West Coast Pirates?

[Captain Tito]

Aye mateys, we know so much about Pirates that sailed, landed, invaded, pillaged, and plundered areas of, and close to the Eastern United States. We know about the Caribbean as well. What about the Western US? Did any Pirates land on the California Coast, or Oregon and Washington? I know that for many a year, those areas weren't considered US Territory. It took us a while to get out west. What about the coast of Mexico? Did any sail the Pacific instead of, or as well as the Atlantic? I know there were some Asian pirates, from reading The Pirates Own Book, but don't remember their dates, or names (unfortunately don't have the book anymore).

I would love to hear from anyone who knows.

[endkaos]

I'm no pyrate expert, but didn't Captain Cook more or less pirate the Hawaiian Islands? The history books don't report it that way, but clearly based on native Hawaiin history, it seems he did.

[JoshuaRed]

I don't think there would have been any pirates cruising along the West Coast as there was nothing to pirate. There were no major settlements or colonies, Spain had no ports there, there were no shipping lanes or tradewinds that hugged the coast. I'm thinking it was a pretty quiet place until the 19th century.

[the Royaliste]

Okee-dokeee, we'll post this once more...'Pirates of the Pacific, 1575-1742', byPeter Gerhard

Although the Carribean got most of the media attention, to say nothing was going on leaves out some incredible history, from Strong and Cavandish, to Drake,etc. The damn gold all started from the Pacific in the Manila Galleons, erase Pacific Pirates, and you will have no pirate history. Read and then decide for your educated selves....

['Salem Bob']

Ahoy Aloft and Alow,

The Spanish for well over a century maintained an annual treasure galleon from the Phillipeans to Mexico. it was attacked at least once, off the Pacific coast of the United States in the first two decades of the 18th century, by English privateers - note, they weren't pirates to anybody but the Spaniards minds. While it was during 'the golden age', it was not by the likes of William Kidd, or Edward Teach. Unlike the annual plate fleet, the Galleon did not sail in convoy.

There certainly was local coastal trade on the Pacific coasts of the Americas for pirates to disrupt, if they choose to.

[JoshuaRed]

Aye but he wasn't asking about the Pacific in general, just the West Coast of the USA. The Spaniards didn't have any settlements in California, Oregon or Washington in the early 18th century did they? Sure it's well known that Anglo raiders and pirates cruised the Pacific long before the West Indies became infested with pirates, but any specific noteworthy events along the West Coast?

[PYRATE]

Read the book, let knowlege enlighten you as it did me once!

[the Royaliste]

On July 23, 1579, Drake sailed from his California port(presumed to be the Bay of Saint Francis), to the Farallones....arrived back in Plymouth Harbour Sept. 26, 1580................

Two galleons crossed the Pacific from the Philippines in 1587, cruising North Pacific, landing in Upper California, made a trip inland, and then followed the coast southward.........Certainly the iopportunities were all over here for pirates, and even Cavendish noted this passing.

[Cracked Carrie]

Okee-dokeee, we'll post this once more...'Pirates of the Pacific, 1575-1742', byPeter Gerhard

Although the Carribean got most of the media attention, to say nothing was going on leaves out some incredible history, from Strong and Cavandish, to Drake,etc. The damn gold all started from the Pacific in the Manila Galleons, erase Pacific Pirates, and you will have no pirate history. Read and then decide for your educated selves....

Ah, ye beat me to it, Royaliste. I was going to mention that book meself. Picked it up at Logos books in Santa Cruz a while back. It's good some good information on Drake.

Although, once you start going northward along the Pacific coast, the action petered out pretty fast. Most of it (understandably) clustered around the gold route up from Peru and thereabouts and ending around Panama (again understandably).

[Red Maria]

The French pirvateeer (OK pirate ) Hippolyte Boucard raided San Juan Capistrano in 1818. Each year Mission San Juan Capistrano has a festival to commemerate it. The Port Royal Privateers of which I am a member participate in it. Here's a link

http://www.missionsjc.com/pirate.html

He didn't find much except the wine cellar. He and his men went on a three day drunk at the end of which some of them had to be hauled to the long boat on cannons because they were too drunk to move!

After they left it was discovered that 3 of the Misssion women were missing. The padres declared that they had been kidnapped. The families of the womwn said nope they went on their own accord.

Apparently they thought being with the priates was a lot more fun. :)