4. Thomas Tew
Mentions – 3
Wealth – 8 ($103 million)
Total – 11 points
Known as the Rhode Island Pirate, Thomas Tew, the next one in our list of most successful pirates in history, is an English privateer that turned pirate. Born in the 1600s, Tew had quite a few successful attempts to take over ships taking trips around the horn of Africa and towards the Indian Ocean. He managed to steal over $100 million in gold and various other treasures throughout his time as a pirate.
As many others on the list, he didn’t really have the chance to enjoy the money he stole. In 1695 he tried to pursue a 25 ship convoy, attacking one of them. Tew was killed in the battle, reports at the time indicating a horrendous death following being shot by a cannon.
