Robert Maynard was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, captain of HMS Pearl, and is most famous for defeating the infamous pirate Blackbeard in battle. Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering Edward Teach (tɛtʃ c 1680 – November 22, 1718) better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English Pirate in the Caribbean

Naval commands and battles

Governor Alexander Spotswood of the colony of Virginia gave Maynard the command of two sloops, Ranger and Jane. A governor is a governing official usually the executive (at least nominally to different degrees also politically and administratively of a non-sovereign level of government Alexander Spotswood (c 1676 - 6 June 1740 was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army and a noted Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Alexander Spotswood was The Colony of Virginia (also known frequently as the Virginia Colony and occasionally as the Dominion and Colony of Virginia) was the English colony For the military definition of sloop see Sloop-of-war. For the open learning project see SLOOP Project.

They departed the docks of Hampton, Virginia on November 19, 1718. Hampton is an Independent city in Virginia, and therefore not part of any Virginia county The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Maynard caught up to Blackbeard at Ocracoke Inlet off the coast of North Carolina on November 22, 1718. Cape Lookout National Seashore preserves a 56 mile (90 km long section of the Southern Outer Banks, or Crystal Coast, of North Carolina, USA North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran Year 1718 ( MDCCXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Maynard had to get close to Blackbeard because the ships he was sailing had no cannonry. Blackbeard struck first, firing a cannon and killing several of Maynard's sailors. However, Maynard struck back by hiding many of the surviving crew belowdecks, making Blackbeard think he had wrought more damage than he actually had.

When Blackbeard boarded Maynard's ship, he was ambushed. During the battle, Maynard and Blackbeard ended up in a duel. As practiced from the 11th to 20th centuries in Western societies a duel is an engagement in combat between two individuals with matched weapons in accordance with their combat Blackbeard fought extremely hard, taking 20 cutlass wounds and 5 pistol shots before he finally fell. A cutlass is a short thick Sabre or slashing Sword, with a straight or slightly curved Blade sharpened on the cutting edge and a Hilt often Maynard beheaded Blackbeard, tied the head to the bowsprit of his ship, and set sail for Virginia. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Upon returning to his home port of Hampton, the head was placed on a stake near the mouth of the Hampton River as a warning to other pirates.

Blackbeard's severed head hanging from Maynard's bow

Remembrance

This event is still celebrated by Lt. Maynard's successors - the crew of the current HMS Ranger - who commemorate Blackbeard's defeat at the annual Sussex University Royal Naval Unit Blackbeard Night mess dinner every year, at a date as close as possible to 22 November. A University Royal Naval Unit ( URNU) is a Royal Navy training establishment connected to a university or a number of universities concentrated in one area

The City of Hampton, Virginia also celebrates its historic ties to Maynard by recreating the final sea battle on Tall Ships in the Hampton Harbor during the City's annual Blackbeard Festival in June.

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