Flying Gang

The Flying Gang was an 18th-century group of pirates who established themselves in Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas after the War of the Spanish Succession and the sinking of the Spanish 1715 Treasure Fleet. The gang consisted of many famous pirates of the time, and they terrorized and pillaged the Caribbean until the Royal Navy and infighting led to their disestablishment. They achieved great fame and wealth by raiding salvagers attempting to recover gold from the sunken Spanish treasure fleet. They established their own codes and governed themselves independent from any of the colonial powers of the time. Nassau was deemed the Republic of Pirates as it attracted many former privateers looking for work to its shores.

While it was not a republic in a formal sense, it was governed by an informal pirate code, which dictated that the crews of the Republic would vote on the leadership of their ships and treat other pirate crews with civility. The activities of the pirates caused havoc with trade and shipping in the West Indies until newly appointed Royal Governor of the Bahama Islands Woodes Rogers reached Nassau in 1718 and restored British control. Rogers, a former privateer himself, offered clemency to the pirates of the Bahamas, known as the "King's Pardon", an offer many pirates took advantage of. Though a few returned to piracy in the following years, British control of the Bahamas had been secured.