3. The Separatists purchased the ship Speedwell
With the basis of the proposed colony’s economy planned as fishing, a suitable ship became necessary to support the industry. Speedwell, an over forty-year-old vessel which had fought against the Spanish Armada, was purchased to transport the Separatists and remain in the New World as a fishing boat. Recognizing the small Speedwell could not carry enough passengers to create a settlement, agents leased another ship, Mayflower. Thomas Weston, who handled the Leiden congregation’s affairs in England, envisioned Mayflower carrying the hired artisans and skilled workers to the new colony. Speedwell would carry the Separatists.
Separatist leaders in Leiden, in the meantime, recognized the need for a man of military skills to provide for the common defense. Because of the authority inherent in such a position, leaders such as William Bradford and William Brewster deemed it best for them to hire such a man, making him answerable to them, rather than to agents in London. They attempted to hire Captain John Smith, late of the Virginia Colony. Smith agreed, but his quoted price exceeded the depths of the Separatists’ pockets. Instead, they settled on Myles Standish, who styled himself as a Captain. Standish lived in Leiden at the time with his wife, Rose. Though Standish did not have the experience in America possessed by Smith, he did offer his services at a more affordable price, despite the murkiness of his military past.