Privateering II?

This is coolbert:

Thanks to Al Nofi, CIC # 144, through StrategyPage.

Hugh de Groot [Hugo Grotius] is considered to be the first and foremost exponent of international law!? Subsequent works dealing with international law rely HEAVILY upon the underpinnings and teachings of Hugh!? Hugh began his career by studying and codifying the rules of “prize” and what became known as “privateering”!!??

"In 1605 Grotius produced De jure praedae, which may be loosely translated as 'The Law of Loot', a profoundly learned work that traced the history of prize from Biblical and Classical times through the medieval Mediterranean maritime codes, to contemporary Western European usage. Grotius’ work formed the foundation of his subsequent life-long effort to codify international law, leading ultimately to his monumental De jure belli ac pacis - The Law of War and Peace (1625), which established him as 'the Mozart' of International law."

Grotius was compelled to study "the history of prize" as the result of an incident that OCCURRED IN THE STRAITS OF SINGAPORE!! That foremost part of the world for modern day piracy was the site of a "seizure" at sea, the legality of which was contested. Grotius initiated the codification of what has become known as "international law" as a result of A DISPUTED "PRIZE"!!

coolbert.

Privateering I?

This is coolbert:

Thanks to Al Nofi, CIC # [various entries], through StrategyPage.

Perhaps around 1980, in response to the smuggling of illegal drugs BY SEA into the U.S., and the failed efforts of American Coast Guard to stop same [smuggling], the American government contemplated, for a time, the return to the practice of privateering! Private concerns [”white companies"??] to intercept and capture at sea drug smuggling vessels, prize money to be awarded according to the value of the ship!! [”prize” does not include the value for the illegal drugs of course!!]

"A privateer was a private warship authorized by a country's government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping. Strictly, a privateer was only entitled to attack enemy vessels during wartime . . . Privateers were an accepted part of naval warfare from the 16th to the 19th centuries . . . The costs of commissioning privateers was borne by investors hoping to gain a significant return from prize money earned from enemy merchants."

This idea was not implemented for various reasons, illegality under international law being one of them??!!

Privateering WAS a major business during time of war. A prize-of-war could “fetch a handsome price” and MAKE A MAN RICH IN A WAY THAT CIVILIAN PURSUITS COULD NOT!!

Consider:

"In 1813 the American privateer Thomas, an armed schooner, took two British ships that together yielded $92,246.36 in prize, so that even the lowest ranking member of the crew was awarded nearly $800, over four years’ pay for a common unskilled worker." [CIC # 168]

"As a result of a series of successful engagements against the French in 1794, Capt. John Maude, of HMS Leopard, a 50 gun ship, realized £33,144 in prize money, over 227 times what the Royal Navy paid him each year" [CIC # 153]

Was also a “business” amazingly well-regulated!

"the law set up a sliding scale for divvying the loot up among the affected officers and crew members."

* "5% to the commander of the squadron, unless he was also the captain of the capturing vessel"

* "10% to the captain of the capturing vessel, plus the squadron commander’s share if the vessel was sailing independently"

* "10% to be divided among the ship’s lieutenants, sailing master, and captain of marines."

* "10% for the ship's senior professional and technical personnel (e.g., surgeon, chaplain, chief boatswain, chief carpenter, master gunner)"

* "17½% for the midshipmen and specialized personnel (e.g., sail maker, armorer, master-at-arms, schoolmaster, and the mates of the men in the preceding class)"

* "12½% among the remaining non-commissioned officers"

* "35% for the ordinary seamen, marines, and boys"

Let me put things in a proper perspective.

"even the lowest ranking member of the crew was awarded nearly $800" [1813].

That amount of money, $800, for the common unskilled seaman, is worth, in today's dollars:

"In 2006, $800.00 from 1813:

$146,924.14 using the unskilled wage"

Privateering anyone?

coolbert.