Rackham, Calico Jack (1682?-1720), was an English pirate who sailed the North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. He was nicknamed “Calico Jack” because of his brightly colored attire. His real name was John Rackham (sometimes spelled Rackam).
Little is known of all but the last two years of Rackham’s life. He first appeared in historical record as quartermaster to the English pirate Charles Vane. The quartermaster was the second in command after the captain of a pirate ship. Rackham became captain after he and Vane disagreed about whether to attack a heavily armed French ship and the majority of the crew sided with Rackham.
Rackham robbed several ships in the Caribbean before going to New Providence, the Bahamas, to take the king’s pardon. The British government occasionally granted pirates a pardon if they were willing to swear they would stop being pirates. However, Rackham quickly broke his promise to quit pirating and attacked several small ships in the area from the Bahamas south to the Greater Antilles. He is best known for having two women pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, among his crew.
Rackham’s luck ran out in early November 1720, while he was pursuing ships off the coast of Jamaica. Following a night of celebration, he was surprised by the pirate hunter Captain Jonathan Barnet. After a short pursuit, Barnet disabled and boarded Rackham’s ship. The only pirates who resisted capture were Bonny, Read, and possibly one other pirate. The British authorities tried Rackham and his crew and found them guilty of piracy. Most of the pirates were hanged in November 1720. Rackham’s corpse was suspended in a cage near the entrance to Port Royal harbor in Jamaica to warn others against taking up the black flag (becoming pirates).
