WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE: THE THIRD SPACE
Privateer Days Parade
PHOTOS BY SUE BORGERSEN
The Privateer Days Parade takes place in
Liverpool Nova Scotia each summer.
Below is brief history of Liverpool's
privateers (text borrowed from Privateer
Days website.)
Privateers were privately owned ships that
were authorized by a government to raid
ships from other countries - a form of legalized piracy on the high seas. The men who
served aboard these ships were also referred to as "privateers."
After the American Revolution, American privateer ships
ranged up and down Nova Scotia’s South Shore, ambushing
merchant shipments, disrupting commerce, and occasionally
stealing ships right out of Liverpool’s wharves. Desperate to
defend their homes, their families, and their livelihoods, many
leading citizens of the Town of Liverpool petitioned the British
government for the right to retaliate against these ocean raiders.
In 1777, these citizens were granted authorization to launch privateer ships of their own.
Liverpool quickly emerged as one of
British North America’s leading
privateer ports, eventually deploying
more privateer vessels than even the
much larger city of Halifax. Ships like
the Lucy, the Rover, and the Liverpool
Packet gained international renown
for their workmanship and speed,
and the prowess of their crews inspired respect and fear.
Although privateers no longer roam the seas, and the day
of the great sailing ships has passed, Liverpool’s
significance in maritime history lives on in the town’s
nickname to this day: PORT OF THE PRIVATEERS. The
annual Privateer Days summer festival is a proud
celebration of Liverpool’s colourful privateer heritage.
28 | November 2016