Chaloner Ogle commanded HMS Swallow when the Royal Navy defeated Bartholomew Roberts in 1722.
Ogle was a Royal Navy captain assigned to suppress Roberts, one of the most successful pirates of the early eighteenth century. Roberts operated along the West African coast, where he captured or plundered numerous merchant vessels. His fleet and reputation made him a major target for British authorities.
In February 1722, Ogle used a deceptive approach near Cape Lopez. HMS Swallow sailed away from Roberts’s anchored ships, encouraging the pirate to give chase. Once Swallow had drawn Roberts into a vulnerable position, Ogle turned his ship’s guns against the pirate vessel. Roberts was killed during the fighting.
The defeat badly damaged organized piracy in West Africa. Ogle later received a knighthood for his service. He is sometimes confused with Jonathan Barnet, another Royal Navy officer involved in capturing a different pirate, Calico Jack Rackham.