John Bowen (pirate)
| John Bowen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bermuda |
| Died | 1704 Mascarene Islands |
| Piratical career | |
| Nickname | Johnny boy |
| Type | Pirate |
| Years active | 1700-1704 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Base of operations | Indian Ocean, Red Sea |
| Commands |
Speaker, Speedy Return, Defiant |
| Wealth | £170,000; |
John Bowen (? - 1704) was a pirate of Créole origin active during the Golden Age of Piracy. He sailed with other famous contemporaries, including Nathaniel North (who would succeed him as captain of Bowen's final ship, the Defiant) and George Booth, who was his captain when he was a crewman aboard the Speaker. Over a four-year period, Bowen took about £170,000 in goods and coinage and retired to Bourbon for a brief period of time before his death in 1704.
Born on Bermuda, Bowen later moved to the proprietary colony of Carolina, where he signed on an English ship, serving as a Petty Officer. However, Bowen's ship was attacked and he was captured by French pirates. The pirates crossed the Atlantic Ocean, heading to Madagascar, but they ran aground near Elesa on the south of the island. Bowen and the other English prisoners managed to seize the ship's longboat, They sailed the 15 leagues (45 miles) to St. Augustine. Bowen remained at St. Augustine for the next 18 months before finally deciding to become a pirate himself. He joined the crew of Captain Read, being elected sailing master by the crew.
Following Read's capture of a large Indian ship, Bowen returned to Madagascar and joined George Booth as a crewman. In April 1699, Booth captured a 450-ton, 50-gun former slave ship, the Speaker. Bowen served under Booth's command until 1700, when Booth was killed by Arabs at Zanzibar when negotiating for the resupplying of his ship.
Bowen was initially successful. He attacked a 13-strong fleet of Moorish ships and, though some of them escaped in darkness, captured a prize with an estimated value of £100,000. Following this, Bowen attacked a number of ships, including an English East Indiaman commanded by Captain Conway in November 1701, off the coast of Malabar. Despite these attacks, Bowen was able to continue to trade in local ports - following his attack on the East Indiaman, Bowen openly towed her into the nearby port of Callicoon and sold her in three shares to local merchants. The Speaker was lost in late 1701 when, during a voyage to Madagascar, she ran aground St. Thomas' Reef off Mauritius. However, Bowen and most of the crew were able to reach the shore. After three months on the island, they were able to purchase a sloop and, after converting it into a brigantine (later renamed as the Content) he and his crew left and, upon arriving at Madagascar founded a town and at fort Maratan.
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