The Voyage That Changed Piracy
In 1692, Thomas Tew set out from Bermuda with a privateer commission to attack a French trading post in West Africa. He never went to Africa. Instead, he convinced his crew to sail east — around the Cape of Good Hope and into the Indian Ocean, where the rich trade routes of the Mughal Empire connected India to the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. It was one of the most consequential decisions in the history of piracy.
The Mughal Plunder
In the Red Sea, Tew’s single small sloop intercepted a massive Mughal merchant vessel carrying treasure and passengers. The ship was too large and too well-armed for Tew’s crew to take by force alone — but Tew reportedly offered the crew and passengers safe passage if they surrendered without a fight, and they did. The plunder was extraordinary: gold, silver, ivory, spices, and jewels worth an estimated £100,000 — roughly equivalent to tens of millions of dollars today. Each crew member received a share of approximately £3,000 — more than a sailor could earn in decades of legitimate employment.
Return to Newport and the Pirate Economy
Tew returned to Newport, Rhode Island, where colonial merchants and officials were happy to turn a blind eye to piracy if it meant cheap Eastern goods and hard currency. Newport in the 1690s was deeply involved in what historians call the “Red Sea Men” — pirates operating in the Indian Ocean with the tacit support of American colonial ports. Tew’s success inspired dozens of imitators and helped establish the routes and methods that would define the next generation of Atlantic pirates.
Death on the Second Voyage
Tew returned to the Indian Ocean in 1695 for a second voyage, this time as part of a consortium that included the infamous pirate Henry Every. At the Battle of the Fateh Muhammed, Tew was killed in action — reportedly struck by cannon fire. His death brought his crew’s morale to collapse. But his legacy was already established: the “Pirate Round” through the Indian Ocean that he pioneered became the defining route of Golden Age piracy’s most profitable phase.
FAQs
Was Thomas Tew a privateer or a pirate?
He started as a privateer with a commission but abandoned his authorized target and attacked the Mughal Empire’s ships instead — making him unambiguously a pirate from that point forward.
Where was Thomas Tew from?
He is most closely associated with Newport, Rhode Island, though his origins are uncertain. Newport was his home port and the destination after his famous first voyage.