| Capture of the sloopRanger | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theGolden Age of Piracy | |||||||
 A drawing ofEdward Low's ship | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Great Britain | Pirates | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Peter Solgard | Edward Low Charles Harris  | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 post ship | 1 schooner 1 sloop | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | 43 captured 1 sloop captured | ||||||
Thecapture of the sloopRanger occurred on June 10, 1723 nearBlock Island in theAtlantic Ocean. Two pirate ships under the command of EnglishmenEdward Low andCharles Harris attackedHMSGreyhound, apost ship of theRoyal Navy which they mistook for a civilianwhaler. The resulting engagement lasted for several hours and ended with Harris'sloopRanger being captured byGreyhound while Low'sschoonerFancy escaped. All surviving crew ofRanger were captured and brought toNewport, Rhode Island, where they were placed on trial, sentenced to death and executed.
Edward Low was an eighteenth-century English pirate known for his extreme cruelty. He personally killed over fifty men and committed several atrocities such as forcing prisoners he captured toeat human flesh. By the summer of 1723, Low commanded the eighty-tonschooner namedFancy and was the most feared pirate in theAtlantic Ocean.Fancy was armed with ten guns and had a crew of forty-four, many of whom were conscripted. AccompanyingFancy was thesloopRanger under fellow EnglishmanCharles Harris.Ranger was a former French sloop that was captured by Low nearGrenada in 1723. Her armament and number of crew is not known. Some accounts cite Low as having commanded the sloopFortune during this period instead ofFancy. In response to Low's activities, the BritishRoyal Navy dispatched several warships on anti-piracy patrols. One of the Royal Navy warships carrying out such patrols was thepost shipHMS Greyhound under CaptainPeter Solgard. Thesixth rate mounted a twenty gun armament and a complement of about 120 officers and crewmen.[1]
Low was headed due northwest from theAzores to attackmerchant shipping off theBritish North American coastline. Meanwhile,Greyhound embarked on a search for Low. While cruising off theDelaware Bay's mouth, Low and his crew sighted the post ship and gave chase. Low hoisted hisJolly Roger, believing that his prey was a British civilianwhaler, but when the pirates drew near,Greyhound revealed herself with by raising of colors and fired a broadside into theFancy as the pirates were preparing to board.[2]
Low's schooner sustained damage and began returning fire whileRanger maneuvered into firing position. The sloop opened fire briefly with her guns but after only a few minutes both the pirate ships chose to flee. A running battle then continued for several hours.Fancy was dismasted by well-placed cannon fire but escaped, whileRanger was unable to do so. Prevented from fleeing due to unfavorable wind conditions, the crew ofRanger used oars to help steer their ship away from post ship. The use of oars proved to be pointless when the fasterGreyhound came alongsideRanger and the crews of two ships began skirmishing with small arms. Grappling hooks were thrown and the crew ofGreyhound boarded the sloop. After a few more moments of intense close-quarters combat the pirates surrendered and were taken prisoner.Fancy was said to have carried around £150,000 worth ofgold during the engagement.[3]
Thirty-seven White men and six Black men onboardRanger were captured. Twenty-five of these, including the young Harris, were subsequently transported toNewport, Rhode Island, where they were put on trial, sentenced to death and executed on June 19, 1723. Solgard became famous in both North America and England, receiving prize money for the sloop he captured, which was found to be transporting a cargo of gold. He eventually rose to the rank ofadmiral before retiring. Low continued his life of piracy and captured several more ships, including a 22-gunFrench Navy warship. Depictions of his later career give the impressions that he grew more cruel after his defeat, particularly to his British captives. Circumstances of his death are unknown, though he died sometime in 1724.[4]
