Which Royal Navy officer killed Blackbeard in 1718?

Royal Navy officer Robert Maynard killed Blackbeard in 1718.

Maynard was a lieutenant serving in the Royal Navy when Virginia governor Alexander Spotswood sent him to pursue Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard. Teach had been operating around the Carolina coast, and colonial authorities wanted to end his raids and influence.

Maynard commanded two small sloops, Ranger and Jane, and found Blackbeard near Ocracoke Island on 22 November 1718. During the battle, Maynard concealed some of his men below deck, then brought them out after Blackbeard’s crew thought the fight was nearly won. The engagement became a close hand-to-hand struggle.

Maynard and his sailors killed Blackbeard, whose body was later displayed at Hampton Roads. The officer’s action is sometimes attributed generally to the Royal Navy, but Maynard was the commander who led the attack and personally fought the pirate captain.