Outer Banks to represent clear water and a ship ahead; the unsuspecting captain would then drive his ship ashore following this false light. The islands are home to herds of feral horses, sometimes called "banker ponies," which according to local legend are descended from Spanish Mustangs washed ashore centuries ago in shipwrecks. Populations are found on Ocracoke Island, Shackleford Banks, Currituck Banks, and in the Rachel Carson Estuarine Sanctuary. Ocracoke was the last refuge of pirate Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. It is also where the infamous pirate was killed November 22, 1718 in a fierce battle with troops from Virginia.
William Read (pirate) captured grab. Thomas White remained aboard until leaving to sail with Nathaniel North. William Read of the "Alexander" should not be confused with William Read of the "Ranger", a pirate who served under Captain Charles Harris until Harris was abandoned by Edward Low and captured by the "HMS Greyhound" in 1723. William Read (pirate) William Read (died 1701, last name occasionally Reed) was a pirate active in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar. He is best known for rescuing fellow pirate captains John Bowen and Thomas White. Read was captain of the "Alexander", a 60-ton brigantine based out of Madagascar. Around