The name “Kru”, also spelled “Kroo,” refers to the West African ethnic group who originated in eastern Liberia and migrated and settled along various points of the West African coast, notably Freetown, Sierra Leone, but also the Ivorian and Nigerian coasts. The Kru were famous for their skills in navigating and sailing the Atlantic. Their maritime expertise evolved along the west coast of Africa as they made livings as fisherman and traders, having more knowledge of the sea and more experience in navigation than their European counterparts. They were enslaved as sailors, navigators and interpreters aboard slave ships and on American and British warships that were used to combat the illegal slave trade.