Thomas Tew: The Rogue of Rhode Island Who Laughed at Kings

Let me tell you a tale. One of those stories that starts with a ship, a gamble, and a man mad enough to chase fortune into the teeth of empires. His name? Thomas Tew. You might not have heard of him, but trust me, this guy walked so every swashbuckling rogue after him could run. Or sail. Or pillage. You get the idea.

Now, Tew wasn't your run-of-the-mill cutthroat. He didn’t spring from the gutters of Tortuga or swear allegiance to the Jolly Roger right out of the womb. He had a home, a wife, two daughters, and the sort of respectable background that doesn’t usually scream "future pirate legend." Born sometime in the mid-1600s, either in England or Rhode Island, depending on who’s telling the tale, Tew was just another sailor trying to stay afloat in a world where the sea gave and the sea took.

And oh boy, did it give him ideas.

The Privateer With a Wink

Tew first made waves as a privateer. That means he had a letter of marque, basically a government permission slip to rob ships, as long as those ships belonged to enemy nations. Legal piracy, signed and sealed. In 1692, he took command of a sloop called the Amity, a 70-ton beauty armed with eight guns and a crew of 46. His mission? Attack French holdings along the African coast.

But somewhere out on the Atlantic, with the wind in his sails and freedom in his bones, Tew looked at his crew and said, more or less: "To hell with the French. Let’s go get rich."

The vote was unanimous. And just like that, he tore up his privateering script and became a pirate.

The Red Sea Gambit

Tew didn’t just drift aimlessly. He set his course for the Red Sea, a lucrative corridor full of fat merchant ships hauling spices, silk, and gold between India and the Middle East. It was a bold move. Dangerous. High stakes. Exactly the kind of play a guy like Tew would make.

And wouldn’t you know it? He struck gold. Literally.

He and his crew intercepted an Indian ship loaded with enough wealth to make every man aboard a legend. There wasn’t much of a fight. The sheer audacity of Tew’s assault must’ve left the merchant captain wondering what gods he’d offended. The haul? Roughly £100,000 worth of treasure. Tew walked away with about £8,000, a staggering sum back then. His crew pocketed enough each to retire comfortably, or fund a dozen more adventures.

But pirates don’t retire. Not really.

Thomas Tew and New York Governor Fletcher

The Toast of Newport

When Tew returned to Newport, Rhode Island, he wasn’t treated like a criminal. Far from it. The locals rolled out the red carpet. He was the hometown hero who'd outwitted the world and come back with a ship full of treasure. Even New York’s Governor Benjamin Fletcher gave him a warm welcome and another letter of marque, because when your coffers are lined with pirate gold, it’s amazing how quickly the law learns to look the other way.

Tew could’ve stopped there. He could’ve bought a manor, put his feet up, and lived out his days telling stories by the fire.

But where’s the adventure in that?

Round Two: Enter the Pirate Round

In 1694, Tew set off again. New ship, new crew, same goal: get rich or die trying. This time, he wasn’t flying solo. He teamed up with a rogue's gallery of sea wolves, including the notorious Henry Every. Their target? The Mughal convoy, a fleet of ships fat with riches, escorted by some of the most powerful warships in the East.

They waited at the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, the narrow gate where the Red Sea meets the Indian Ocean. The convoy sailed into view. The pirates pounced.

Tew led the charge, targeting a Mughal ship believed to be the Fateh Muhammed. But this wasn’t the easy win he’d scored the first time. The merchantmen were ready. Cannons roared. Muskets cracked.

And then it happened.

A cannonball tore through the air and struck Tew square in the gut. The blast disemboweled him. His crew watched, stunned, as their captain, the man who’d defied kings and sailed halfway around the world for glory, crumbled on the deck.

Just like that, the legend was gone.

The Legacy of a Rebel

Tew's death wasn’t the end of his story. Not really. The path he carved, known as the Pirate Round, became a favorite route for those bold enough to seek their fortunes in the Indian Ocean. His name was whispered in the taverns of Madagascar, etched into the lore of every young buccaneer who dared to dream bigger than the law would allow.

And there’s more.

Some say Tew buried part of his treasure before heading off on his final voyage. There are rumors, local tales passed down on the docks of Newport, that his gold still lies hidden somewhere in Rhode Island. Maybe it’s just folklore. Maybe it’s the truth wrapped in a good story.

But if you’re a treasure hunter like me, you know one thing: legends don’t just pop out of thin air.

The Man Behind the Myth

So who was Thomas Tew, really? A rogue? A rebel? A hero? A villain?

He was all of it. And none of it. He was a man who made a choice, to live by his own rules, to chase fortune on his own terms, and to laugh in the face of empires.

He died the way he lived: bold, reckless, and unforgettable.

And somewhere, out there, the echoes of his cannon fire still drift across the waves.