Mosquitos to the Rescue

The Shark may have claimed the Florida Keys, but it’s the Mosquitos that protected its waters! 

In March 1822, Lt. Commander Matthew C. Perry sailed the schooner USS Shark to Key West and planted the American flag, claiming the Keys as United States property. The claim, however, didn’t stop the pirates who considered the settlements and surrounding waters their pillaging territory. 

The original pirates of the Caribbean, “The Brethren of the Coast,” were capturing American merchantmen and attacking their crews, as well as attacking settlements, including the newly established American settlements in Key West.

“Key West was a relatively new settlement, and the small number of inhabitants were entirely susceptible to pirate attacks when they took to their ships as part of their everyday lives,” says Key West Art & Historical Society Curator and Historian Cori Convertito, Ph.D.

In late 1822, this rampant piracy led the Secretary of the Navy Smith Thompson to authorize Commodore David Porter to lead a squadron of new vessels to eliminate the pirate threat. And eliminate, he did.

Officially called the West Indies Squadron and based in Key West, CDRE Porter’s squadron consisted of eight shallow-draft schooners, five large barges, a storeship schooner, and a steam powered riverboat, which was the first steam powered ship in the U.S. Navy. However, the shallow-draft schooners quickly earned the nickname the Mosquito Fleet because of their relentless agile attacks on pirate vessels. 

The Mosquito Fleet swarmed the pirates, sucking the life out of The Brethren of the Coast one vessel after another. CDRE Porter was living up to his reputation from his heralded successes during the War of 1812, including capturing the first British warship of the conflict, HMS Alert.

“Under Porter’s governance, particularly his insistence on fleet size, tactical skills and navigation know-how, the navy triumphed, purging the region of pirates,” Dr. Convertito says. “His squadron is credited with taking nearly 80 pirates out of Caribbean waters.”

CDRE Porter and the Mosquito Fleet put an end to the pirates’ pillaging ways, but their spirit still drifts into the Keys on the salty air. Though not exactly celebrated, the extensive pirate history of the Keys is recognized throughout the islands. Locals and visitors alike enjoy pirate-related tours, museum exhibits, shipwreck explorations, and more.

The end of the pirate era led to the dramatic rise of the wrecking era in the Keys, a very significant time in Keys history. Now that the Mosquito Fleet had made the area safer, many early settlers in Key West and Islamorada salvaged goods from shipwrecks along the coral barrier reef that runs parallel to the Keys.

Despite local lore, these “wreckers” were not lawless replicas of pirates. They followed a strict code of conduct and, in many ways, served as an early Coast Guard that often rescued crews and passengers from sinking vessels. The wrecking industry made Key West the wealthiest U.S. city per capita during that era, laying the groundwork for the Keys we know today.

The story of the Mosquito Fleet is a vivid chapter in Florida Keys’ history. While piracy once threatened the fledgling settlements, the strategic actions of Commodore David Porter and his agile squadron transformed the region, paving the way for a new era of prosperity.

On an arched brick wall in Mallory Square, you’ll find a historical marker commemorating the Mosquito Fleet. Within shouting distance of this marker, you can also find the Antipiracy Campaign historical marker and “The Wreckers” sculpture that stands 18 feet long and 25 feet high. The Key West Shipwreck Museum is also located nearby, which showcases the area’s maritime heritage.

–Jerrica Mah is a writer, Army wife, and freelance book editor, who loves to travel with her family

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