Christopher Newport
Christopher Newport | |
|---|---|
Statue of Christopher Newport on the campus at Christopher Newport University depicts him with both arms, prior to the loss of one arm in the Anglo-Spanish War. Monumental Sculpture by Jon Hair | |
| Born | December, 1561 Limehouse, London, England |
| Died | August 1617 (aged 55) Bantam, Java |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands | Little John (1590), Golden Dragon (1592), Susan Constant (1607), John and Francis (1608), Mary and Margaret (1608), Prosperous (1611), Expedition (1613) |
| Known for | Privateering, Watts' West Indies and Virginia expedition, Captain of the Susan Constant and Jamestown supply missions |
| Spouse(s) | Katherine Proctor (1584-1590) Ellen Ade (1590) Elizabeth Glanville (1595-?) |
Christopher Newport (b. 1561 – d. 1617) was an English seaman and privateer. During the war with Spain Newport was one of the most successful 'Elizabethan Sea Dogs' to venture to the Spanish Main, making large profits.
Newport is best known as the captain of the Susan Constant, the largest of three ships which carried settlers for the Virginia Company in 1607 on the way to found the settlement at Jamestown in the Virginia Colony, which became the first permanent English settlement in North America. He was also in overall command of the other two ships on that initial voyage, in order of their size, the Godspeed and the Discovery.
He made several voyages of supply between England and Jamestown; in 1609, he became Captain of the Virginia Company's new flagship, Sea Venture, which met a hurricane during the Third Supply mission and was shipwrecked on the archipelago of Bermuda.
Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, was named in his honour.