Privateer

by David O'Neil

The Artemis had been built as a frigate by the French. Instead of the 38 guns she would have originally been armed with, she was only carrying 30.The eight blind gun-ports were fitted with Quaker guns, wooden replicas. They looked convincing but of course could not actually fire. The weight and space gained formed part of a cargo hold. The ship had been used by a pirate, but had been taken by the Navy and sold off. Purchased by Oswald Gilbert, he had asked Robert to take command, and sail as a privateer under letters of marque provided by the Governor of Jamaica. In the captain’s cabin on the Artemis Robert sat with his friend, Adam Minot, and his sponsor, Oswald Gilbert. “I understand that there are plenty of men here to crew the ship, but I need two senior lieutenants, and six juniors and midshipmen. With Adam in command of the Swallow, Peter Samuel will be Cox’n here. I’ve seen and taken on Gabriel Parks. I think we have the right man for my First Mate. He brought in Walter Reed for second. Both were Royal Navy, Gabriel’s missing hand does not seem to be a handicap and Walter has recovered from his wounds and seems able.”Robert sat back and sighed. It seemed it would not be as simple as it looked. War, blood, treasures and love on the high seas. Sailing as a privateer under a Letter of Marque provided by the Governor of Jamaica, Robert Shaw recruits a crew of fearless sailors, mostly ex-navy, to attack and seize vessels of enemy nations. Success of such efforts can be rewarding with riches untold. Failure can bring death by hanging or worse. Robert and his crew are determined to succeed and along the way comes opportunities to rescue ladies in distress, slaves in bondage, and governments under siege. As Robert’s small navy continues to expand, so do the opportunities and so does the danger.

From the pen of author David O’Neill, frequently compared to noted authors W.E.B. Griffin, Douglas Reeman and Robert Ludlum comes a fascinating saga of sea warfare, piracy, treasures, battles, romance and hand-to-hand fighting as Robert and his men are solicited by the Royal Navy to clean the seas of marauding pirates and treacherous government officials.

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2017

Reviews

[Richard J. Farnsworth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Among the worst sea stories

If you are seeking a sea saga that provides a feeling of life in fighting ship, one where the characters are well developed and each clearly fulfills the thesis of the story, then should look for another author. I regret paying the cost of this book and the time wasted in reading it.