Pirates of the Pacific

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I know there were some pirates operating off the coast of California during the Golden Age of Piracy, George Compton who sank the San Sebastian off the coast of San Clemente Island 1753 and Hippolyte de Bouchard raided the missions of Monterey and San Juan Capistrano in 1818, however, they are the only names I ever hear mentioned. Does anyone know of any other pirates during this period operating in the North Pacific off the coast of North america?

[Iron Hand]

......Uh.......How's bout Sir Francis Drake......

[Graydog]

Try the book:

Pirates on the West Coast of New Spain, 1575-1742 by Peter Gerhard

[MadL]

I read where Drake is said t' have buried his treasure up near San Fransisco somewhere too.

(uh oh, did I just start a brand new 'Gold Rush'??)

[Poopdeck Pappy]

......Uh.......How's bout Sir Francis Drake......

I forgot about Drake

[Iron Hand]

....Yeh....Seems the Spanish had a pretty healthy price on his Head......He reaked alot of Havoc on Spanish shipping wherever he sailed...And that was all over the world........

[MadL]

not particularly GAoP but according to article there be a certain spot along California, Pirate Cove, what was once used heavy by 'smugglers', a type o' pirate ye know.

Now the residence o' this area, according t' article, did not fear th' pirates what did much rum smuggling 'n other ill deeds in Pirate Cove but instead "protected the pirates and even assisted in efforts"!

Wow, it must be tough t' be a west coast pirate when ye ha'e t' come ashore in hopes t' unload yer booty but instead o' ha'en t' fight off Spaniards ye find yerself be'n mobbed by a naked female volleyball team o' Valley Girls!!!

[oderlesseye]

"THE LEGEND OF THE PIRATES OF THE CORONADO ISLANDS

As the Gold Rush raged in Northern California, a band of bloodthirsty

pirates flew the skull and crossbones on South Coronado Island and used

a cave now known as Pirate Cave as their hideout. Ships traveling south

from San Francisco carried rich cargos of newly mined gold to the East

and their course lay directly abeam of the pirate's nest.

The leader of these thieves was Jose Alverez, his origin

either a castoff from LaFitte's hearty lads banished from New Orleans or

a deserter from the Mexican Army. Regardless of his true past, it is

known that he stole a schooner from a Mexican port, and after arming it

with plenty of cannon and saber wielding scallywags, he made his base on

the Coronados. In a clever game of hide and seek, he set up business in

pursuit of the buccaneer's goal of fortune and fame.

The fame factor was to elude these troops, as the barbarous

practice of taking no prisoners and scuttling every vessel they

assaulted made tracing their actions impossible. It was assumed by the

shipping companies that the missing ships were the victims of foul

weather or unseen shoals, and they were reported as lost at sea.

A vessel named the Chelsea was apprehended and as the

passengers and crew were being killed, a cabin boy named Tom Bolter

proclaimed, perhaps in earnest, or in the desire to save his bones from

Davey Jones, that he had long admired Alverez and wished to prove

himself a worthy addition to the cutlery compadres. This feigned or real

adulation fed the ego of Alverez and in addition, the fact that young

Tom knew the sailing dates of future shipments of riches, cajoled

Alverez into breaking his vow of murdering all and he spared Tom his

life. This breach in the pirate's take no prisoner's code would prove to

be their undoing.

After two devastating raids of ships, tipped off due to

Tom's information, the cabin boy considered himself now a pirate of

great repute and questioned Alverez about the size of his share of the

captured booty. An argument and fight ensued and Tom only escaped with

his life due to the fact that he had information valuable to Alverez.

You see, Tom had smartly only given enough information to make himself

still useful if in the event he became expendable.

Tom was left in the cave under armed guard while the pirate

ship embarked to plunder the next galleon to arrive from San Francisco,

using Tom's information of the next ship's expected passage of the

islands. The second day after his imprisoning, the guards lapsed in

their assignment of duty, and Tom succeeded in freeing himself and

killed them both.

He set sail in the pirate's fishing dory, loaded with as

much treasure as she would hold, and soon arrived at the waterfront hide

houses of San Diego harbor. His arrival prompted much attention from the

sailors collected to greet his landing. He was invited to tell his story

aboard the Boston vessel Grendo. His claims of buccaneering braggadocio

brought exclamations of amusement and disbelief from the assembled sea

dogs. They demanded proof in the form of captured riches and were all

sobered by the display of loot Tom produced to back up his story.

The hide houses and whaling station on Point Loma were

solicited for any volunteers wishing to form a raiding party to sail to

the Coronados and rout the returning pirate brigade. An overwhelming

response to the call saw a formidable force of San Diego wharf rats

boarding the Grendo for the Islands. When they arrived, the Grendo was

hidden behind the South Island with only a skeleton crew, the main body

of the others stationed on the island out of sight in wait. Tom assumed

his position as if he were still under guard in the cave, with a man to

pose as guard.

Upon their return, the pirates dragged their plunder up the

cliffs to the hideout, leaving their arms aboard the schooner. Taken

completely by surprise, the struggle was soon over and the pirates,

bound and beaten, were loaded onto the ships for the sail to San Diego

and an appointment with the yardarms. As the lot were hanged, more than

a few harsh words of condemnation were heard to be cast in Tom Bolter's

direction.

The pirate schooner was sold, its proceeds and the captured

loot were divided amongst the men who had brought the criminals to

justice. Tom demanded the largest share, making him a man of wealth and

stature and to some a hero.

Tom Bolter's future was a dark and dreary one due to the

stigma bestowed upon him by the ghosts of his betrayal, and he was soon

the scourge of the waterfront clan. He became such an onerous presence,

that many felt he should have been hanged with the rest. A day came when

he disappeared. Some rumors had him fleeing to Mexico to escape the

pirate curse, but no one missed him, nor did anyone care that he was gone.

Be careful not to venture too close to South Coronado

Island, matey, as his ghost may be watching you through an old spyglass

from Pirate Cave, evaluating your new treasures, as you travel south to

the 90 Day Yacht Club..."

Now Eye know this was nauhwt Period GAOP Notheless an interesting story.. A source for this story be Here

[Iron Hand]

........Surprized ye know about Pirates Cove.......I don't think ye'll find there's no buried treasure there, but there is alot of Booty....My bad....That cove became popular in the 70's, I don't know about the legend, but it has always been called pirate's cove...Mostly prohibition smugglers I spose.....But who knows with a mission only 10 miles inland...Have ta check it's history...

[oderlesseye]

Eye learned about Tom Bolter through of all things ..a play done by a local drama troop in a very small church in Old Town.. Very entertaining..

only six poeple attended it that night and four of us pirates!

[Iron Hand]

That's a grand Story Oderssley....Wonder what ever came of Bolton's Treasure?

[oderlesseye]

A Clue....

But seriously the "BOOTY" were confinscated by the mob who went after them..Some were probably no better than the pirates having surcumbed to the temtation of dividing it. It be my speculation ~ and aligns with the storys source. (The link is above) While this may be lore.. However I did find a shread of evidence of piracy connected to the Coronado Isles here:

Coronado Isle Pirate

The best I could find among San Diego Historical society documents was this.

Pacific Pirates

[casketchris]

not particularly GAoP but according to article there be a certain spot along California, Pirate Cove, what was once used heavy by 'smugglers', a type o' pirate ye know.

Now the residence o' this area, according t' article, did not fear th' pirates what did much rum smuggling 'n other ill deeds in Pirate Cove but instead "protected the pirates and even assisted in efforts"!

Wow, it must be tough t' be a west coast pirate when ye ha'e t' come ashore in hopes t' unload yer booty but instead o' ha'en t' fight off Spaniards ye find yerself be'n mobbed by a naked female volleyball team o' Valley Girls!!!

from the parking lot headind down to the beach if you take a right at the top of the hill it takes you out to a rocky point that has steps carved into the rock, they are almost copletely gone now but they are said to have been carved when the beach was first in "use"

[Bully MacGraw]

Woodes Rogers captured the Manilia Gallon off Northern California in 1709(?) Spent some time off our coast hunting his prey!

Cheers

[iPirate]

Most of the famous historical pirates we know hunted the waters of the Caribbean and the Atlantic Coast of the U.S.

There is also mention of Asian pirates and a stray Irish Queen or two *grin*

But what about the Pacific coast of the U.S. and points south? Are there any famous Californian or Mexican pirates? What about between the mainland and Hawaii?

[Sebastien Auguste Benoit]

One comes to mind right away: Hippolyte de Bouchard

Hippolyte de Bouchard at Wikipedia

[Raphael Misson]

iPirate, I merged your topic with an existing one about Pacific pirates to keep the info all in one place. Hope you don't mind.

[iPirate]

iPirate, I merged your topic with an existing one about Pacific pirates to keep the info all in one place. Hope you don't mind.

no problem at all, I hadn't realized there was already a topic about this