What was the name of the ship that carried pirate William Kidd to the Indian Ocean in 1696?

William Kidd sailed to the Indian Ocean aboard Adventure Galley in 1696.

Adventure Galley was a heavily armed vessel commissioned for Kidd’s expedition against pirates and enemy ships. Kidd received a privateering commission from the English Crown and investors, including powerful political figures, during a period when European powers used armed private ships against designated enemies.

The expedition became controversial after Kidd failed to secure the expected prizes and later captured the Armenian merchant ship Quedagh Merchant. Authorities treated that seizure as piracy, especially after Kidd’s legal commission no longer clearly covered the target.

Kidd returned to New York, where he was arrested and sent to England. He was executed in 1701. Adventure Galley was eventually abandoned after suffering damage and becoming difficult to operate, but its name remains closely linked with Kidd’s ill-fated voyage.