Ambrose Light (ship) Ambrose Light (ship) Ambrose Light was a brigantine, operated by Colombian rebels. It was captured by USS "Alliance" as a suspected pirate vessel in 1885. The accusation of piracy was rejected by a court of law. On April 24, Commander Lewis Clark, of the South Atlantic Squadron, was sailing to Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, when the lookouts aboard "Alliance" sighted the one-gun "Ambrose Light". It was flying a strange flag featuring a red cross over a white background so the Americans assumed the vessel was a pirate ship. A chase began and the Americans were preparing to
Ambrose Light (ship) fire a shot over the vessel's bow when a Colombian ensign was observed and "Ambrose Light" came to a halt. Commander Clark put Lieutenant M. Fisher and a boarding party on the rebel ship and it was found to have been armed with one cannon and sixty heavily armed sailors. A large cache of ammunition was also discovered. The Colombians revealed their letter of marque from the rebel leader Pedro Lara, giving the men of "Ambrose Light" permission to blockade Cartagena. Commander Clark disregarded this and took the rebels prisoner and the brigantine as a prize. The ship was put