Capture of the Grand Mughal Fleet | |||||||
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Part of the Golden Age of Piracy | |||||||
![]() Every's fleet captures the Ganj-i-sawai | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
![]() ![]() Richard Want Joseph Faro Thomas Wake William May |
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Strength | |||||||
6-ship convoy (1 Man of War (Fancy) 1 Sloop-of-war (Amity) 2 Brigantine (Dolphin and Pearl) 1 Barque Susannah 1 Portsmouth Adventure) |
25-ship convoy (including the Ganj-i-sawai and Fateh Muhammed) | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Several members of the crew killed in conflict |
25 ships captured several crew members captured and killed |
On 7 September 1695, English pirate Henry Every captured the 25-ship convoy of Grand Mughal vessels making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, including the treasure-laden Ghanjah dhow Ganj-i-Sawai and its escort, Fateh Muhammed. Joining forces with several pirate vessels, Every found himself in command of a small squadron, and they were able to capture up to £600,000 in precious metals and jewels,[1] equivalent to around £115 million in 2024.[2] This caused considerable damage to England's fragile relations with the Mughals, and a combined bounty of £1,000—an immense sum at the time—was offered by the Privy Council and the East India Company for his capture, leading to the first worldwide manhunt in recorded history.[3][a]
On August 1695, Every, captaining the 46-gun, 5th rate frigate Fancy, reached the Mandab Strait, where he teamed up with five other pirate ships, including Thomas Tew's 8-gun, 46-man sloop-of-war Amity, Richard Want in a Brigantine Dolphin, Joseph Faro in Portsmouth Adventure, Thomas Wake in Susannah, and William Maze in Pearl.
Although a Mughal convoy of 25 ships bound for India had eluded the pirate fleet during the night, the following day they encountered Ganj-i-Sawai and her escort Fateh Muhammed, which carried 94 guns herself and was even larger in size than the Ganj-i-Sawai but didn’t have as many crewmen, with both stragglers passing the straits en route to Surat.
Baer2005, p.103
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