty in Havana. Not a place I mean to go.|Edward|The Spanish fleet that sunk two years back would have some medicine. All sealed up in glass vials.|Thatch and Kenway talking about obtaining medicines for Nassau, 1718.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag|Diving for Medicines}}
In early 1718, [[Benjamin Hornigold]] approached Thatch about the Pirate Republic's stagnation at [[Nassau]], and about the lack of medicine that was needed for the [[Civilian|population]]'s survival. With the simultaneous news of a pardon issued by King [[George I of Great Britain|George I]], Thatch asked his fellow [[Piracy|pirate]] [[Edward Kenway]] to help him with his search for medicines in the [[Shipwreck|wrecks]] of the sunken [[Spanish Treasure Fleet]], rather than [[raid]]ing the Royal Navy [[ship]]s to obtain them. They proceeded with the plan, but the medicines they found were spoiled.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Diving for Medicines]]</ref>


Kenway, along with his crew used the ''Queen Anne's Revenge'' to board the British Man o' War, and get the medicines, but the amount wasn't enough. However, they find out that the medicine have stamps from [[Charles-Towne]] in [[South Carolina]]. Not long, Blackbeard decided to blockade the town for a week until Kenway came over and took the medicines from Charles-Towne. This is seen by the British Crown as a high profile issue and demanded action, which sets off [[Woodes Rogers]]' offer from the King to pardon all pirates. Most pirates took it, but began to do piracy again, and Blackbeard was at the center of it when Virginia governor Alexander Spotswood decided to ask Lieutenant [[Robert Maynard]] to deal with him.
The lack of success prompted Thatch to attack a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Man O' War]]. This resulted in Hornigold's [[schooner]] ''[[Benjamin (ship)|Benjamin]]'' suffering heavy damage, while Thatch's ship ''[[Queen Anne's Revenge]]'' ran aground on [[Mariguana Island]]. After meeting with Hornigold at sea, Kenway made his way to the island and rescued Thatch from [[British Army|British troops]].<ref name="Devil's Advocate">''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' – [[Devil's Advocate]]</ref>
 
Subsequently, the pirates used the ''Queen Anne's Revenge'' to board the Man O' War which had once again crossed their path, and obtained the medicines. The amount was small, however, but they discovered the medicine possessed stamps of [[Charleston|Charles-Towne]] in [[South Carolina]].<ref name="Devil's Advocate"/> Taking the Man O' War's crew as prisoners, Thatch besieged the town for a week, without success. Eventually, Kenway arrived and stole the medicines from Charles-Towne.<ref name="Siege">''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' – [[The Siege of Charles-Towne]]</ref>
 
Despite their success, and with the King's pardon in mind, Thatch decided to retire from the life of piracy and sailed to North Carolina.<ref name="Siege"/> However, the theft of medicines spurred Charles-Towne's governor [[Alexander Spotswood]] into ordering Lieutenant [[Robert Maynard]] to find and eliminate Thatch.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Database: Chasing the Pirates]]</ref> In the meantime, the [[West Indies Rite of the Templar Order|Caribbean Templar]] and [[The Bahamas|Bahamian]] governor [[Woodes Rogers]] arrived in Nassau with Commodore [[Peter Chamberlaine]]<ref>''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' – [[We Demand a Parlay]]</ref> and blockaded the island in order to pressure the pirates into taking the pardon.<ref>''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' – [[Commodore Eighty-Sixed]]</ref>


==Ambush==
==Ambush==
Blackbeard was in Orcacoke when Edward Kenway and [[Charles Vane]] successfully destroyed the blockade of Nassau. Both Kenway and Vane tried to reason with Blackbeard about his retirement, but Blackbeard doesn't listen to it, and Vane goes off in disgust, while Kenway respects his decision to retire and doesn't hold a grudge to Blackbeard. Thanking Kenway, Blackbeard spoke to him about [[Sage|The Sage]], where Blackbeard heard a man named [[Bartholomew Roberts|Roberts]] working in a [[Slavery|slave ship]] called the ''[[Princess]]'', that it might interest Kenway. Soon after, Kenway noticed Jenkins, a turncoat, leaving the beach, and decided to follow him. In the wilderness of Ocracoke, the man met with a Royal Navy lieutenant and informed him about the party and the possible suspicion of Kenway. Eavesdropping both of them, Kenway also kills the guards that came with the lieutenant. Following them to a cliff, the lieutenant told Jenkins to send a signal, and in an instant, a Royal Navy fleet launched an attack on Ocracoke, led by at least two Man O'War's.
{{Quote|This will be the end of them... Quickly, send the signal. And remember always this day.|Lieutenant Robert Maynard, ordering the start of the ambush, 1718.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag|Do Not Go Gently...}}
After destroying the blockade and escaping from Nassau,<ref>''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' – [[The Fireship]]</ref> Edward Kenway and [[Charles Vane]] traveled to Ocracoke, in order to convince Thatch to reconsider his retirement. They were unsuccessful however, with Vane leaving the island shortly after. Kenway remained to speak with Thatch about the [[Sage]] [[Bartholomew Roberts]], whom Thatch revealed to be working on a [[slave ship]] called the ''[[Princess]]''.<ref name="Do Not Go Gently">''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' – [[Do Not Go Gently...]]</ref>
 
Subsequently, Kenway noticed the crewman [[Jenkins]] acting suspicious and decided to follow him. In the wilderness of Ocracoke, Jenkins met with Maynard and informed him about the situation and Kenway's possible suspicions of him. [[Eavesdropping]] on the pair, Kenway followed them to a cliff overlooking the beach, where they fired a signal, alerting the British warships to bombard the island with [[cannon]]fire.<ref name="Do Not Go Gently"/>


[[File:Do Not Go Gently 10.png|thumb|250px|Thatch struck by British soldiers]]
[[File:Do Not Go Gently 10.png|thumb|250px|left|British soldiers killing Thatch]]
The ambush destroyed many pirate vessels, most notably includes Blackbeard's ship, the ''Queen Anne's Revenge'', although some did escape and engaged the Royal Navy. Kenway's ship, the ''[[Jackdaw]]'' survives the initial ambush, and Blackbeard decided to join Kenway's ship, while Kenway went down the cliff and ran across the battered settlement to join his fellow captains in battle. The ''Jackdaw'' engages a Man O'War and succeeds in incapacitating it. When the pirates boarded the battered ship, they started to kill the crew recklessly. However, Thatch was outnumbered, and Kenway threw a [[pistol]], but Thatch was eventually killed. This saddened and shocked Kenway, who was then pushed overboard by a [[brute]].
The ambush destroyed many pirate vessels, including the ''Queen Anne's Revenge'', although a few managed to escape and engage the Royal Navy, with Kenway's ship, the ''[[Jackdaw]]'', among them. Kenway engaged a Man O'War and boarded it along with Thatch. However, the pirates were soon overwhelmed, and despite Kenway's help, Thatch was eventually killed<ref name="Do Not Go Gently"/> after suffering what was later reported as 5 [[Firearm|gunshot]] wounds and over 20 [[cutlass]] hits.<ref>''[[Echoes of History]]''</ref> Witnessing Thatch's death shocked Kenway, distracting him from the battle and providing an opening for a Royal Navy crewman to push him overboard.<ref name="Do Not Go Gently"/>


==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==
Kenway managed to find his way back to the ''Jackdaw'', and he and his crew escaped the carnage that ensued. [[Adewale]] and Kenway talked while escaping, noting that Blackbeard has fallen in battle. Kenway later unites with Charles Vane and his crew and attempts to find the ''[[Princess]]'' and the man [[Bartholomew Roberts|Roberts]].
{{Dialogue|Adéwalé|What of Thatch, sir? Did he fall? Captain?|Edward|He drinks damnation.|Edward informing Adéwalé of Thatch's death, 1718.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag|Do Not Go Gently...}}
Kenway managed to board his ship and escaped the carnage that ensued along with his crew. [[Adéwalé]], Edward's quartermaster on the ''Jackdaw'', questioned Kenway about Thatch, to which Edward responded that he had fallen in battle.<ref name="Do Not Go Gently"/> Some time later, Kenway met up with Charles Vane again off the southern [[Cuba]]n coast, determined to follow the lead that Thatch had given him concerning the ''Princess''.<ref>''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' – [[Vainglorious Bastards]]</ref>
 
In 1725, years after the attack on Ocracoke, Kenway briefly reminisced of the event after witnessing the firepower of the [[East India Company]] during a [[Confrontation at the Forgotten Temple|confrontation]] at the [[Forgotten Temple (Isu)|Forgotten Temple]], remarking that he had not seen so much mayhem and destruction since North Carolina.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 125|Episode 125]]</ref>
 
==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" widths="180">
Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag concept art 31.jpg|Concept art of the attack on Ocracoke
Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag concept art 3.jpg|Concept art
Do Not Go Gently 12.png|The ''Jackdaw'' sailing away from Ocracoke
</gallery>
 
==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Black Flag]]''
*''[[Echoes of History]]'' {{Imo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' {{Imo}}


==Reference==
==References==
*''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''
{{Reflist}}
{{Timeline}}
{{AC4}}
[[Category:Timeline]]
[[Category:Timeline]]
[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:Piracy]]

Latest revision as of 14:00, 16 December 2025

I wanted to ask you something. Which is... what's your name?
This article title is conjecture. Although the article subject is canon, no official name for it has been given.

The attack on Ocracoke was an ambush executed by the Royal Navy with the aim of capturing Edward Thatch, more infamously known as Blackbeard, on 22 November 1718 at the island of Ocracoke, near the state of present North Carolina.

Background[edit | edit source]

Thatch: "I'd wager the nearest doctor is sitting pretty in Havana. Not a place I mean to go."
Edward: "The Spanish fleet that sunk two years back would have some medicine. All sealed up in glass vials."
—Thatch and Kenway talking about obtaining medicines for Nassau, 1718.[src]-[m]

In early 1718, Benjamin Hornigold approached Thatch about the Pirate Republic's stagnation at Nassau, and about the lack of medicine that was needed for the population's survival. With the simultaneous news of a pardon issued by King George I, Thatch asked his fellow pirate Edward Kenway to help him with his search for medicines in the wrecks of the sunken Spanish Treasure Fleet, rather than raiding the Royal Navy ships to obtain them. They proceeded with the plan, but the medicines they found were spoiled.[3]

The lack of success prompted Thatch to attack a British Man O' War. This resulted in Hornigold's schooner Benjamin suffering heavy damage, while Thatch's ship Queen Anne's Revenge ran aground on Mariguana Island. After meeting with Hornigold at sea, Kenway made his way to the island and rescued Thatch from British troops.[4]

Subsequently, the pirates used the Queen Anne's Revenge to board the Man O' War which had once again crossed their path, and obtained the medicines. The amount was small, however, but they discovered the medicine possessed stamps of Charles-Towne in South Carolina.[4] Taking the Man O' War's crew as prisoners, Thatch besieged the town for a week, without success. Eventually, Kenway arrived and stole the medicines from Charles-Towne.[5]

Despite their success, and with the King's pardon in mind, Thatch decided to retire from the life of piracy and sailed to North Carolina.[5] However, the theft of medicines spurred Charles-Towne's governor Alexander Spotswood into ordering Lieutenant Robert Maynard to find and eliminate Thatch.[6] In the meantime, the Caribbean Templar and Bahamian governor Woodes Rogers arrived in Nassau with Commodore Peter Chamberlaine[7] and blockaded the island in order to pressure the pirates into taking the pardon.[8]

Ambush[edit | edit source]

"This will be the end of them... Quickly, send the signal. And remember always this day."
―Lieutenant Robert Maynard, ordering the start of the ambush, 1718.[src]-[m]

After destroying the blockade and escaping from Nassau,[9] Edward Kenway and Charles Vane traveled to Ocracoke, in order to convince Thatch to reconsider his retirement. They were unsuccessful however, with Vane leaving the island shortly after. Kenway remained to speak with Thatch about the Sage Bartholomew Roberts, whom Thatch revealed to be working on a slave ship called the Princess.[10]

Subsequently, Kenway noticed the crewman Jenkins acting suspicious and decided to follow him. In the wilderness of Ocracoke, Jenkins met with Maynard and informed him about the situation and Kenway's possible suspicions of him. Eavesdropping on the pair, Kenway followed them to a cliff overlooking the beach, where they fired a signal, alerting the British warships to bombard the island with cannonfire.[10]

British soldiers killing Thatch

The ambush destroyed many pirate vessels, including the Queen Anne's Revenge, although a few managed to escape and engage the Royal Navy, with Kenway's ship, the Jackdaw, among them. Kenway engaged a Man O'War and boarded it along with Thatch. However, the pirates were soon overwhelmed, and despite Kenway's help, Thatch was eventually killed[10] after suffering what was later reported as 5 gunshot wounds and over 20 cutlass hits.[11] Witnessing Thatch's death shocked Kenway, distracting him from the battle and providing an opening for a Royal Navy crewman to push him overboard.[10]

Aftermath[edit | edit source]

Adéwalé: "What of Thatch, sir? Did he fall? Captain?"
Edward: "He drinks damnation."
—Edward informing Adéwalé of Thatch's death, 1718.[src]-[m]

Kenway managed to board his ship and escaped the carnage that ensued along with his crew. Adéwalé, Edward's quartermaster on the Jackdaw, questioned Kenway about Thatch, to which Edward responded that he had fallen in battle.[10] Some time later, Kenway met up with Charles Vane again off the southern Cuban coast, determined to follow the lead that Thatch had given him concerning the Princess.[12]

In 1725, years after the attack on Ocracoke, Kenway briefly reminisced of the event after witnessing the firepower of the East India Company during a confrontation at the Forgotten Temple, remarking that he had not seen so much mayhem and destruction since North Carolina.[13]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Appearances[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Blackbeard on Wikipedia
  2. Johnson, Charles (14 May 1724). A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates.. Charles Rivington, J. Lacy, and J. Stone. Retrieved on 14 September 2024.
  3. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagDiving for Medicines
  4. 4.0 4.1 Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagDevil's Advocate
  5. 5.0 5.1 Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagThe Siege of Charles-Towne
  6. Assassin's Creed: InitiatesDatabase: Chasing the Pirates
  7. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagWe Demand a Parlay
  8. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagCommodore Eighty-Sixed
  9. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagThe Fireship
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagDo Not Go Gently...
  11. Echoes of History
  12. Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagVainglorious Bastards
  13. Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 125