English sea captain, privateer, and first Royal Governor of the Bahamas
1679 CE
to 1732 CE
Woodes Rogers (ca.
1679 – 15 July 1732) is an English sea captain, privateer, and, later, the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas.
He is known as the captain of the vessel that rescued the marooned Alexander Selkirk, whose plight is generally believed to have inspired Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.
Rogers comes from an affluent seafaring family, grows up in Poole and Bristol, and servs a marine apprenticeship to a Bristol sea captain.
His father, who holds shares in many ships, dies when Rogers is in his mid-twenties, leaving Rogers in control of the family shipping business.
In 1707, Rogers is approached by Captain William Dampier, who seeks support for a privateering voyage against the Spanish, with whom the British are at war.
Rogers leads the expedition, which consists of two well-armed ships, the Duke and the Duchess, and is the captain of the Duke.
In three years, Rogers and his men go around the world, capturing several ships in the Pacific Ocean.
En route, the expedition rescues Selkirk, finding him on Juan Fernandez Island on February 1, 1709.
When the expedition returns to England in October 1711, Rogers has circumnavigated the globe, while retaining his original ships and most of his men, and the investors in the expedition have doubled their money.
While the expedition makes Rogers a national hero, his brother has been killed and Rogers has been badly wounded in fights in the Pacific.
On his return, he is successfully sued by his crew on the ground they had not received their fair share of the expedition profits, and Rogers is forced into bankruptcy.
He writes of his maritime experiences in a book A Cruising Voyage Round the World, which sells well, in part due to public fascination at Selkirk's rescue.
Rogers is twice appointed Governor of the Bahamas, where he succeeds in warding off threats from the Spanish, and in ridding the colony of pirates.
However, his first term as governor is financially ruinous, and on his return to England, he is imprisoned for debt.
During his second term as governor, Rogers dies in Nassau at the age of about 53.
