The history of piracy

The development of national navies caused the decline ofpiracy.Beginning in 1803, the United States endeavored to crushthecorsairs of Tripoli. In 1815 and 1816 the United States,theNetherlands, and Great Britain wiped out the Barbary pirates,whohad exacted tribute under the threat of capturing shipsandimprisoning their crews. In 1816, Great Britain and gillette mach3 razor blades theUnitedStates began operations against pirates in the WestIndies,particularly those on the Cuban coast, and in 1824 theUnitedStates sent David Porter to complete the task. The power ofthepirates along the Straits of Malacca and the China seas wasbrokenafter the Opium Wars in the late 19th cent. During theSpanishCivil War the major powers agreed (1937) at the NyonConference onan antipiracy pact after mysterious attacks onmerchant ships inthe Mediterranean. Small-scale piracy persists insome waters,particularly in Indonesia and SE and S Asia, in the RedSea and offthe Horn of Africa, off the Gulf of Guinea coast, andoffEcuador.