Edward Mansvelt or Mansfield ( fl. 1659–1666) was a 17th-century Dutch corsair and buccaneer who, at one time, was acknowledged as an informal chieftain of the " Brethren of the Coast ". He was the first to organise large scale raids against Spanish settlements, tactics which would be utilised to attack Spanish strongholds by later buccaneers in future years, and held considerable influence in Tortuga and Port Royal . He was widely considered one of the finest buccaneers of his day and, following his death, his position was assumed by his protégé and vice-admiral, Henry Morgan .
21-486: Vice Admiral Sir Christopher Myngs (sometimes spelled Mings , 1625–1666) was an English naval officer and privateer, most notably in the Colony of Jamaica . He came from a Norfolk family and was a relative of Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell . Samuel Pepys ' story of Myngs' humble birth, in explanation of his popularity, has now been evaluated by historians as being mostly fictitious in nature. The date of Myngs's birth
42-421: A personal flag . A vice-admiral flies a St George's cross defaced with a red disc in the hoist. The rank of vice-admiral itself is shown in its sleeve lace by a broad band with two narrower bands. Since 2001, it has been designated a three-star rank , when the number of stars on the shoulder board were increased to three. Edward Mansvelt His background is largely obscure, with conflicting accounts as
63-471: A Dutchman from Curaçao or an Englishman, and is usually referred to by the surnames Mansvelt or Mansfield. He is first recorded accepting a privateering commission from Governor Edward D'Oyley at Port Royal in 1659. Based from Jamaica during the early-1660s, he began raiding Spanish shipping and coastal settlements, travelling overland as far as the Pacific coast of South America. When Christopher Myngs
84-607: A Vice-Admiral changed a number of times during this period. In the Royal Navy, the rank of vice-admiral should be distinguished from the office of Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom , which is an Admiralty position usually held by a retired full admiral, and that of Vice-Admiral of the Coast , a now obsolete office dealing with naval administration in each of the maritime counties. Vice-admirals are entitled to fly
105-529: A commission by the newly appointed governor, Thomas Modyford , at Port Royal, to sail against the Dutch at Curaçao . His men refused to fight the Dutch however, some themselves being Dutchman, while others believed it would be far more lucrative to continue their raids against the Spanish. In January 1666, Mansvelt and his crew left Jamaica . According to writer and historian, Alexandre Exquemelin , Mansvelt led
126-523: A large contingent of soldiers to fill Myngs's ranks with disgruntled men. That year he attacked Santiago de Cuba in Spanish Cuba and took and sacked the town despite its strong defences. In 1663 buccaneers from all over the Caribbean joined him for the announced next expedition. Myngs directed the largest buccaneer fleet as yet assembled, 14 ships strong and with 1,400 buccaneers aboard, among them
147-638: Is a flag officer rank of the Royal Navy and equates to the NATO rank code OF-8 . It is immediately superior to the rear admiral rank and is subordinate to the full admiral rank. The equivalent rank in the British Army and Royal Marines is lieutenant-general ; and in the Royal Air Force , it is air marshal . The Royal Navy has had vice-admirals since at least the 16th century. When
168-544: Is uncertain, but is probably somewhere between 1620 and 1625. It is probable that he saw a good deal of sea-service before 1648. He first appears prominently as the captain of the Elisabeth , which after it had undergone action during the First Anglo-Dutch War brought in a Dutch convoy with two men-of-war as prizes. From 1653 to 1655 he continued to command the Elisabeth , when he was high in favour with
189-564: The Jamaica Station , until the summer of 1657. In February 1658, he returned to Jamaica as naval commander, acting as a commerce raider during the Anglo-Spanish War (1654–1660) . During this period Myngs acquired a reputation for unnecessary cruelty, sacking several Spanish colonial towns while in command of whole fleets of buccaneers . In 1658, after beating off a Spanish naval attack, he raided Spanish colonies around
210-616: The Second Anglo-Dutch War at the Battle of Lowestoft in 1665, and for his reward, he received the honour of knighthood . In the same year he then served under Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich , as Vice-Admiral of the Blue and after the disgrace of Montagu, he served under the next supreme fleet commander, George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle . He was on detachment with Prince Rupert's Green squadron, when on 11 June 1666
231-738: The privateers Henry Morgan and Abraham Blauvelt , where they went on to sack Campeche in February. During the attack on Campeche Bay, Myngs himself had been severely wounded leaving Edward Mansvelt in charge of his pirate army. In 1664 he returned to England to recover. Later the next year he was made Vice-Admiral in Prince Rupert 's squadron. As Vice-Admiral of the White under the Lord High Admiral James Stuart, Duke of York and Albany , he flew his flag during
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#1732772416647252-523: The Jamaica Station, despite the fact that the war with Spain had ended. This was part of a covert English policy to undermine the Spanish dominion of the area . In 1662 Myngs decided that the best way to accomplish this was to employ the full potential of the buccaneers by promising them the opportunity for unbridled plunder. He had the complete support of the new governor, Lord Windsor , who fired
273-463: The St. Catharine, Mansvelt sent word to Port Royal for reinforcements in order to use the island as a base to attack the Spanish. The island was likely Providencia , located 100 miles off Nicaragua . He failed to persuade the governor in his request, as well as his attempts to use the island as a pirate haven, and died of a sudden illness. Another version, again according to Exquemelin, claims he sailed from
294-681: The bounty of his 1659 raid, about a quarter of a million pounds, with the buccaneers against the explicit orders of Edward D'Oyley , the English Commander of Jamaica, he was arrested for embezzlement and sent back to England in the Marston Moor in 1660. The Restoration government retained him in his command however, and in August 1662 he was sent to Jamaica commanding the Centurion in order to resume his activities as commander of
315-647: The coast of South America ; failing to capture a treasure fleet , he destroyed the colonial settlements in Tolú and Santa Marta in New Grenada instead; in 1659 he plundered Cumaná , Puerto Cabello and Coro (all in present-day Venezuela) where a large haul of silver in twenty chests were seized. The Spanish government , upon hearing of Myngs' actions, protested to no avail to the English government of Oliver Cromwell on his conduct. Because he had shared half of
336-569: The council of state and recommended for promotion by the flag officers under whom he served. In 1655, he was appointed to the frigate Marston Moor , the crew of which was on the verge of mutiny . His firm measures quelled their insubordinate spirits, and he took the vessel out to the West Indies , arriving in January 1656 in Jamaica where he became the subcommander of the naval flotilla on
357-460: The expedition to return to Jamaica or Tortuga after this setback; however, Mansvelt took what remained of the fleet successfully raiding the Isle of St. Catherine and capturing the island of Santa Catalina , also known as Providencia or Providence Island, a name given to it by English Puritans who had settled it in 1630. The island was controlled by Spain at the time Mansvelt arrived. After occupying
378-598: The fleet was deployed, the vice-admiral would be in the leading portion or van , acting as the deputy to the admiral. The rank of Vice-Admiral evolved from that of Lieutenant of the Admiralty (1546–1564) that being an officer who acted as secretary to the Lord Admiral of England and lapsed in 1876 but was revived in 1901 by King Edward VII . Prior to 1864 the Royal Navy was divided into coloured squadrons which determined his career path . The command flags flown by
399-515: The fleet which captured and looted Granada and the Isle of St. Catherine , although this is disputed. He was, however, elected admiral of the fleet, consisting between 10 and 15 ships and an estimated 500 men. Sailing for Costa Rica in April, he intended to attack Cartago several miles inland but was turned back by heavy resistance from Spanish defenders near Turrialba . Several members chose to leave
420-615: The great Four Days' Battle began, but returned to the main fleet in time to take part on the final day, and in this action when his flotilla was surrounded by that of Vice-Admiral Johan de Liefde he received wounds – being hit first through the cheek and then in the left shoulder by musket balls fired by a sharpshooter when his Victory was challenged by De Liefde's flagship, the Ridderschap van Holland – of which he died shortly after returning to London . Attribution: Vice admiral (Royal Navy) A vice-admiral ( VAdm )
441-454: Was injured during the Sack of Campeche in 1663, Mansvelt took control of the 1000-man landing party and sacked the city, negotiating the surrender himself and capturing 14 vessels in port. Thereafter, he commanded his own ships and pirate crews, using similar tactics to raid smaller settlements. In late 1665, he attacked a Cuban village with 200 buccaneers. Soon after this raid, he was offered
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