John Derdrake, known as the Baltic King, was an active Danish pirate in the 1700s. Based on the stories told, the famous pirate Derdrake was one of the few pirates who forced his victims to walk on the board. Sudden Death was one of the pirate ships he captured. Derdrake the pirate started working as a carpenter on a ship to London after losing his job at a shipyard in Copenhagen due to intoxication. His parents died soon after, leaving him a small legacy.

Carrying logwood on the ship was unprofitable. He was not providing enough income for John. Therefore, he decided to offer his services to Peter the Great. He was accepted into Russian service. However, after he killed his colleague in a shipyard dispute, he escaped to his ship and went to London.

The Capture of the Sudden Death Ship

When the pirate Derdrake reached London, he sold the ship's cargo. Later he went to Norway. However, he was attacked by a Russian warship on his way to Norway. The famous pirate Derdrake defeated the battleship and took it for himself. He managed this ship, which can be considered the first of the famous pirate ships he captured, together with 70 British, Danish, and Norwegian sailors. The famous pirate changed the name of the pirate ship to "Sudden Death" which means "Sudden Death". Then the pirate Derdrake and his crew captured and looted several ships in the Baltic and sold their seized cargo in Sweden.

It was known that the pirate Derdrake strangled all his captured prisoners and sentenced them to walk the wood. Boardwalk popular for pirate ships; It was a method of execution by pirates, rogue sailors, and rebels on special occasions. To entertain the perpetrators, prisoners were tied so that they could not swim. Prisoners were forced to walk over a wooden plank or beam that extended to the side of the ship.

Sinking the Ship

A captain escaped from one of the ships captured by the famous pirate Derdrake, and his situation took Derdrake to St. Petersburg governor. The governor sent two ships after Derdrake. These two ships attacked the Sudden Death ship and sank it. Derdrake survived by running ashore. He settled in Stralsund but became known when he went to Stockholm. The famous pirate Derdrake was caught, tried, and his life was ended by hanging in a short time.