A Pirate Looks At Forty
Yes, I am a pirate. “We knew we were in Indian country.” Third Engineer John Cronyn, Maersk, Alabama, taken by Somali pirates in April 2009.
Domestic piracy is a niche market. Really, who would expect a ship to get hijacked right off the South Jetty? This guy right here. That’s who. After receiving my first Merchant Mariner’s license, I hooked up with Tidewater. What’s a nice way to say this? It wasn’t my favorite job. It was August 24, 1992. I reported to my boat in Houma, Louisiana. The off-going mate was packed and ready to go. “How long you been here?” I asked. “Oh, just a couple days,” he replied. “I just wanna be gone before Andrew gets here tomorrow.” No one had to ask who Andrew was. He had just leveled Miami as a Class 5 and come out the other side of Florida still picking for a fight. That was the highlight.
My next few tours were spent fantasizing about taking over one of these boats, driving it to Mexico, and selling it to the highest bidder. It was a simple plan: run a dinghy alongside once the supply boat was outside the jetties. I’d come aboard aft, but not too far aft, so the bridge watch wouldn’t see me. Then, secure everyone in their rooms and set them adrift once far enough off the coast. Wouldn’t Tidewater notice the boat missing? GPS wasn’t available yet. As long as I made the fleetwide roll call by shortwave at 0100, they’d be none the wiser. Why did I never pursue the world’s second-oldest profession? Because I got a real job.
My “real job” involved large cargo ships and pirate waters: the Red Sea, Malacca Strait, the Horn of Africa, the Southeast Caribbean, and the Strait of Hormuz. In the early 2000s, Malacca Strait was the worst. One Fathom Bank to Horsburg Light was a path to excitement. We tied dummies to the rail with wooden guns, patrolled the decks in shifts, and tracked every little ferry and fishing boat like air traffic controllers at LaGuardia. A tsunami in Indonesia put a pause on that. But were we out of the woods? No. George W. Bush had a personal beef with Saddam Hussein, and the Persian Gulf was about to light up. My last job in 2003 was aboard the SS Northern Lights. The Alaska ship had just been tasked to retrieve gear from Iraq. The Alaska crew took a vacation, and the relief crew, including our Bosun, were drawn almost entirely from the Gulf Coast.
It turned out that Jay White lives just blocks away. Jay has gone on to other ships, most recently the MV National Glory and the Natty G. He travels between Houston and Puerto Rico regularly, and his ship regularly encounters refugees from Cuba and Haiti. Are they pirates? Eh, they could be if you let them aboard.
In 2005, I joined the MV Vera Cruz in the Persian Gulf. Captain Mara kept us out of trouble on several occasions. In particular, the company directed us to spend the evening in the Euphrates River to dock at first light. Captain Mara instead slow-belled it offshore, keeping the Navy’s Fifth Fleet between us and the beach. And that's a good thing. Weeks before, and one week later, other ships were attacked because they listened to the office without engaging in common sense. The mission had already been “accomplished,” but Iraqi naval assets were still active and running as pirates during hours of darkness.
When we returned to Cagliari, Italy, Captain Mara was relieved by Richard Phillips. Captain Phillips had a reputation. And on day one, he seemed to live up to it. Suffice it to say, we soon wondered whose side he was on. Years later, the Vera Cruz was removed from service and replaced by the Maersk Alabama. Captain Phillips would take command of the new ship before being relieved by Tom Hanks. When the Maersk Alabama was taken by Somali pirates in 2009, Captain Phillips had two Galvestonians and one Houstonian with him. First Engineer Matt Fisher, Third Mate Colin Wright, and Steward’s Assistant Mario Clotter. Matt had also served on Vera Cruz. Colin and Mario, along with Mario’s Dad Tibby, later served on Sulphur Enterprise, sailing between Galveston and Tampa. Only six months ago, Rick Boullion, another Galvestonian, sailed his ship through the straits north of Somalia.
Houthi forces in Yemen had successfully taken another ship from those same waters. Rick directed his crew to scatter debris about the decks to thwart a helicopter landing. They also carried an armed security team.
US Naval presence was stepped up for the first time since the Alabama incident. The Houthis are trained units boarding by helicopter and attacking ships with missiles and drones. They claim sympathy for the Palestinians in Gaza. Others claim they are mercenaries backed by Iran. Are they legitimate military or just pirates? Well, a little history here. There are privateers, and there are pirates. Privateers operate with permission from nation-states. They operate under rules that are much more lax than the professional military. Pirates? Pirates don’t abide by any rules, at least rules imposed by the “Man.” They simply turn their skills for fun and profit. Many of your favorite pirates moved back and forth across fuzzy lines as circumstances allowed. The Lafitte Brothers were smugglers, militia in the War of 1812, privateers for Colombia and Mexico, and pirates during the lulls in between.
Piracy has existed as long as shipping. It is mentioned in our oldest literature and lore. The Golden Age of Piracy occurred from the late 1600s to the early 1700s and included Edward Teach (Blackbeard), William Kidd, and Henry Morgan. These were privateers whose titles changed with the political tides, not always favorably. Captain Kidd, for instance, was a privateer backed by the Whig Party. He was given a Letter of Marque in 1695 from the Earl governing colonial New England. He was explicitly tasked with hunting pirates. He navigated the legal waters of his profession poorly, however, and was tried and hanged as a pirate by the Tory Party upon his return. Other pirates were more successful, accepting a pardon and becoming pirate hunters and governors of far-flung British possessions. Some simply accepted pardons to escape the noose, sailed farther afield, and resumed their piratical ways.
Some “pirates” were political criminals fighting colonialism around the world. Emilio Salgari’s fictionalized Sandokan revolted against the British. Fighting oppression is such a popular theme that Sandokan inspires TV, movies, and fan fiction to this day. Confession! I am a big fan of the Tiger of Malaysia! Muriel Stuart Walker, a real person, moved to Bali in 1932. She was soon adopted by a local Rajah and named K’tut Tantri, Fourth Daughter. She worked as a smuggler, spy, and pirate radio broadcaster in the fight for Indonesian independence. Unlike most “pirates,” she lived to a ripe old age.
I have been warned by author and historian Jim Nelson against romanticizing pirates too much. They were often opportunists of loopholes in the law and the vastness of the sea.
They were also experienced naval or merchant men. But career life was about two years once they’d joined the Brethren. And, as the noose closed in, they weren’t afraid to fight their way free. The same is true for modern pirates. The Somalis used to hold the crew hostage until a ransom was paid. Then Alabama happened, and three Somalis were killed. Within days, the MV Liberty Sun was attacked with RPGs strictly for revenge, and two couples on a private yacht in the Indian Ocean were killed for resisting. Thank God that’s all ancient history, though. Or on the other side of the world, eh?
Now, my mornings are spent at the beach with the dogs. They play in the water, roll in dead fish, and eat chicken bones left by tourists. I look out at the water, watching the supply boats go by. I’ll have twenty years in with the Union soon. Maybe it’s time to consider a new profession.
For a map of reported modern piracy:
For further reading:
“A Captain’s Duty” by Richard Phillips
“Revolt in Paradise” by K’tut Tantri
“The Only Life That Mattered: The Short and Merry Lives of Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack,” as well as the Brethren of the Coast trilogy by James L Nelson
“The Tigers of Mompracem” by Emilio Salgari
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