Eventually he became part of the crew of the pirate Benjamin Hornigold (who later became a pirate hunter) and this new career would prove to be his most lucrative and ultimately his undoing. During this time he became known as the fearsome pirate Blackbeard, where he eventually became the captain of his own vessel, The Queen Annes Revenge, and ultimately, a small fleet.

As Blackbeard he became a notorious problem throughout the Caribbean and eastern seaboard of the United States until he was finally tracked down and killed in a short bloody battle at Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina on November 22, 1718.

He was known to be a very fierce pirate who was prone to tying lit matches and pieces of hemp rope into his beard in order to instill fear in his victims.

His main base of operations, along with many other pirates including Henry Jennings, were in the West Indies on an island called New Providence. It afforded them a strategic location to attack the shipping lanes through the Florida Strait.

His exploits include the capture or destruction of up to 45 prizes throughout his career.