by Shelly Barclay

Created on: June 02, 2009   Last Updated: June 13, 2009

The written history of Captain William Kidd and his treasure is riddled with little known truths and wide spread rumors and myth. William Kidd is typically thought of as an infamous pirate with a prolific and long career as such. The real William Kidd was most likely small-time in the world of pirating at best. The irony of Captain Kidd's career is that he actually spent most of it hunting pirates, until he was accused, and found guilty, of being one.

William Kidd became Captain Kidd in 1689, when he and his other crewmen staged a successful mutiny on board a pirate ship in the Caribbean Sea. William was appointed captain of the ship. It was then renamed the "Blessed William."

After Captain Kidd, his new ship and his crew returned to England they joined a small fleet of ships that were charged with protecting the English island of Nevis from the French. The job wasn't a paying one so Kidd and his men extracted their wages by robbing defeated Frenchmen per suggestion of the governor of Nevin. At the time this was not considered an act of piracy. It was common practice during times of war. It is highly unlikely that Kidd amassed any treasure worth burying at this time.

William Kidd then spent many years at sea as a privateer. It was his job to capture pirate and enemy ships. He also lived in New York where he married and had two children. He was considered a model captain and citizen during that period. If he committed any acts of piracy at this time, they went unnoticed.

The voyage that gained Kidd his reputation as a pirate came some time later. It was to be his last voyage as a captain. If he did indeed acquire enough treasure to warrant burying it in many places, this trip was when he was most likely to have done it. Although there is no irrefutable evidence to suggest that he obtained any treasure that was not later accounted for.

Captain Kidd's last mission was aboard an English vessel named the Adventure Galley. Kidd was hired in 1965 to attack pirates and their associates as well as any French vessels he came across. During the first leg of his journey Kidd made the mistake of failing to salute an approaching Navy vessel. His crewmen even turned their backs on the ship and slapped their behinds. In retaliation, the captain of the Navy ship forced most of the crew to join the Navy. After this shameful debacle, Kidd set out for New York to replenish his crew, he even managed to capture a French vessel on the way.

The Adventure Galley then began

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