Robert Maynard
Robert Maynard (c. 1684 – 4 January 1751) was a British lieutenant and later captain in the Royal Navy and the First Lieutenant of HMS Pearl.
In November 1718, Maynard was hired by the Governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood, to eliminate Edward Thatch, a notorious pirate also known as Blackbeard. Taking command of a small armada comprised of several Frigates and Men O' War, Maynard sailed towards where Thatch was known to hide. Learning that Thatch was anchored on Ocracoke Island, Maynard found the pirates' location but held off the attack. Instead, he and a garrison of British soldiers, along with a spy, went ashore to Thatch's retirement celebration. The spy infiltrated the bustling beech where the celebration was being held and reported back to Maynard who was waiting in the island's jungle with his men.
Upon reporting back to Maynard, the spy followed the lieutenant through the jungle, both oblivious to the presence of Edward Kenway, who was eavesdropping on the spy's report. After reaching a cliff where Maynard's men had set up a flare cannon, the spy shot the flare as a signal, whereupon Maynard's armada attacked the island, and Thatch along with Kenway faced his attack aboard Kenway's brig, the Jackdaw. Thatch and Kenway boarded one of the armada's two Men O' War, though Thatch was overrun and eventually killed, while Kenway was pushed overboard.
Trivia
- In the memory "Do Not Go Gently..." it is possible to kill Lieutenant Maynard on Ocracoke Island before the signal is sent to his armada. But this results in desynchornization.
- Contrary to real history, Maynard did not face Thatch aboard his ship, nor did he openly confront him.