Profile: Thomas Tew
Many pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy were known to attack and plunder any ship that crossed their paths. Henry Avery plundered at least 11 merchant vessels during his time at sea. Edward Thatch (a.k.a. Blackbeard) captured at least 30 ships during his prime. Black Sam Bellamy and his ruthless crew victimized an amazing 53 ships. Thomas Tew was different because, while he was considered a successful pirate, he is only known to embark on two pirate voyages before meeting his demise.
Thomas Tew was born around 1649. His birthplace is unknown however he was believed to be of British decent. It is believed that Tew resided in Rhode Island with a wife and two daughters before relocating to Bermuda in 1691. By this time he was engaged in privateering against Spanish and French vessels.
source: Wikipedia
On Tew’s first pirate voyage in 1692, he received a letter of marque from the Governor of Bermuda and was provided with a sloop called the Amity that was equipped with eight guns and a crew of close to 50. Shortly after leaving Bermuda, Tew made the decision to turn to piracy and received the support of his crew. When the Amity reached the Red Sea, she caught up with a large Indian trading ship that, despite having 300 men aboard, ultimately surrendered. Tew and his crew were able to plunder £100,000 in silver and gold along with silk, gems, ivory, and spices.
While Tew’s first voyage as a pirate is considered a great success, he was not so lucky on his second. With 40 men on the Amity, Tew departed in late 1694 and reached the mouth of the Red Sea in the summer of 1695. With a handful of other pirate ships, Tew attacked a 25-ship convoy belonging to the Grand Mughal of India carrying Muslim pilgrims and treasure from Mecca. During a gun battle with the Fateh Muhammed, Tew was mortally wounded by a cannonball. It is rumoured that he held his own intestines before falling to the ship deck below. His crew eventually surrendered but were freed after Henry Avery’s vessel Fancy captured the Indian ship.
Thomas Tew is regarded as the pioneer of the Pirate Round, a ship route that yielded tremendous success for the pirates that utilized it. The route covers the area from the western Atlantic, around the southern tip of Africa to Madagascar to Yemen and India.
