Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, early modern

Capture of the William

Capture of the William was a naval engagement fought in 1720 at Discovery Bay, in what is now Jamaica. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Discovery Bay. It was part of Golden Age of Piracy, which ran from 1650 to 1730. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 1 sloop against 1 sloop.

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Capture of the William
"A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates", published 1725, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1720
WhereDiscovery Bay, Jamaica18.459N, 77.400W, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsGreat BritainagainstPirates
Casualties and lossesNoneand13 captured; 1 sloop captured
Part ofGolden Age of Piracy1650 to 1730

Where it sits in Golden Age of Piracy

Turkish Abductions, 1627Battle of Golfo Triste, 1669Battle of Mata Asnillos, 1671Attack on Arica, 1681Raid on Cartagena, 1683Capture of the Grand Mughal Fleet, 1695Battle of Cape Fear River, 1718Battle of Ocracoke, 1718Attack on Príncipe, 1719Capture of the William, 1720Capture of John "Calico Jack" Rackham, 1720Battle of Cape Lopez, 172216271722Capture of the William, 1720
12 placed engagements of Golden Age of Piracy in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1720 (year precision)
PlaceDiscovery Bay, Jamaica
18.459N, 77.400W
KindNaval engagement, early modern
Strength1 sloop1 sloop
Casualties and lossesNone13 captured; 1 sloop captured
Commanders
  • Jonathan Barnet
  • John Rackham
Capture of the WilliamCapture of the WilliamBattle of Ocho RiosBattle of Rio NuevoCapture of John "Calico Jack" RackhamBattle of Ocho RiosKingstonMontego BaySpanish TownSavanna-la-MarBlack River100 km18.459N, 77.400W
Placed at Discovery Bay; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1720

Capture of the William is one of 2,009 engagements of the 18th century in the atlas and one of 4 in present-day Jamaica.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q5037079, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Capture of the sloop William, revision 1376283835, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.