A rogue's gallery of pirates

Some of the most famous pirates to sail the Caribbean and American coastal waters.

HENRY AVERY, a k a LONG BEN

Henry Avery, sometimes listed as Henry "Every," and better known as Long Ben, started his career in 1694 as a privateer. But when he and his crew didn't get paid, they turned into full-fledged pirates. Long Ben's windfall came when he captured a ship from India laden with diamonds and other treasure (estimated to be worth about $400 million in today's dollars). He retired with his riches, although some say he was later cheated out of them. But the story of his exploits inspired seamen everywhere. In the eyes of the poor, wrote Daniel Defoe, Long Ben "raised himself to the Dignity of a King."

HER MAJESTY'S PIRATE: FRANCIS DRAKE

Francis Drake, the first man to sail around the world, had learned at an early age to dislike the Spanish. As a young sailor, he was on a ship attacked by the Spaniards. So, it was no hardship when Queen Elizabeth I commissioned him as a privateer and encouraged him to attack and plunder any and every Spanish ship he came across. He returned to England in 1580 with such a load of treasure that Elizabeth knighted him. He continued to plague the Spanish over the next 16 years. Drake died in 1596 in the Caribbean and was buried at sea.

PIRATES IN DISGUISE: ANNE BONNY AND MARY READ

Anne Bonny and Mary Read were not only two of the few women to take up piracy, they had other things in common. Both were illegitimate and both ended up on the ship of Calico Jack Rackham. Bonny left her husband in Nassau, Bahamas, to take up with Rackham as one of his pirate crew. She disguised herself as a man, because early sailors thought having a woman aboard was bad luck. Apparently, she was so daring and fierce that no one suspected her true gender. At one point Rackham captured a young sailor who asked to join his crew. This actually turned out to be Read, also in disguise. Read and Bonny became good friends. Their days of piracy came to an end in 1720, when they were captured by British troops. It was said that the women were the only ones to put up a fight. Their true identity at last revealed, they were sent to prison, while the rest of the crew was hanged.

WILLIAM KIDD, a k a CAPT. KIDD