Blockade of Nassau

The Blockade of Nassau was a naval blockade set up in Jule 1718, by the British Empire to curb piracy in the Caribbean and to gain control of the port of Nassau. The British Empire, under the command of Governor Woodes Rogers and Commodore Peter Chamberlaine took control of the city, and gave the local pirates a choice to take the King's pardon, or to be hung till death. While most of the pirates took the pardon, Charles Vane and Edward Kenway, along with a few others managed to escape the blockade.

Background

Piracy has been prevalent in the Caribbean since 1650s and continued till the 1730s, during which it would be called the "Golden Age of Piracy". The pirates' main targets were the gold-laden Spanish ships, the rich British merchant ship from the Thirteen Colonies and merchant ships of other colonial powers.

The pirates established themselves at Nassau, and it soon became a huge pirate haven, outpacing the local residents. During 1715, the "Treaty of Utrecht" saw the conversion of British privateers into pirates, in which many of them moved to Nassau. Some of them included Benjamin Hornigold, Charles Vane, Edward Kenway and the infamous Edward Thatch. Though Hornigold stated that he won't attack British ships, the other pirates continued to do so, causing trouble for the British trade. The pirates of Nassau established a republic in 1706. Though some pirates operated independently, most of them settled in Nassau and raided plenty of ships, Sugar plantations, forts and shipwrecks.

Edward Thatch, in search of medicines for the diseases which afflicted Nassau had attacked a British Man O' War and blockaded the town of Charles-Towne for a week, making him a wanted pirate. The British Empire decided to send the Templar Woodes Rogers, who had previously cleared piracy in Madagascar, to blockade Nassau and inform them about the King's pardon. During that time, Thatch took the royal pardon from the Governor of North Carolina and settled in the pirate camp of Ocracoke.

The blockade

Arrival in Nassau

Woodes Rogers, Peter Chamberlaine and the British Army arrived n the shores of Nassau on 22nd July, 1718. Rogers called out the "Governors" of the Republic, Benjamin Hornigold, Charles Vane and Edward Thatch. However, since Thatch was in Ocracoke, only Hornigold and Vane met Rogers. They then met up with Josiah Burgess, John Cockram and Calico Jack and walked to the Fort Nassau, which became the center of British operations. Unknown to pirates and Rogers, they party was secretly tailed by the pirate, Edward Kenway who followed them till Fort Nassau and stealthily snuck into the Fort and stole Commodore Chamberlaine's plans. While Chamberlaine was determined to kill the pirates, Rogers told him that he will get the chance to do so, if the pirates refuse the pardon.

Chamberlaine threatening the pirates

Hornigold, Burgess and Cockram were bent on taking the pardon, while Vane and his first mate, Calico Jack refused to. Vane soon met up with Kenway in the Old Avery, a tavern. There, the pirates conspired a plot to create a fireship and blast through the blockade, escaping to Kenway's hideout in Great Inagua. Kenway successfully stole lots of gunpowder from the British Army reserves to transform Calico Jack's schooner, the Royal Phoenix into a fireship. During this time, Hornigold, Burgess and Cockram took the pardon, became Pirate hunters and joined the Templar Order.

Assassination of Chamberlaine

Before the pirates could make their escape, Commodore Chamberlaine gave orders to the soldiers to attack the pirate ships at night, ignoring the Governor's orders. Fearing that their plan might fail without their ships, Kenway set out to assassinate Chamberlaine before he could signal the attack. Kenway followed the soldiers to Chamberlaine's boat, climbed in the rigging and air assassinated Peter Chamberlaine. Before dying, the Commodore rebuked the pirate's actions, telling them they'd be dead if it wasn't for the Governor Rogers.

The Pirates' Escape

On the following night, the Royal Phoenix was converted into a fireship and the Jackdaw and the Ranger escorted the fireship, protecting it from the British gunboats till it rammed a Man O' War, severely damaging the surrounding British ships. The blockading fleet started to attack the pirate ships, but the Jackdaw sunk all of the remaining ships and escaped to Great Inagua and sailed northwards to meet Edward Thatch.

Aftermath

Though the blockade was destroyed, the British still had control over Nassau. Much of the remaining pirates took the pardon and returned back to their homes. Woodes Rogers and Benjamin Hornigold, who were both members of the Templar Order joined forces to locate the Sage, Bartholomew Roberts who escaped from the Templars' custody a few years ago.

Thatch's blockade on Charles-Towne resulted in Alexander Spotswood instructing Robert Maynard to attack the town of Ocracoke, in which Thatch was hosting his retirement party. Thatch managed to survive the shelling of the island, but was slain when boarding a Man O' War. Prior to the attack, Thatch informed Kenway that the Sage, Roberts was a crew member in the Slave ship of the Royal African Company, the Princess.

Though Nassau wasn't a pirate haven anymore, Edward Kenway visited the island in 1721, in which he wounded Woodes Rogers trying to obtain the location of Bartholomew Robers, now a pirate.

Reference

• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag