As I said last week, this is a lengthy read, but well worth it for the background information it provides.
Legend has it that in the year 1726, Captain Henry Steel was among the most revered and feared pirates of all. In fact, he was known to have looted over 100 ships in just one year.
But Captain Steel's legend was lost, along with all of his treasure as his incredible story faded over time, into the realm of mythology.
Over the years, many treasure hunters have sought the reputed treasure of Captain Henry Steel and thus prove the myth that he and his fearless, yet small crew, ever existed. To this day, every one of these missions has failed. Yet each has discovered crumbs of evidence that have lead many to believe that the myth is in fact real, that Captain Steel was the greatest pirate of all and that his incredible bounty is still, to this day, waiting to be found.
The story has been passed down through the generations and recorded evidence exist that one Henry Steel did exist and was a ship's captain at the time the legend was generated. But this is all that can be proven and so the questions remain. Was he a pirate? And does his treasure exist?
If legend is to be believed, Captain Steel sailed for a relatively short period aboard his vessel known as the Ruby Dagger. It was not a large ship and Steel preferred to sail with a relatively small crew, just thirteen pirates, modest by the standards of the day.
By the time the Ruby Dagger had circumnavigated the globe, then sailed south though the Caribbean, she had found her way to the mysterious island of Dominica. The Ruby Dagger had left some 117 ships in her wake and was full to the gunnels with looted treasures from around the world. But she was not alone. Throughout the year 1726, Steel and his crew had developed quite a reputation and a long list of shipping companies, governments and monarchies, all keen to see an end to his pirating ways. So at this point, HMS Gallant, a warship of the crown, sent on the direct order of the King, was closing in on the Ruby Dagger.
Said to be from that very time, one of the recent treasure hunters found a piece of driftwood with the inscription,
"We be brave, we be bold, but with king's men starboard stern, we be sure to not grow old".
Believers of Steel's legend are certain that this is, in fact, a piece of the Ruby Dagger and written by one of the crew at the very time that the Ruby Dagger was being chased by the Royal Navy frigate.
Captain Steel was faced with a difficult decision: Try and outrun the much larger and more equipped warship, or turn, fight and take his chances. Time was not on his side. In sight of Dominica's mountain peek, Steel was aware he had only a few days before he would be face to face with his nemesis.
On the main deck of the Ruby Dagger, Captain Steel gathered his entire crew and informed them of the situation. He had a plan, but it would take a majority vote of the entire crew to put his plan into action. As Steel spoke, he perched himself atop his prized possession, the Chest of Zanzibar.
Ironically, this chest, a labyrinth design of multiple compartments, was actually purchased by Steel, with real pieces of eight, albeit ones stolen from other ships. On a restock and refit in North Africa, Steel eyed the beautiful chest in a local bazaar in Zanzibar. He fancied it for a trophy. Recognizing the modest dwellings of its artisan creator, Steel paid the full asking price without hesitation.
Steel never quite knew how he might use the chest at the time, but here in the Caribbean with the enemy closing in, the Chest of Zanzibar was about to become the centerpiece of his master plan.
Captain Steel laid it out for the crew. Dominica, a relatively egalitarian community, was sympathetic to pirates. For a small fee, Steel knew that the Ruby Dagger would be granted safe harbor and the crew given the opportunity to come ashore.
With this in mind, each pirate was to take a share of their enormous treasure and hide it somewhere on this island of Dominica. They were also to hide a key with their treasure. Using their skill and all they had learned from Steel, they were to make sure the treasure would never be found without a map that they would also create. Then every pirate was to return to the captain with two maps to each treasure for safety. The captain's plan was to lock both maps in a compartment of the Chest of Zanzibar.
The Chest of Zanzibar had fifteen compartments, enough to dedicate each compartment to one of the hidden treasures. Steel explained to the crew that he would lock every compartment on the chest and destroy the keys he used to lock them. This meant that the only keys that existed to these compartments were those found in the treasures. So one find would lead to another compartment and this, in turn, would lead to another treasure.
Once the last drawer was locked and the ship's keys destroyed, the treasure could only be found in a particular order. They would all lead to the largest treasure, Captain Henry Steel's own priceless booty that he was planning to hide himself. In the fifteenth and final compartment, Steel was to place a map of the entire island with an 'x' on every spot where treasures of gold were buried.
As Captain Steel carefully explained the plan, his crew knew what was coming next. Steel was never one to shy away from a fight and so they knew that once the treasure was hidden, the Ruby Dagger was to then turn and confront her pursuer in an all-out battle. It was a battle from which the pirates may not return. Any survivors from this tiny crew could head back to Dominica and using the clues hidden inside the Chest of Zanzibar, recover the treasure and split it amongst them.
On the deck of the Ruby Dagger, the decision was swift and unanimous and Captain Steel's plan was immediately ratified.
Over the next two days, with the Ruby Dagger hidden in a cove adjacent to the sleepy Souffriere Bay, the pirate crew separated and hid their share. Under their captain's instructions, they were to use a combination of maps, clues, codes, decoys and booby traps to halt the progression of bounty hunters and pursuers.
One by one the pirates returned to their ship with two maps, each with a variety of tools and trinkets that would assist in finding the buried gold. The captain marked the master map of Dominica, locked everything into separate compartments, and stored the Chest of Zanzibar in a secret place beneath the boards of his own cabin.
When it was done, the entire crew spent the night drinking the ships entire store of rum and at first light prepared for battle. It would be another full day before they found themselves sailing directly into the path of the HMS Gallant.
The enemy in sight, Steel gave the order to raise the black flag, leaving no doubt as to what they were and that no quarter would be given to captured, Royal Navy sailors. It would be a fight to the death.
From this point, detail of the battle that ensued is sketchy. The captain's log from HMS Gallant at the time was official and to the point, but devoid of color.
Simple entries from Captain Lawrence Hennessy follow:
November 3 1726 - Unidentified vessel making sail for Dominica. Size and description fits that of pirate ship known as the Ruby Dagger.
November 4 1726 - Closed in on unidentified vessel. Confirmed positive identification of Ruby Dagger.
November 5 1726 - Lost sight of Ruby Dagger in bad weather.
November 7 1726 - Conducted costal search of leeward side of Dominica. No sign of Ruby Dagger.
November 8 1726 - Search for Ruby Dagger continues unsuccessfully.
November 10 1726 - Outside Souffriere Bay in SW corner of Dominica, regain sight of Ruby Dagger stationary in windward passage. Identified the vessel with black flag, knows a Jolly Roger, raised. Preparing for battle at dawn.
November 11 1726 - Heavy battle with crew of Ruby Dagger. His Majesty's casualties; 39 souls perished, 28 wounded. No survivors from enemy combatants. Ruby Dagger damaged with cannon shot to port side, sunk within one hour of damage. It's Captain, not captured yet reported to have gone down with his ship. Royal Navy crew boarded enemy vessel before she sank. No recovery or sighting of currency or contraband.
November 12 1726 - returning to safe harbor with limited hands.
Captain Henry Steel's entire crew was lost and from Captain Hennessy's log, it is concluded that Steel himself also perished. The wreck of the Ruby Dagger most likely broke up after she sunk and the Chest of Zanzibar disappeared forever.
Admirers of Steel's legend believe that records of this battle and stories of this small band of outnumbered pirates inflicting such a heavy "butcher's bill" on the pride of His Majesty's fleet were destroyed and that surviving Royal Navy crew were separated and sworn to secrecy to avoid embarrassing the crown. Rather than being rewarded for ridding the seas of this fearless pirate, Captain Lawrence Hennessy was assigned a less than desirable voyage to the colonies of North America, where he lived his days in solitude and never spoke of his battle with Captain Steel and the Ruby Dagger in 1726. The above captain's entries were found on a single page torn from the original log after Hennessy's death. The page is now the possession of the Chicago Maritime Society Archives and Museum. It is stored in a vault and rarely displayed.
The legend of Captain Henry Steel, the Ruby Dagger and his fearless band of pirates, lives on. The only thing that will give truth to the legend will be the recovery of the Chest of Zanzibar and Steel's Dominican gold.
ARGH! Well there ya have it! Now ya know what yer in store for come next Thursday!
I’ll be back then with yer Thursday Ping. So till then,
Take Care, Take it easy, & Don’t take any wooden doubloons! HAR! HAR! HAR!
ARGH! Send me a FReepmail if ya wants ta be added to the Pirate Master Ping List!