Blood of the Aztec Curse

This Conflict '''was the first official declaration of war on piracy in the 1740's. The campaign was initially started by Commodore James Norrington following his promotion as an act to rid the waters of Jamaica of pirates. When Hector Barbossa Though it was a short conflict, the British Royal Navy was still victorious in the end.'''

A Declaration of War
In the mid 1740's, pirates became a real problem in and around the Jamaican capital of Port Royal. Around this time, Captain James Norrington was promoted to the rank of commodore, a temporary fleet command rank variation of captain. Initially, Norrington's ambitions of war involved driving out the local pirates from Jamaican waters, but by sheer coincidence, what he thought was going to be a simply won group of skirmishes, evolved into a long and tedious conflict in which he achieved in losing his ship, his his fiancee, and making an enemy.

When his promotion day came, Norrington had all of the port Royal Garrison meet at Fort Charles for the ceremony. Following his promotion (as well as his intended Declaration of War), Elizabeth Swann fell of the fort's balcony after his proposal to her. While Captain Jack Sparrow attempted to save the young woman, the medalion she wore around her neck signaled a call to Hector Barbossa and his crew, who launched an attack on the city.

Raid on Port Royal
In the middle of the night following Jack Sparrow's arrest, The Black Pearl, under the command of Hector Barbossa, launched an attack on Port Royal, resulting in a defeat for Norrington and his men. After hearing cannon fire in the distance, Norrington rushed to rally the local militia to repel the attack. Many of his men were killed in the battle, and Elizabeth Swann was kidnapped, believed to be the daughter of Bootstrap Bill Turner by the pirates. Norrington immediately postponed his planned pirate hunt to track down the Black Pearl and Elizabeth aboard his ship, the HMS Interceptor.

In the meantime, William Turner Jr., intending to save Elizabeth himself, managed to convince captain Jack Sparrow to assist him in commandeering a ship to find her. Jack and Will snuck aboard the HMS Dauntless, Norrington's flagship and threatened Lieutenant Gillette and his men. Not before long, the commodore had no choice but to retake his other vessel. He and his men boarded the Dauntless, and when they were all onboard, Jack and Will commandeered the Interceptor which they sailed to Tortuga to pick up a crew, delaying Norrington's plans even more

Destruction of the Interceptor
While Jack attempted to retake the Black Pearl from Barbossa, Norrington continued to hunt for the Interceptor and the Pearl on his own with the Dauntless. Along the way, he managed to round up several lesser known buccaneers. Meanwhile, Jack Sparrow and Will Turner managed to rescue Elizabeth Swann from the clutches of Barbossa. Will and Elizabeth managed to escape but Jack wasn't so lucky, he was taken by Barbossa aboard the Black Pearl, which quickly caught up to the Interceptor.

The Pearl had the advantage in every way, it was larger, it had more crew, and it had more guns than the brig.Without much of a fight, the Interceptor was crippled, the Motley Crew were taken bellow and Jack and Elizabeth were stranded on an island. As it turned out, the Dauntless was patrolling nearby waters for pirates and managed to see Elizabeth's signal fire. She and Jack were brought aboard, and the pirate was forced to navigate the Dauntless to the Isla de Muerta.

Battle of the Isla de Muerta
Once they arrived at the island, James Norrington and his men surrounded the pirates' lair in longboats, and Jack Sparrow went to shore to parley with Barbossa. After tricking him into believing he was on his side, the skeletal captain sent most of his men to attack the HMS Dauntless, resulting in another battle. Meanwhile, on land, Jack engaged Barbossa in a duel. Jack shot Barbossa through the heart which resulted in his death when Will gave his blood to turn the cursed crew into normal men once more. Jack and the pirates were returned to Port Royal to be hanged, but he made a daring escape onboard the Pearl which was now in command of Mr. Gibbs.

The cursed crew managed to somehow escape from prison and commandeer a ship. Together, they returned to piracy, but were ultimately stopped by Jack Sparrow, who the commodore was still pursuing.

Skirmish off of Tripoli
About a year or so after regaining the Pearl, Captain Jack Sparrow was found by Norrington once again. The HMS Dauntless and several smaller vessels gave chase to Jack's ship right into a hurricane off of Tripoli in the Mediterranean Sea. It is unknown whether the two vessels engaged one another during the storm, but it is presumed that the Dauntless was lost. James somehow evaded death, possibly by evading the storm in another vessel or going to shore. He resigned his commission later that year and became a drunk on Tortuga.

Inspiration to future conflicts
Over a year after Norrington's failed and unfinished campaign halted, a new, larger, and more efficient plan to eradicate pirates was initiated by Cutler Beckett. This war was far better planned and larger scale than its predecessor was and even came close to succeeding. James Norrington became an admiral of the East India Trading Company during that particular conflict.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (first appearance)
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (junior novelization) (first identified as an official conflict)
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (indirect mention only)
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow