Thomas Collins

Thomas Collins (died 1719) was a pirate active in the Indian Ocean. He is best known for leading a pirate settlement and trading post on Madagascar. History The privateering ship Charming Mary left New York in 1694, bound for Madagascar under captain Richard Glover. It was captured by pirates under John Ireland and Richard Bobbington and cruised against Moors in the Indian Ocean for several years. Collins had been aboard the Charming Mary, either as one of the original New York crew, or having joined when the ship put into Ile Ste Marie to trade and take on additional crew to continue its piracy. Alternately, Collins may have come to the area with Henry Every before transferring to the Charming Mary. Every's ship Fancy left London in 1693 and was in the Indian Ocean when he captured the treasure ship Gunsway in 1695. A Malagasy ruler named Ratsimilaho (purportedly born in 1694) was said to be the son of a native queen and an English pirate named "Tom", often cited as Thomas Tew; it's also possible Thomas Collins was the father. By 1699 Collins had joined Evan Jones aboard his ship Beckford Galley. Working with pirate trader Abraham Samuel at his Port Dauphin settlement, they captured the ship Prophet Daniel, among whose crew was future New York City alderman and mayor John Cruger. Jones tried to recruit additional pirates but some declined so they could return to England or America and seek a pardon.