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Portsmouth Adventure
Joseph Faro's Rhode Island vessel, one of the six English ships that joined Henry Every's squadron at the mouth of the Red Sea in 1695.
Launchedc. January 1694, Rhode IslandToNot established
Joseph Faro's Rhode Island vessel, one of the six English ships that joined Henry Every's squadron at the mouth of the Red Sea in 1695.
What the record establishes
The Portsmouth Adventure was a small English colonial vessel commanded by Capt. Joseph Faro; she is named in John Dann's examination and, as background, in Philip Middleton's material as one sail of the pirate squadron that gathered under Henry Every in the Red Sea in 16951
The Portsmouth Adventure was fitted out at Rhode Island about January 1694, Captain Joseph Faro commander: 'The Portsmouth Adventure was fitted out at Rhode Island about the same time, Captain Joseph Faro Comander'2
Six English sail joined in partnership at Perim (Bab-el-Mandeb) about June to August 1695, agreeing that Every should command: the Fancy (Every, 46 guns), the Dolphin (Want), the Portsmouth Adventure (Faro), Thomas Wake's ship from Boston, the Pearle brigantine (William Mayes) of Rhode Island, and the Amity sloop (Thomas Tew) of New York3
Richard Want commanded the consort Dolphin (a Spanish-built vessel fitted out at the Whorekill near Philadelphia, 60 men), not the Portsmouth Adventure at the outset; the Dolphin was burnt during the chase as an ill sailer4
The Portsmouth Adventure joined the pursuit of the Mughal Mocha fleet ('the Portsmouth kept them company') but 'did not come into the Fight and therefore had noe Divident' of the great prize5
The squadron took two Mughal ships homeward from Mocha: first a ship 'betweene 2 and 300 tons, with 6 Guns' yielding about 50 or 60,000 l. (the Fateh Muhammed), then the great ship of 'about 40 Guns mounted and as they said 800 men' taken after a three-hour fight (the Ganj-i-Sawai, called the Gunsway), early September 16956
After the action the captain of the Portsmouth Adventure (Faro) was given a share and 'brought away' with Every's company; each of the 180 sharers of the great prize took about 1000 l. a man, from which the Portsmouth's crew were excluded7
The sloop in which the homeward pirates reached Ireland was afterwards given to Joseph Faro: 'the vessell is called the Sea Flower, about 50 Tuns and 4 Guns', and he intended to return in her to America; the Sea Flower is a distinct vessel from the Portsmouth Adventure8
The Portsmouth Adventure of Faro's Rhode Island sloop (Every's 1695 squadron) is a distinct vessel from other ships named Adventure, including Kidd's Adventure Galley (1696), Blackbeard's sloop Adventure (1718) and the Adventure Prize; the qualifier Portsmouth, probably Portsmouth in Rhode Island, is the distinguishing element9
What the evidence does not settle
The suggested earlier name Black Barque, the tonnage and the vessel's fate after the Red Sea cruise remain unconfirmed by the primary record read here.
What the evidence does not settle
Earlier identity
- Whether Portsmouth Adventure was previously called Black Barque
Tonnage
- Portsmouth Adventure's burden
Later fate
- What became of her after the Red Sea cruise
Each line is one question with its own grade, taken from the register where a claim carries it. Nothing here is graded as a whole.
Sources for this record
Every statement above that rests on a checked claim carries a small number; the numbers lead here. Each entry gives what is claimed, how far the record supports it, and where it comes from.
- The Portsmouth Adventure was a small English colonial vessel commanded by Capt. Joseph Faro; she is named in John Dann's examination and, as background, in Philip Middleton's material as one sail of the pirate squadron that gathered under Henry Every in the Red Sea in 1695 Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Modern scholarship: Examination of John Dann (Jameson doc 63); Affidavit of Philip Middleton (Jameson doc 64)
- The Portsmouth Adventure was fitted out at Rhode Island about January 1694, Captain Joseph Faro commander: 'The Portsmouth Adventure was fitted out at Rhode Island about the same time, Captain Joseph Faro Comander' Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Modern scholarship: Examination of John Dann (Jameson doc 63)
- Six English sail joined in partnership at Perim (Bab-el-Mandeb) about June to August 1695, agreeing that Every should command: the Fancy (Every, 46 guns), the Dolphin (Want), the Portsmouth Adventure (Faro), Thomas Wake's ship from Boston, the Pearle brigantine (William Mayes) of Rhode Island, and the Amity sloop (Thomas Tew) of New York Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Modern scholarship: Examination of John Dann (Jameson doc 63); Petition of the Governour and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies, with Every's Johanna declaration (Jameson doc 58)
- Richard Want commanded the consort Dolphin (a Spanish-built vessel fitted out at the Whorekill near Philadelphia, 60 men), not the Portsmouth Adventure at the outset; the Dolphin was burnt during the chase as an ill sailer Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Modern scholarship: Examination of John Dann (Jameson doc 63)
- The Portsmouth Adventure joined the pursuit of the Mughal Mocha fleet ('the Portsmouth kept them company') but 'did not come into the Fight and therefore had noe Divident' of the great prize Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Modern scholarship: Examination of John Dann (Jameson doc 63)
- The squadron took two Mughal ships homeward from Mocha: first a ship 'betweene 2 and 300 tons, with 6 Guns' yielding about 50 or 60,000 l. (the Fateh Muhammed), then the great ship of 'about 40 Guns mounted and as they said 800 men' taken after a three-hour fight (the Ganj-i-Sawai, called the Gunsway), early September 1695 Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Modern scholarship; Colonial state paper: Examination of John Dann (Jameson doc 63); Abstract, E.I. Co. Letters from Bombay, October 12, 1695 (Jameson doc 60)
- After the action the captain of the Portsmouth Adventure (Faro) was given a share and 'brought away' with Every's company; each of the 180 sharers of the great prize took about 1000 l. a man, from which the Portsmouth's crew were excluded Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Modern scholarship: Examination of John Dann (Jameson doc 63)
- The sloop in which the homeward pirates reached Ireland was afterwards given to Joseph Faro: 'the vessell is called the Sea Flower, about 50 Tuns and 4 Guns', and he intended to return in her to America; the Sea Flower is a distinct vessel from the Portsmouth Adventure Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Modern scholarship: Examination of John Dann (Jameson doc 63)
- The Portsmouth Adventure of Faro's Rhode Island sloop (Every's 1695 squadron) is a distinct vessel from other ships named Adventure, including Kidd's Adventure Galley (1696), Blackbeard's sloop Adventure (1718) and the Adventure Prize; the qualifier Portsmouth, probably Portsmouth in Rhode Island, is the distinguishing element Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Modern scholarship: Examination of John Dann (Jameson doc 63)