On This Day
1695 – Henry Every perpetrates one of the most profitable pirate raids in history with the capture of the Grand Mughal ship Ganj-i-Sawai. In response, Emperor Aurangzeb threatens to end all English trading in India.
The Ganj-i-Sawai (Persian/Hindustani: گنج سواہی, Ganj-i-Sawai, in English “Exceeding Treasure”, often anglicized as Gunsway) was an armed Ghanjah dhow (trading ship) belonging to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb which, along with her escort Fateh Muhammed, was captured on 7 September 1695 by the English pirate Henry Every en route from present day Mocha, Yemen to Surat, India.
Capture by pirates
In August 1695, Henry Every, captaining the 46-gun, 5th rate frigate Fancy, reached the Mandab Strait, where he teamed up with five other pirate ships, including Thomas Tew’s 8-gun, 46-man sloop-of-war Amity, Richard Want in the Dolphin, Joseph Faro in Portsmouth Adventure, Thomas Wake in Susannah, and William Maze in the Pearl. Although a Mughal convoy of 25 ships bound for India had eluded the pirate fleet during the night, the following day they encountered the Ganj-i-Sawai and her escort Fateh Muhammed, both stragglers passing the straits en route to Surat.
Every and his men attacked the Fateh Muhammed, which had earlier repulsed an attack by Amity, killing Captain Tew. Perhaps intimidated by Fancy’s 46 guns or weakened by their earlier battle with Tew, Fateh Muhammed’s crew put up little resistance, and Every’s pirates sacked the ship and came away with £60,000 worth of treasure.
Every now sailed in pursuit of the Ganj-i-Sawai, overtaking her about eight days out of Surat. The Ganj-i-Sawai was a fearsome opponent, mounting 40 to 60 guns and a musket-armed guard of four to five hundred[1] as well as six hundred other passengers. But the opening volley evened the odds, as one of the Indian ship’s cannons exploded, killing some of its gunners and causing great confusion and demoralization among the crew, while Every’s broadside shot his enemy’s mainmast by the board. The larger Fancy drew alongside, and a number of her 113-man crew clambered aboard, overpowering the crew, passengers and slaves of the Ganj-i-Sawai.
The victorious pirates then subjected their captives to several days of horror, raping and murdering prisoners at will, and using torture to force them to reveal the location of the ships’ treasure.[2] The pirates raped women on the ship, and some of the women committed suicide by jumping into the sea.[3][4] The other survivors were left aboard their ships, which the pirates set free.
The loot from the Ganj-i-Sawai totalled between £325,000 and £600,000, including 500,000 gold and silver pieces. Several crews went home empty-handed: Tew was dead, Want and Wake’s ships were too slow and never made it to the battle, Faro made it to the Ganj-i-Sawai but never engaged, and Maze was present but Every took back their share of the loot after the Pearl’s crew tried to trade clipped coins to the Fancy’s men.[2] Every and the surviving pirate captains set sail for Réunion, where they shared out £1,000 [2] and some gemstones to every pirate in the crew.
In popular culture
The Ganj-i-Sawai Heist and its loot feature prominently in the 2016 video game Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
Born On This Day
1885 – Elinor Wylie, American author and poet (d. 1928)
Elinor Morton Wylie (September 7, 1885 – December 16, 1928) was an American poet and novelist popular in the 1920s and 1930s. “She was famous during her life almost as much for her ethereal beauty and personality as for her melodious, sensuous poetry.”[1]
FYI
Christopher Edwin Duncan (May 5, 1981 – September 6, 2019) was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2005 through 2009.
He was the youngest son of Dave Duncan, a former catcher and retired pitching coach for the Cardinals. His older brother, Shelley, was also a first baseman and outfielder in MLB. After his playing career, he worked as a mid-day radio program on the St. Louis ESPN Radio Affiliate, WXOS.
Jimmy Ray Johnson (February 4, 1943 – September 5, 2019) was an American session guitarist and record producer.[1]
Johnson was a member of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section who was attached to FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, for a period in the 1960s. In 1969, with the backing of Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler, Johnson became a co-founder of the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, along with drummer Roger Hawkins, bassist David Hood, and keyboardist Barry Beckett.[2] The studio was originally located at 3614 Jackson Highway in Sheffield and later moved to 1000 Alabama Avenue, also in Sheffield. Johnson performed with Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin. He also engineered three tracks on the Rolling Stones’ album Sticky Fingers. He died from kidney failure in 2019 at the age of 76.[3]
Henri Belolo (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ʁi bəlɔlo]; 27 November 1936[1] – 3 August 2019)[2] was a French music producer and songwriter active during the disco era.
Born in Morocco, he started his career as a club DJ and A&R man. In the 1970s, with his friend, composer Jacques Morali, he worked in the United States, creating The Ritchie Family[3] as well as their most successful group, Village People.[4]
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- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 28 December 28, 2024Picture of the day Satellite picture of the Etna volcano erupting in eastern Sicily (Italy) in December 2018.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 27 December 27, 2024Picture of the day The Seehornsee in the Berchtesgaden Alps. On the right the normal route to the Seehorn.