Privateers and Pirates
-
Melis Karelszn
- Privateer in the 17th century who operated from Oostende. In the summer of 1634 he was steersman on board a privateer sailing from this port. At the Skagerrak (near Denmark/Norway) the privateer captured a herringboat. Karelszn and six other sailors were ordered to bring the prize to Oostende. En route they were sighted by several Dutch men-of-war. The privateers immediately abandoned the herring-boat. They left in a small vessel for the Beach near Ter Heijde. They pretended to be refugees from a vessel that had been captured by privateers from Duinkerken. The authorities at Ter Heijde believed their story and helped them on their way to Rotterdam. Melis Karelszn decided to stay and acted as a spy for the Belgian Admiralty for almost a year. In 1635 he was uncovered when a captured privateer sold him out.
- Karel Keyzer
- Privateer in the 17th century who operated from Duinkerken. see also Jean Bart
- Oliver La Bouche
-
- Pierre Le Grand
- Le Grand is one of the pirates that Esquemeling mentions on pages 42 to 44 of his book: The Buccaneers of America. Pierre Le Grand cruized for some time in the Caribbean in the 17th century and later on set sail for the coast of France. Whether he was a french privateer with a Letter of Marque for Spanish vessels or just a pirate is unclear from this book. Whatever may be have been the case, the Spaniards will have certainly considered him to be a pirate.
- Johan Le Sage
- Privateer in the service of the Dutch West Indies Company. Later became a ship owner who fitted out privateers for the WIC. One of these ships was the Orange on which his son Touissant Le Sage was the captain.
- Pierre Le Turcq
- Jan Lens
- Dutch privateer in the 18th century. Sold one of the prizes he captured, together with Erasmus Muller, on 31 July 1705 in Amsterdam. The prize consisted of a flute with the name Stad Bordeaux. The cargoe was: 1300 dry hides, 340 casks of sugar, 50 casks of cocoa and 50 Ceroenen (? = Dutch) Cocoa.
- Francis L' Ollonais
- The Lord of Wackene
- The lord of Wackene, Cathen and Capelle (Anton) was born in the house of Burgundy. He was a privateer who was active at the beginning of the seventeenth century. In August 1600 he commanded a fleet of privateers that sailed from Duinkerken. The fleet consisted of nine fly-boats and two other ships. Among the commanders of the fleet were Michel and Mathieu Jacobsen and the famous Jacques Colaert. The fleet attacked a Dutch herring-fleet that was protected by 4 men-of-war. Two of these escaped heavily damaged, another one caught fire, and the fourth was sunk. After having defeated these 4 ships the herring-fleet was again attacked.
When the authorities of the Dutch Republic heard of the fleet that had sailed from Duinkerken, they sent out a fleet of 20 ships. This fleet was commanded by Arie Corneliszoon Cruyck. After having caught up with them they engaged the fleet (of which 4 ships had left) of 7 Duinkerkers. They managed to escape, however. Three ships sailed back directly to Duinkerken while the rest of the ships (bar one) were able to give the Dutch fleet the slip. Wackene sailed safely to Bilbao. Using this harbour as his base of operations he roamed along the french coast where he also captured several Dutch ships. When the winter arrived his luck turned and he and his crewmen got close to starvation. The lord of Wackene did not command another Spanish privateering fleet.
- Joris Louijssen
- Seventeenth century Dutch privateer in the service of the Dutch West Indies Company. In the the first half of the fifties he captured a small portuguese vessel and transported its "living cargoe" of slaves to the Dutch colony of Berbice (South-America).
- Hendrik Jacobszoon Lucifer
- Jacob Hendrikszoon Lucifer
- Pier Lüng
© Blood.gif / by Rick Vermunt (without permission :-)
