David Marteen

David Marteen (fl. 1663-1665) was a Dutch privateer based in Tortuga during the mid-17th century, known primarily as the sole non-English Captain who participated in the raids against Spanish strongholds in present-day Mexico and Nicaragua during 1663 until 1665. Although raids against the Spanish were prohibited under British law, he agreed to join Sir Henry Morgan's expedition and soon set sail from Port Royal along with John Morris and Captain's Jackman and Freeman under letters of marque issued by Governor Thomas Modyford.

After reaching the Grijalva River, Marteen and the others led their men 50 miles overland and successfully looted Villa Hermosa in a surprise raid. Returning to the coast, they discovered a Spanish patrol had captured their ships and, after a fierce battle, they managed to retake two barques and four indian canoes. Marteen eventually made his way back with the others, raiding Spanish villages on the way, until their arrival in Port Royal in November 1665. Although Marteen served as a pirate hunter under Modyford during the next year [1], nothing more is known of his activities after this time.

Further reading

• Rogozinski, Jan. Pirates!: Brigands, Buccaneers, and Privateers in Fact, Fiction, and Legend. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN 0-306-80722-X

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