The Ranger Crew was the pirate crew of Nassau during the Golden Age of Piracy. Under the leadership of Charles Vane, they became the highest earning crew, rivaled only by the Walrus Crew.
The crew's banner featured a red dagger, sideways skull and heart on a black background.
History[]
Background[]
Charles Vane had been the protege of Edward Teach, the most powerful captain in the Pirate Republic. By 1705, he had gained notoriety for attacking numerous ships in the Bahamas. Jack Rackham, a Royal Navy officer, and his companion Anne Bonny, managed to cross paths with him and join his crew.[1]
Eventually, Jack Rackham rose to the position of Quartermaster, where he acted as the brains behind Vane’s brawn. Meanwhile, Anne Bonny became known as one of the most skilled fighters in Nassau.
Under Vane’s leadership, the crew became the second most profitable on the island, eclipsed by the Walrus Crew. However, by 1715, the Walrus had a streak of bad prize hauls, making the competition even closer. Unfortunately for them, Eleanor Guthrie, the trade boss of Nassau, disliked the unruly nature of the crew, which was encouraged by Vane, and she eventually stopped providing them with leads.[2]
Season One[]
Jack Rackham engineers a scheme where they stoke resentment against Flint over the poor prizes in order to prop up Singleton to be elected as captain. In truth, they want Singleton to make so poor a captain that their best men will defect, allowing the Ranger Crew to bring them into the fold.
Jack spies Hal Gates, Flint’s quartermaster, approaching Mosiah, the leader of nine African members of the crew. Jack realizes that Gates is getting his men to vote in favor of Flint, and warns Singleton. Singleton, Jack, Anne and Vane confront Mosiah, and when he refuses to switch his vote, he and his bodyguard are killed by Vane and Anne and buried in a shallow grave. However, Mosiah is able to dig himself out, and is able to tell his crew-mate Joshua that Vane killed him.
Eleanor Guthrie learns of this, and having wanted Flint to win his election, goes to the Inn where Vane is partying with his crew and punches him in the face, prompting him to do the same. He follows her to a room upstairs, where he warns her against disrespecting him in front of his men.
The next day, Max, a prostitute at the Inn, approaches Jack and Anne, and offers to sell them the Urca de Lima schedule.[2] Jack agrees to buy it for 5000 pesos worth of black pearls. The ship’s Prizemaster warns Jack that this deal will leave the crew with little reserves. Jack is adamant that the reward of five million dollars outweighs the loss of five thousand.
In Eleanor's office, Vane pleads with her for more leads to prize scores. Vane says he believes that the lack of information Eleanor is giving him about potential prizes is personal and that he'd like to put an end to it. Eleanor states that she finds his suggestion preposterous and that she only stopped giving him leads because she doesn't like the way he runs his ship. She tells him that his men are unruly, undisciplined, and what they cause in damages is twice as much as the profits they bring in. Flint enters the tavern with his men, revealing to a surprised Vane that he was not deposed as captain.
Max and Jack meet to complete the deal at the Inn, and she has Frasier the appraiser examine all the pearls to ensure that they are of quality. Frasier assures them that they are, and leaves. Vane busts in the room and tells Rackham that Max doesn't have the page, but Flint does. Vane had apparently heard the story from crew members of the Walrus about Flint taking the schedule from the body of Singleton. Vane then shoves Max up against a wall and begins to choke her, feeling that she is trying to play him for a fool. Rackham explains to Vane that Flint is just bluffing about finding the page as a means to end the mutiny that was brewing.
As Max continues being choked by Vane, Rackham sees that she is apparently waving off someone in the direction of the wall. Rackham looks over at the wall and spots the peephole. Rackham jabs a dagger into the peephole barely missing Silver who immediately runs away, leaving Rackham with only an empty room to investigate. Now suspecting some truth to what Max is telling him, Vane tells her that he will go along with the plan and meet for the exchange at the Wrecks.
Later that evening, Rackham and Vane arrive at the Wrecks looking for Silver. They are approached by a man acting as Silver's agent who asks that they hand over the pearls to him. Vane disapproves and begins screaming aloud, demanding that Silver show his face. When Silver offers no response, Vane pulls out a knife and stabs the man to death. A second old man approaches Vane from the shadows and tells him that Silver says that he can leave the pearls. Before any resolution comes of this, Billy Bones sneaks up behind Silver and fires a pistol at him. The bullet narrowly misses Silver and as he sprints away he finds himself now being chased by Bones, Flint, Vane, and Rackham. Elsewhere, Rackham, thinking he has found Silver, instead is presented with a severely disfigured man. This unnerves Rackham so badly that he loses his balance and falls into the sea below, losing the pearls in the water, and the pearls are lost in the sea.[3]
The next day, Rackham is confronted by several crew members of the Ranger. They say that he promised them a score and now is there not only not a score, but they are also out 5,000 pesos of their collective booty. Rackham responds by telling them that he is just as disappointed as they are and if they are so sure that his value to them is exhausted that they should elect another quartermaster.
Later that day, as Gates sits looking at navigational charts, he is approached by an overly friendly Rackham. Gates is immediately skeptical and calls Rackham out for his obvious desperation, stating that he knows about Rackham and the lost pearls. Rackham then begins to plant a seed of doubt into Gates about Gates' looming captaincy. He questions whether Gates is too old for such a job; what if he oversleeps or hurts his bum knee. This seed of doubt apparently grows because Gates immediately goes to find Flint and proposes that they use Charles Vane and the Ranger crew as their consort.
Inside a brothel, Rackham confronts Vane about acting as Flint's consort. When Vane expresses reluctance, Rackham explains to him that since Eleanor is backing the expedition, were Vane to participate and help it succeed, then that might get him back in Eleanor's good graces. Furthermore, Jack already told the crew, so they could agree before Vane had a say.
Later, inside Eleanor's tavern, the meeting is set up between Vane and Flint. As soon as the meeting begins, Flint interjects that he wants to talk about Mosiah. He demands that before they even begin to discuss anything, he wants to hear Vane apologize for Mosiah's murder. Gates immediately jumps in and takes Flint outside where he explains that Flint must behave himself or nothing will get accomplished. They eventually agree to terms with Vane joking about how surprising it is that he is the only one behaving himself.
Following the meeting, Vane and Rackham are walking down the street when Vane directs Rackham to a small hut. Inside is a naked and battered Max. The crew of the Ranger had apparently been raping her throughout the day. Vane approaches her and begins to talk to her. He asks why, even though Eleanor was offering her protection, she left the tavern. Max answers by asking Vane how he felt when Eleanor threw him aside. Vane leaves the hut and tells Rackham to take her out during the night and put her on a boat and to do it as quietly as possible. When Rackham asks what will happen if she comes back, Vane replies that she won't.
Eleanor enters Vane's tent and the two make love. At the same time, Rackham is attempting to escort Max to a boat when he is intercepted by Hamund and other Ranger crew members. He states that even though it was Vane who brought her here, they will decide when they are through with her. As Eleanor is dressing inside Vane's tent, she hears a woman screaming outside. It is the sound of Max's screams as she is being raped by Hamund in the middle of the street. Eleanor grabs a tent beam and attacks Hamund, who quickly moves away from Max.
Eleanor quickly realizes that Vane was behind Max's brutal treatment. She makes a public declaration to the Ranger's crew that she will not sell any food, supply any whores, or buy any goods from any of them unless they join Captain Flint's crew and grand him use of their ship. Most of the Ranger crew members walk over and stand next to Flint. Even Anne Bonny begins to make a move toward Flint, but Vane stops her by threatening to kill her if she moves any further. Eleanor then attempts to console Max and apologizes for what Vane did to her. Max corrects her, stating that it was not his fault this happened, but Eleanor's. Max then tells Vane that because she has cost him his prize, she will remain his until that debt is paid off. Meanwhile, Gates is appointed captain of the Ranger crew.[4]
After this, the crew under Vane’s leadership numbers barely ten men. Vane spends his time drinking, taking opium and picking a fight with anyone who insults him. Jack tries to convince Gruenwald to present his crew’s cargo to Eleanor as his own and split the profits, but he refuse out of fear of reprisals from Eleanor. Noonan then confronted Jack Rackham, but was chased off by Anne Bonny, who had become upset with Noonan's treatment of Max, especially his referral to the latter as "whore". Anne suggests that Noonan try and take Max himself. Noonan replies that he's noticed fewer and fewer men by Vane's tent, and that he might try and do so soon.
Noonan later attempts to get even by ambushing Vane in a back alley. While they are able to beat him and put a gun to his head, the pistol misfires and Vane snaps back and kills the two men protecting Noonan, and stabs him in the leg. Noonan begs for mercy, promising money if he is spared, but Vane puts his boot to Noonan's neck, and breaks it.[5]
Vane, Rackham, and Anne Bonny then go to Noonan's brothel the next day. Much to Bonny's dismay, Rackham and Vane have formulated a plan to take over the recently deceased Noonan's brothel and make it their business. Putting their plan in play, Rackham approaches Mrs. Mapleton and hands her an obviously forged bill of transfer from Noonan giving Vane the brothel. Rackham tells a dubious Mapleton that Noonan sold them the brothel and has fled to Port Royal. Mapleton immediately sniffs out that this is a deception but turns it to her advantage, asking for a raise in exchange for her silence on the matter. When Mapleton tells Rackham that she currently makes 3 percent of the gross, Rackham tells her that he'll give her 40.
At the brothel, Hamund announces that Eleanor Guthrie is finished and now that they are rid of her, Rackham needs to find them a ship. Rackham suggests that they exercise caution, being that Hornigold is apparently still backing her. This doesn't sit well with Hamund and he storms off to go attack Eleanor. Bonny offers to kill Hamund but Rackham tells her that they can't go around killing the few men they still have left that are loyal to Vane. Rackham tells Bonny to get Mrs. Mapleton out to the beach to check on Max.
Hamund and his cronies later confront Eleanor at the Tavern, and they taunt her about Max before being ordered to leave. Vane later acquires a skiff and leaves Nassau, much to Jack’s confusion.
Eleanor tries to salvage the fence operation by creating a new Consortium to manage it, using Frasier as its corporate seal, Captains Naft and Lawrence as cargo ships and Benjamin Hornigold to provide security and legitimacy. However, Hornigold demands that Eleanor lift the ban on Captain Vane, but she refuses.[6]
After a number of hours, she relents, and Hornigold spreads the word. Hamund returns from the tavern with the news of Eleanor "knuckling under". Anne Bonny stands in front of the tent where Max is being held. After a confrontation, Jack Rackham attempts to dissuade Anne from defending Max again. Anne regretfully agrees to stand down, and Hamund enters the tent again, presumably to rape Max.
At Eleanor's tavern, Eleanor is confronted by Anne Bonny who tells her that the treatment Max is receiving on the beach from Hamund isn't right and needs to be remedied. Bonny asks that Eleanor kill Hamund. Eleanor rejects this idea and suggests that they wipe out all of the remaining Ranger crew that are still loyal to Vane. To assist her, Eleanor enlists the help of John Silver, who is still locked up in Eleanor's office. Though he initially rejects the idea, Eleanor convinces him to help her when she tells him that he is eventually going to need friends to protect him from being disposed of once he has outlived his usefulness to Flint.
Later, Silver approaches Hamund and states that he has a proposition for him. He tells Hamund that he was Max's partner and that he wants to sell the information of the schedule to him. When Hamund tells Flint that he doesn't have any money because Rackham lost it all, Silver tells him that's not exactly true. Hamund and the others barge in on Bonny and Rackham as they are lying together in bed. Silver apparently told them that Rackham gave half the pearls to Max before he ever went to the meeting at The Wrecks which means that there is still 2,500 pesos out there that Max had on her and that this means that Bonny or Rackham still have them because they must have surely taken them from Max. Hamund then produces a handful of pearls that he found in Rackham's tent as proof that Rackham is lying. When Hamund asks where the rest of the pearls are, Bonny tells him that they buried them at The Wrecks and that she can lead him to them.
At The Wrecks, the crew of the Ranger is being led by Bonny to where she "buried" the pearls. Rackham comes alongside her and quietly tells her that he knows this must be an ambush of some sort. Bonny tells him that she partnered with Eleanor in the endeavor. Rackham begs that Slade be spared because he never laid a hand on Max, but Anne more or less states that all must die. O'Malley and several other men that work for Eleanor emerge from behind hidden rocks and begin killing the Ranger crew. Hamund tries to limp away but Bonny catches him and stabs him in the gut with her cutlass, killing him.[7]
The Walrus and the Ranger depart Nassau and sail through a hurricane to arrive at Florida. Walrus and the Ranger approach Division Bay, where they suspect the Urca to be. However, when they make the turn into the bay, the Urca is nowhere to be seen. The leadership then must decide what to do to keep the men from revolting. Flint determines that they should maintain their position and send out scouts to attempt to locate the Urca.
Suddenly, sails are spotted to the south. It is determined that it is not the Urca but is a Spanish man-of-war, possibly an escort of the Urca. Flint quickly calculates a plan of action. The Ranger will raise the black flag and will fire a few shots across the bow of the Walrus. Presumably, because the Walrus is flying a fake Spanish flag, the Man O' War will believe that it is a Spanish ship being attacked by a pirate. As the Man O' War gets closer, the Ranger will take off as if trying to get away. Then when the Walrus has successfully deceived the Man O' War into thinking that they are just a Spanish merchant ship, the Man O' War will leave the Walrus and chase the Ranger. When this happens, the Walrus will turn quickly and fire a broadside into the exposed stern of the Man O' War, while the Ranger turns to port and fires against the Man O' War's bow. Gates refuses, but Flint kills him in his cabin and tells the crew he died of a heart attack, and orders Logan to signal Thompson to take control of the Ranger.
The plan seems to work at first, although the Walrus takes a long time to fire due to Dufresne launching a mutiny against Flint. When they do, the Ranger comes about and fires at the Spanish ship’s bow. However, the Spanish are able to bring their broadsides to bear on the pirates, and unleash volleys from their cannons. The Ranger’s powder magazine is hit and it explodes, and goes down with all hands. The Walrus is able to limp away, and the crew beach her on the shores of Florida, having lost over half their men.
In Nassau, Vane arrives with a new crew of Baymen and takes over Fort Nassau, and threatens to sink every ship in the bay unless Eleanor agrees to let him take Hornigold’s place as Steward of the Fort and on the Consortium, which she agrees to. He then goes to the Inn, where he confronts Jacke and Anne for their role in the deaths of their remaining crewmates. Instead of killing them, he opts to place a black mark on them, declaring that due to their disloyalty, they will never sail with a Nassau crew again. This marks the end of the Ranger crew.[8]
Members[]
- Charles Vane, Captain
- Hal Gates, Captain
- Jack Rackham, Quartermaster
- Anne Bonny
- Hamund
- Slade
- Thompson
- Prizemaster
- Ranger Crewmate
Quotes[]
"I stopped providing you with intelligence because I don't like the way you run your ship. Your men are undisciplined, unruly. For as much money as they bring in, they cause twice as much damage. They're f*cking animals. You encourage it. And that makes you a poor investment."
- Eleanor Guthrie to Charles Vane in II.
"The Ranger is twice the ship the Lion is. More men, more guns. More importantly, the captain is strong in a fight, second only to you."