Princess
The Princess was a frigate originally owned by the Royal African Company and used as a slave ship. In 1719, the pirate Bartholomew Roberts took command of the ship and used it for a number of months before claiming the larger Nosso Senhor da Compreensão as his new flagship.
History
The Princess worked as a slave ship for the Royal African Company until 1719, during which it would transport slaves from the Caribbean city of Kingston to the Portuguese colony of Príncipe roughly every eight weeks.[1] The ship was captained by Abraham Plumb, and the Sage Bartholomew Roberts was a member of the crew.[2]
Sometime in 1719, while the Princess was sailing along the coast of Africa, the ship was attacked and captured by a pirate sloop, the Saint James, captained by the Welsh pirate Howell Davis. As a result, Roberts was recruited into Davis' crew.[2]
The Princess docked at Príncipe, where Davis wanted to kidnap the island's governor, but he was killed in a Portuguese ambush orchestrated by a pair of Templars, Josiah Burgess and John Cockram. Most of Davis' crew were captured, while Roberts managed to avoid the guards and slip away. The pirate Edward Kenway arrived on the island in search of Roberts, and struck a deal with him. The remaining crew were freed by Kenway, and Roberts was elected as the new captain of the Princess.[3]
Roberts used the ship for several months, until he enlisted Kenway's help in commandeering a Portuguese Man O' War off the coast of Mexico. Successfully stealing the Nosso Senhor da Compreensão, Roberts renamed it the Royal Fortune and made it his new flagship, abandoning the Princess.[4]
Captains
- Abraham Plumb (Captain; ? – 1719)
- Howell Davis (Captain; 1719)
- Bartholomew Roberts (Captain; 1719)
Appearances
References