Commodore Porter & The Mosquito Fleet

The spread of piracy in the Caribbean angered the American government, and as the losses of American ships increased, both ship owners and the American public demanded action be taken.  In 1821, President Monroe authorized the establishment of an anti-pirate squadron.  On December 20, 1822, Secretary of the Navy, Smith Thompson, appointed Captain David Porter, “to command the vessels-of-war of the United States on the West India station...for the suppression of piracy”.  They appropriated $500,000 for Porter to outfit an expedition to eradicate the West Indian pirates.

David Porter personally organized his command and set out for Key West.  The ships were referred to as the “Mosquito Fleet” due to the small and shallow drafted vessels used. It allowed them to easily maneuver over the shallow areas and reefs in the Keys.  He arrived here in April 1823 with steam ships, schooners, a transport ship, barges and sloops-of-war, and even a decoy merchant ship armed with hidden guns, as well as 1100 men.  He scoured the Caribbean, the Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico, hitting hard at pirate bases, capturing pirate ships and escorting American ships to safety. 

One of Porter’s greatest successes was the defeat of the notorious Cuban pirate Diabolito (Little Devil) and his band in April 1823.  Porter was so successful that Spanish authorities complained to him that his efforts drove many former pirates to leave the sea and become brigands on land.  Eventually, with hundreds of pirates captured, safe maritime trade was restored, and by 1825, piracy had virtually ceased to exist in American and Caribbean waters.

Commodore Porter and the Mosquito Fleet

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