Female Pirates

[Nell]

Ahoy me fellow pirates!
Since I began playing POTC I was amazed at how little knowledge there was regarding female pirates! I dare say some folk didn’t even know they existed at all!
Well rest assure not only did they exist they are among some of the most ruthless and successful pirates ever to grace the pages of Pirate Lore!

That being said I thought it would be fun to start a thread dedicated to those wild and crazy wenches!

My favorite was Ching Shih a.k.a Cheng I Sao - 1775 – 1844

Here’s a snipet taken from several sources:

She was beautiful and tough and operated along the coast of South China.
At the height of her power, she commanded 17,000 men and several hundred vessels known as the "Red Flag Fleet". That made her the leader of one of the biggest navies in the world at the time. Chinese officials tried many tactics to bring the Red Flag Fleet to justice, but every expedition to eradicate the pirates failed. Even the navies of Portugal and Britain could not defeat Ching. In desperation, a general amnesty was offered to all pirates in 1810 and Ching Shih decided to take advantage of it. She retired with all of her fortune and ran a gambling house before dying in 1844 at the age of 69. Some historians say that she was the "best pirate who ever lived."

Now is that an awesome story or what??

Please share your stories of any female pirates you know of!

Happy plundering!