Most profitable sea pirate

While modern pirates operating off the coast of Somalia have exacted huge ransoms for crews and ships in recent years, the record for the most profitable piracy during the Golden Age of piracy belongs to Samuel Bellamy aka “Black Sam”. Sam was born in England in 1689 and became a sailor as a teenager, turning to piracy in his mid-20s. His career, however, was a short one lasting from just 1715 to 1717. In that brief space of time, he commandeered more than 50 ships in the Caribbean and Atlantic and amassed a fortune that would be worth around $140 million (£120 million) in today’s money. His ultimate and most lucrative seizure was that of the Whydah, a three-masted slave ship, which had more than £20,000 (£4.1 million; $5 million) of gold and silver on board. Celebrations were short-lived, however, as the ship sank off the coast of Massachusetts, USA, on the way to port on 26 April 1717 and with it “Black Sam” and all but two of his crew.

Little is known about Bellamy’s life before he became a pirate. He was born in England in 1689 and arrived in North America by 1714. Legend has it that he fell in love with a young woman named Maria Hallett and became a pirate to earn his fortune to be worthy of her hand. However, this is just a rumor, and he likely never knew the Halletts.

Bellamy joined up with the pirate captain, Benjamin Hornigold, and sailed with him for several years. When Hornigold declared that he did not want to rob any English ships, Bellamy led a mutiny and took over the ship, the Mary Anne. He was immediately voted in as captain and Hornigold was let go.

Known as the “Robin Hood of the Sea”, Bellamy was known for his unusual kindness toward his crew and even his hostages. He gave everyone equal shares of their profits and even allowed equality amongst Black and formerly enslaved pirates on his ship.

In February 1717, he pursued a French slave ship, the Whydah, which was on its maiden voyage. The ship had offloaded enslaved people and carried four and a half tons of gold and silver. He chased the Whydah for three days until the captain finally surrendered. In return, Bellamy gave him a small ship called the Sultana. The combination between Bellamy’s current goods and the new gold and silver from the Whydah made him the wealthiest pirate in history.

The fortune of the Whydah was lost to the sea. Much of it washed up onshore and, to this day, people are still excavating pieces of the ship and its lost coins.