and go into business for himself. This resulted in a vacancy on his original ship, and experienced mates often moved up to the position of captain. Additionally, talented officers on a privateer owned ship faced great prospects for their own advancement. It was quite common for a successful first mate to receive a ship of his own to command from a privateer owner/captain. In this way the privateer could increase his holdings and profits by owning multiple ships, and ambitious officers could further their own careers. At the end of the revolution, there were privateers who had as many as ten ships in their service. These men would retire from commanding ships, and oversee the business of "corporate" privateering. This system quickly blossomed after the beginning of the war and was an economic boom for the maritime sector. This boom was due to the fact that American privateers were "damn good" at what they did. Their capture rate is astounding. In 1781 four hundred and forty-nine vessels had been commissioned as privateers, the highest number of any year of the revolution. These ships captured a little over thirteen hundred vessels, and sank almost two hundred more. The British were shocked by the prowess exhibited by American seamen. For years Great Britain had reigned supreme on the seas, and a band of profiteering rebels was not only destroying their trade, but humiliating their Royal Navy. In the early stages of the war privateers would often come across HMS vessels, and attempt to engage them. Although they were not laden with commercial goods suitable for sale they were often troop transports, or even better, supply ships bringing necessities to British troops in America. The Continental Congress had put bounties not on HMS vessels but rather twenty-five dollars a head on English servicemen delivered as prisoners. The ship and any goods were for the privateer to keep. This made troop transports a suitable p...
