Rulers of the Sea

12" Wooden Ruler made in U.S.A. of American-grown basswood. This ruler is a list of Famous Pirates. Are there other Rulers of the Sea? Maybe. Whales or sharks come to mind, or perhaps powerful navies of the past such as the Spanish Armada or the British Navy in the time of Rule Britannia. But there was a time when pirates had a dominant influence on certain parts of the world’s oceans. Pirates are criminals who commit their acts of robbery or violence by ship upon another ship or coastal area. Privateers are state-sponsored pirates during times of war. Both pirates and privateers appear on our Rulers of the Sea, and many of those listed fit both categories. Sir Francis Drake (c.1540-1596), for example, was considered a privateer by the English, but a pirate by the Spanish. Where Thomas Tew (1649-1695) was born is unknown, but he lived in both Newport, Rhode Island, and Bermuda. Tew started out as a privateer, then turned to piracy. Scottish-born William Kidd (c.1654-1701) settled in N