John Ordronaux | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 16, 1778 |
| Died | August 24, 1841 (aged 62) |
| Occupation | Privateer |
| Piratical career | |
| Type | Privateer |
| Allegiance |  France United States |
| Commands | Marengo Prince de Neufchatel |
| Battles/wars | War of 1812 |
| Wealth | $300,000 |
| Later work | Sugar industry |
John Ordronaux (16 December 1778 – 24 August 1841)[1][2] was one of the most successful privateers of the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. During the war he commanded two ships, Marengo, then Prince de Neufchatel. With these he captured or destroyed about thirty British merchant ships, outran about seventeen British warships and brought back goods to the US worth between $250,000 and $300,000. In August 1812, during his First Command with the Marengo, he captured a young Scotsman from the English ship Concord called James Swanston Miller (1798-1855) and stranded him unexpectedly on the island of Grand Canary. After this freak of chance, the Swanston and Miller families went on to build a famous and unplanned mercantile dynasty in the island which hugely boosted the local economy after the Napoleonic Wars and into the 20th century.
- ^ Pedigrees provided by Captain Charles Reader, Corps of Engineers, Dept. of Military Science & Tactics, The Johns Hopkins University for the Bureau of Navigation, US Navy Department on 2/8/1940 and 12/9/1941. Capt. Reader was John Ordronaux's great grandson-in-law. Ref. Nav-2-LM DD617/S6-2(1)
- ^ See photo of his cenotaph at Find a Grave
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