Editing William Kidd (section)

===Preparing his expedition===
[[File:Captain Kidd in New York Harbor cph.3f06373.jpg|thumb|250px|''Captain Kidd in New York Harbor'', in a c. 1920 painting by [[Jean Leon Gerome Ferris]]]]
[[File:The Charles Galley-Willem van de Velde the Younger-2.jpg|right|thumb|The ''Charles Galley'', a contemporary vessel of a comparable design to ''Adventure Galley'']]

On 11 December 1695, [[Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont]], who was governing New York, [[Massachusetts]], and [[New Hampshire]], asked the "trusty and well beloved Captain Kidd"<ref name="Hamilton, 1961 p">Hamilton, (1961) p. ?</ref> to attack [[Thomas Tew]], [[John Ireland (pirate)|John Ireland]], [[Thomas Wake (pirate)|Thomas Wake]], [[William May (pirate)|William Maze]], and all others who associated themselves with pirates, along with any enemy French ships. His request had the weight of the Crown behind it, and Kidd would have been considered disloyal, carrying much social stigma, to refuse Bellomont. This request preceded the voyage that contributed to Kidd's reputation as a pirate and marked his image in history and [[folklore]].

Four-fifths of the cost for the 1696 venture was paid by noble lords, who were among the most powerful men in England: the [[Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford|Earl of Orford]], the Baron of Romney, the [[Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury|Duke of Shrewsbury]], and [[John Somers, 1st Baron Somers|Sir John Somers]]. Kidd was presented with a [[letter of marque]], signed personally by King [[William III of England]], which authorized him as a privateer. This letter reserved 10% of the loot for the Crown, and Henry Gilbert's ''The Book of Pirates'' suggests that the King fronted some of the money for the voyage himself. Kidd and his acquaintance Colonel [[Robert Livingston the Elder|Robert Livingston]] orchestrated the whole plan; they sought additional funding from merchant [[Blackham baronets|Sir Richard Blackham]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gilderlehrman.org/content/secret-agreement-between-pirate-hunters-1696 |title=A secret agreement between pirate hunters, 1696 |publisher=[[Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History]]}}</ref> Kidd also had to sell his ship ''Antigua'' to raise funds.

The new ship, ''[[Adventure Galley]]'',<ref>{{cite web| title =Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts: 'The Real Captain Kidd'| author =Frank R. Stockton| publisher =The Baldwin Online Children's Literature Project| url =http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=stockton&book=buccaneers&story=kidd| access-date =13 December 2007}}</ref> was well suited to the task of catching pirates, weighing over 284 [[Builder's Old Measurement|tons burthen]] and equipped with 34 [[Naval artillery in the Age of Sail|cannon]], oars, and 150 men. The oars were a key advantage, as they enabled ''Adventure Galley'' to manoeuvre in a battle when the winds had calmed and other ships were dead in the water. Kidd took pride in personally selecting the crew, choosing only those whom he deemed to be the best and most loyal officers.

{{blockquote|As the Adventure Galley sailed down the [[Thames]], Kidd unaccountably failed to salute a Navy yacht at Greenwich, as custom dictated. The Navy yacht then fired a shot to make him show respect, and Kidd's crew responded with an astounding display of impudence – by turning and slapping their backsides in [disdain].<ref>Botting (1978) p. 106</ref>}}

Because of Kidd's refusal to salute, the Navy vessel's captain retaliated by [[impressment|pressing]] much of Kidd's crew into [[Royal Navy|naval service]], despite the captain's strong protests and the general exclusion of privateer crew from such action. Short-handed, Kidd sailed for New York City, capturing a French vessel en route (which was legal under the terms of his commission). To make up for the lack of officers, Kidd picked up replacement crew in New York, the vast majority of whom were known and hardened criminals, some likely former pirates.

Among Kidd's officers was quartermaster [[Hendrick van der Heul]]. The quartermaster was considered "second in command" to the captain in pirate culture of this era. It is not clear, however, if Van der Heul exercised this degree of responsibility because Kidd was authorised as a privateer. Van der Heul is notable because he might have been African or of Dutch descent. A contemporary source describes him as a "small black Man". If Van der Heul was of African ancestry, he would be considered the highest-ranking black pirate or privateer so far identified. Van der Heul later became a [[master's mate]] on a merchant vessel and was never convicted of piracy.