Remarkable Treasures: Top 5 Notorious Pirate Loots Ever Discovered
Pirate loot has always been a thrilling subject for us, thanks to captivating tales like "Treasure Island" and films such as "Pirates of the Caribbean". Our site dives into some of the biggest treasures ever plundered by these legendary sea robbers.
From popular pirates like Captain William Kidd to more anonymous scoundrels, treasure has been stolen and captured. Many of these pirates didn't live long enough to enjoy their ill-gotten gains, though a few managed to evade their pursuers.
Henry Every's Incredible Heist
In September 1695, a fleet of pirate vessels led by Henry Every (also known as Henry Avery) attacked a convoy of 25 merchant ships belonging to the Mughal Empire of South Asia. They successfully captured several ships, including the Ganj-i-Sawai, a ship owned by the Mughal emperor himself. The pirates made off with over half a million gold and silver coins, making it the largest haul in pirate history, according to Srinivas Reddy, a visiting assistant professor of religion studies at Brown University, in a 2020 paper published in the journal Asian Review of World Histories.
Every found himself on the run soon after, as both the British government and the East India Company (a British trading company conducting extensive business with the Mughals) placed large bounties on his head. Although Every managed to avoid capture, the details of his fate remain unclear.
The Quedagh Merchant Heist by William Kidd
On January 30, 1698, Captain William Kidd seized a vessel named the Quedagh Merchant, which was laden with gold, silver, silks, and satins. Kidd was a privateer, given permission by the English crown to attack ships of England's enemies. However, the Quedagh Merchant didn't belong to England's enemies; it had an English captain, and its cargo belonged to the East India Company and the Mughal Empire.
Marked as a pirate by England, Kidd was captured in New York City. He was transported to London and later hanged in 1701. The location of Kidd's treasure has been a source of speculation, leading to stories that he buried it before his capture.
The Plunder from Nossa Senhora Do Cabo
On April 8, 1721, pirate ships captured the Portuguese ship Nossa Senhora Do Cabo, carrying cargo destined for the viceroy of Goa and the archbishop of the city. The haul consisted of ingots of gold and silver, chests filled with pearls, and a gold cross weighing about 220 pounds (100 kg), studded with rubies. Researcher Denis Piat wrote in his book "Pirates & Privateers in Mauritius" (Didier Millet, 2014) that this was an impressive plunder. Unfortunately, one of the pirate captains, Olivier Levasseur (also known as "La Buse"), was captured and hanged on the island of Reunion in 1730.
Before his execution, Levasseur tossed a manuscript containing a cryptogram (a coded message) to the crowd, claiming it led to the location of some of his treasure. The treasure's whereabouts remain unknown, with some modern-day treasure hunters still searching for it.
The Whydah Pirate Loot
In January or February of 1717, a group of pirates led by Sam Bellamy seized a slave ship called the Whydah Gally in the Bahamas. The ship was valued for its size, speed, armaments, and cargo already transported from North America. However, the pirates' luck ran out in April when the ship sank in a storm, with only two survivors. Bellamy himself perished in the sinking.
The survivors claimed that the ship contained over 30,000 British pounds worth of treasure, which would be over $7.2 million USD today (according to the Bank of England's inflation calculator). In 1984, a team of explorers located the wreck and uncovered some of the artifacts, now displayed in the Whydah Pirate Museum in Yarmouth, Massachusetts.
The Plunder of the Great Mohammed
In 1698, pirates Dirk Chivers (Dutch) and Robert Culliford (English), along with their crews, teamed up to capture the "Great Mohammed" — a ship transporting pilgrims bound for Mecca. The value of the plunder exceeded 130,000 pounds or around $19 million USD in present-day value (Bank of England's inflation calculator).
The pirates took their loot to the island of St. Mary (also known as Saint Marie or Nosy Boraha) near Madagascar. Witness accounts claim that the pirates tortured and raped passengers of the Great Mohammed during their voyage. Both pirates were soon captured, with Chivers dying in a Bombay prison, and Culliford choosing to testify against other pirates in exchange for his freedom. The fate of the treasure remains uncertain.
The incredible heist by Henry Every in 1695 was a significant event in pop-culture history, as it involved the capture of the Ganj-i-Sawai, a ship owned by the Mughal emperor, and is considered the largest pirate treasure ever found, according to Srinivas Reddy.
The plunder from the captured ship Nossa Senhora Do Cabo in 1721, led by pirate Olivier Levasseur, included a gold cross studded with rubies, worth an estimated 100 kg, and is considered an impressive contribution to the realm of pop-culture and entertainment.
