Did Pirates Really Say "Arrrr!"?

Pack your cutlass and blunderbuss--it's time to go a-pirating!

Did pirates really say "arrrrr"?

Both that phrase and the accent that goes with it are strictly Hollywood. The pirate phrase "Arrrgh" appeared in film as early as 1934; a character also uses the phrase in a 1940 novel by Jeffrey Farnol. But the phrase and accent were popularised by Robert Newton, the actor who played Long John Silver in the movies and on TV through much of the 1950s. Newton was from Dorset, in southwest England, and the regional accent he brought to the movies included a rolled "r."

Though Dorset may well have produced its share of sailors, they were hardly the only pirates out there; many seamen and especially those on pirate vessels were people who struck out from oppressed nations, like Scotland and Ireland, to start over on the high seas.

So, was there a typical pirate accent at all? Among British pirates, yes: The onboard speech was most likely that of the British sailor with extra curse words, augmented with a polyglot slang of French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch picked up around the trade routes.

"Arrrrr" is mostly fiction, as are a number of the other affiliated signifiers: People very rarely walked the plank and nobody has ever discovered an actual pirate treasure map. On the myth-confirming side, pirates were known to dress in loose clothing, guzzle rum and chase busty wenches through Caribbean ports.

Myth: Pirates were bloodthirsty fiends who never turned down an opportunity to battle.

Pirates were reluctant to engage in a fight. Pirates were businessmen; they were in it for the money. And battling targets could be expensive. Battle could injure or kill pirate crew members, damage the pirate ship, or damage the prospective prize. Because of this, pirates much preferred to take their victims without conflict, which they overwhelming did. To encourage merchantmen’s peaceful surrender, pirates promised to slaughter those that resisted them and “give quarter” to those that complied.

Myth: Pirate ships were portraits of chaos.

Pirate ships were orderly, according to some, more orderly than many merchantmen or ships of the Royal Navy. Pirates required “law and order” to prevent their criminal enterprise from collapsing. So, they had pirate codes, ship-board articles that laid down rules and provided punishments for disobeying them. These rules prohibited violence and theft among sea bandits. On some ships they prohibited gambling, restricted drinking, and even regulated smoking.

Myth: Pirate captains were tyrants who ruled their men with an iron fist.

Pirates democratically elected their captains, who depended on crew member approval for their positions of power. On merchant ships, captains wielded autocratic authority, which some abused for personal benefit. To prevent this on pirate ships, pirates developed a system of democratic checks and balances for their leadership. If a pirate captain stepped out of line, his men could (and did) democratically depose him from office. Pirates further checked their captains’ authority by separating power. They elected another officer, the quartermaster, who helped balance the captain’s command.

Myth: Pirates buried their treasure.

Pirates spent their loot, almost as fast as they made it. There were two things pirates liked to spend money on most: whores and booze. Enterprising entrepreneurs supplying these goods and services set up shop in or around places pirates frequented, such as Port Royal, Jamaica, Nassau in the Bahamas, and even Madagascar, rapidly relieving pirates of their hard-earned loot.

Myth: Pirates made their prisoners walk the plank.

Pirates did brutally torture some prisoners; but they didn’t do so indiscriminately, and none of their tortures were as kind or as quick as walking the plank. Pirates predominantly reserved torture for when it could benefit them, such as to punish prisoners who held back booty. The threat of a truly horrible punishment for hiding valuables encouraged prisoners to reveal their valuables to their pirate captors. But pirates couldn’t afford to mistreat prisoners wantonly. If prisoners came to expect mistreatment whether they hid valuables from pirates or not, they would no longer have had a reason to relinquish their valuables, undermining pirates’ purpose.

Myth: The Eye Patch

Many a pirate has been depicted with the now characteristic eye patch, hook, or pegged leg, but how much of this is fact? Obviously, piracy was a dangerous occupation. Flying splinters, explosive gasses from cannons and muskets, and any number of diseases could mean the loss of an eye. Prosthetic eyes made from shell were uncomfortable and expensive, so most sufferers simply covered the missing or damaged eye with a patch. It was cheap, comfortable, and practical. Contrary to some myths, pirates probably did not wear eye patches as a means of preserving their night vision. Not only that, but having only one eye created a huge disadvantage for the wounded pirate, making him a liability to the rest of the crew.

Myth: Pirate Hooks

It’s true that quite a few pirates lost a hand in battle, and it was not uncommon for a pirate to search for a useful substitute, which would be handy around the ship. A hook was relatively easy to construct from onboard ship materials, so it is highly probable (not certain) that in some cases it was used as a temporary or permanent prosthetic hand. A hook could be easily constructed from a wooden bowl placed over the stump with a hook fashioned from extra ship metal by the blacksmith. This combination could be strapped to the arm with some leather.

Myth: Peg Legs

This myth probably originated with the character Long John Silver from the story Treasure Island. The character does not a use a peg leg in the story; his use of crutches has been misrepresented and through time and Hollywood productions this pirate legend was formed. In real life, however, this stereotype holds a good deal of truth; although its use is exaggerated in the minds of many people.

If a pirate were injured in the leg, amputation would in most cases be the only option to save him. If the pirate crew were educated enough, they would call upon the cook to cut the injured limb off (to prevent Gangrene or infection). Doctors were uncommon aboard pirate ships, so often the ship’s cook would be called upon in the case of amputation. However, such crude operations were seldom successful, as the inexperienced "surgeon" could not stop the bleeding which followed. Although much less likely, the pirate might also die from infection. If the operation was successful a substitute was later required for the missing leg, which was usually any free material on the ship, a long piece of wood, for instance.

Myth: Parrots

Yet another myth from the story Treasure Island. There is a deal of controversy on this subject as many people suspect that pirates were much too practical to deal with pets. A parrot permanently stationed on the shoulder of a pirate would regularly generate a mess. As well, a parrot might get in the way of work, or be consumed during hard times at sea. So it is highly unlikely that having a parrot, or any pet for that matter, was too popular with pirates.

Buried Treasure

Most experts on piracy tend to argue that maps to buried treasure are a work of fiction. They also believe that pirate would not have buried treasure on deserted islands. There are two sound reasons for not believing in buried treasure.

1. There has never been a legitimate treasure map found and
2. Pirates tended to spend all their money as soon as they hit port and would return to pirating in order to raise more money.

Probably the most famous treasure map is that of Captain Flint, the fictional pirate in Stevenson's Treasure Island. Almost every famous pirate captain has a legend about a treasure map to his secret stash of booty. Blackbeard and Black Bart both have several legends about buried treasure.

With that said, the romantic in me says that buried treasure may indeed exist. Some pirates managed to sack and pillage great amounts of gold and silver. I can't imagine a pirate with 10,000 pieces of eight to carry it with him everywhere he went. Where is he going to put the money?

Would he put it in a Bank? Probably not.

Would he trust his ship mates to watch it for him when he went to a tavern? Probably not.

Would he find a place to hide it? Yeah, probably.

So maybe somewhere on some spit of land, or hidden in a grave yard, or perhaps in a isolated patch of land near an old port or river bank, a pirate buried a barrel or small wooden chest with a bunch of doubloons inside. He probably wouldn't draw a map to where it was unless he knew he was going to die and was giving his shares to a partner.

So will you find "Flint's Treasure" amounting to all the riches he obtained over twenty years of pirating? Probably not. But is it possible to find a stash of 1,000 doubloons, or even a couple gold bars buried near an old pirate lair? I would say it is plausible but not probably after two hundred years. One thing would be certain; the pirate would probably hide the money where it was easy for him to get to it but not easy for others to find. He may also set a trap for suspicious fellows who might be in the area.

Davy Jones’ Locker

Davy Jones' Locker is a nautical term that dates back to at least 1751 (first known written reference to the word). It is quite possible that the term existed orally among sailors before this date. Since its first historical mention, the meaning of Davy Jones has changed very little. Davy Jones was sailor slang for the Devil or other evil spirits of the ocean. Davy's Locker or Davy Jones' Locker was the deep ocean's bottom. To be sent to Davy's Locker was to perish at sea. To send someone to Davy Jones was to kill him or her.

The phrase Davy Jones appears in much of the popular nautical literature. There is no reason not to assume the term was common among sailors for many years. Other variations of Davy Jones' Locker are:

• To be in Davy's Grip: To be close to death, or frightened.
• To have the Davies or the Joneseys: To be frightened.
• To see you to Davy Jones: To threaten to kill some one.
• Awaken Davy or Awaken Davy Jones: To cause a storm.

The Green Flash

The Green Flash is a naturally occurring phenomenon where there is sudden flash of emerald green light as the sun sets. This can happen when the horizon and the sky are both crystal clear. It is more common over the ocean but happens over land as well.

Well documented cases of date back to the 1600s but it became more common with longer sea voyages and polar exploration. One of the biggest myths of the green flash was created by Jules Verne. He claimed it to be an old Scottish legend that ‘if one was to peer in the light of the Green Flash they would gain the power to read the very souls of other people they met'. There was no Scottish myth. Other people claim that the Ancient Egyptians wrote story about mystical powers of the green flash.

St. Elmo's Fire

St. Elmo's Fire is named after the Italian Saint Erasmus (Elmo in English). St. Erasmus is the patron saint of Mediterranean sailors. St. Elmo's Fire is a weather phenomenon that occurs when a large amount of atmospheric electricity is present, usually before or after a thunder storm. It is usually seen as a good omen by men at sea, a sign that the very finger tips of God has come down from Heaven to protect the ship from danger.

St. Elmo's Fire appears as blue flame or sphere at the top of a ship's mast or masts, often for minutes at a time. It does not produce heat or cause things to burn. Sometimes the sphere will break up and dance along the yardarms and upper lines of the ship. On ships with more than one mast the flame may appear at the top of each mast or dance about like a blue flame licking the top of all the sails.

Ben Franklin explained this naturally occurring condition in his work concerning electricity in the air and lightning. Basically as electricity builds up in the atmosphere before a storm or dissipates after a storm it is attracted to the top of the masts which act as grounded lightning rods. The electricity causes the tips to brightly glow in a blue or whitish blue light.

Despite Mr. Franklin's wisdom, the light is still seen today as a sign of good luck or fortune, especially when it appears near the end of a tempest. At that time, it is seen as a sign that St. Elmo has watched over the ship through the storm and answered the prayers of her crew.

Thus endeth another Pirate Lesson.

The next Post will be another mystery pirate topic

Arrrgh! Be good and share ye booty. Arrrgh!

Big Bad Al

Fear the Joli Rouge

The Jolly Roger is the traditional flag of European and American pirates, envisioned today as a skull over crossed bones on a black field.

However, there were many variations and additional emblems on actual Jolly Rogers. Jack Rackham (Calico Jack) and Thomas Tew used variations with swords. Edward Teach (Blackbeard) used a skeleton holding an hourglass in one hand and a spear or dart in the other while standing beside a bleeding heart. Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart) had two variations: a man and a skeleton, who held a spear or dart in one hand, holding either an hourglass or a cup while toasting death or an armed man standing on two skulls over the letters ABH and AMH (a warning to residents of Barbados and Martinique that death awaited them). Dancing skeletons signified that the pirates cared little for their fate.

The origins of the term "Jolly Roger" are unclear.

One theory is that it comes from the French term "joli rouge," ("pretty red") which the English corrupted into "Jolly Roger". This may be likely as there were a series of "red flags" that were feared as much, or more, than "black flags". The origin of the red flag is likely that English privateers flew the red jack by order of the Admiralty in 1694. When the War of Spanish Succession ended in 1714, many privateers turned to piracy and some retained the red flag, as red symbolized blood. No matter how much sailors dreaded the black pirate standard, all prayed they never encountered the joli rouge. This red flag boldly declared the pirates' intentions: no life would be spared. No quarter given, none asked,

The term was subsequently used for the black flag with skull and bones which appeared in use around 1700.

There is another theory, also using "joli rouge" as the origin for the name. Apparently a Catholic order of fierce warrior monks, known as the "Poor Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon", or Knights Templar, first used the "joli rouge", the red flag. The link between the monks and pirates is provided by the fact that they were fighting for their cause on the open seas, effectively becoming pirates.

In combat many merchant ships were surprised when a fast ship changed a national flag for the more portentous Jolly Roger, which was the desired effect.

The skull and crossbones may have originally been taken from a common symbol that appeared on many mediaeval and renaissance gravestones. It was a natural symbol to represent death.
An hourglass, or an hourglass with wings: Your time is running out.
Arm grasping sword or dagger: We will show no quarter.
A dancing skeleton or a pirate toasting a skeleton: We have no fear of death.
Spear: We promise a violent death.
A speared heart or bleeding heart: We promise a painful, bloody death.

Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart)
Christopher Moody
Edward England
Edward Low
Edward Teach (Blackbeard)
Emanual Wayne
Henry Every (Sometimes shown with a red background)
Jack Rackham (Calico Jack)
Thomas Tew
Lastly the most feared flag of all. Big Bad Al The Scourge of Humpybong Creek

The next Post will be about the Myths and Legends of Pirates.

Until then: Arrrgh! She be fine sailing and there be plunder a plenty. Arrrgh!

Big Bad Al

Tits Ahoy!

There are only a few know cases of women being accepted within the male society of Pirates. Mainly because they were strictly forbidden on most Pirate ships.

However, throughout history the annals of Piracy included some formidable women.

Scandinavian Alwida (5th Century), Irishwoman Grace O'Malley (1530 - 1603), Englishwoman Charlotte de Berry (1636 - ??), American Rachell Wall (1760 - 1789) and Chinese Ching Shih (1785 - 1844).

Grace O'Malley

Grace O'Malley was born in 1530 at Clare Island Castle, County Mayo, Ireland. Her father Owen ‘Dubhdarra' (black oak) O'Malley was a well-known sea captain and chieftain of the Barony of Murrish. The O'Malley family were known for their sailing prowess since 1123 and traded with Spain and Scotland on a regular basis.

Grace's love of the sea was apparent in her early years, she vowed to follow in her father's footsteps as soon as she was old enough. She was taught to read Latin and schooled at the castle under the family's motto "Terra Mariq Potens'" (Invincible on Land and Sea.)

Legends have it that Granuaile, a nickname of Grace's, sailed often with her father during her childhood. One tale relates that Grace once saved her father's life during an attack by an English ship. Grace had been instructed to go below ship if they were ever attacked. When the English ship attacked Grace did not go below as ordered, but climbed the sail rigging instead. At one point while her father was being attacked from behind, Grace leaped from the rigging, sailed through the air screaming and landed on the attacking Pirate's back. This distraction was enough for her father's people to gain control of the fight and win in the end.

Grace was married to Donal O'Flahetty in 1546. She was sixteen years old. Marriages in those days were arranged by the families and this would have been considered quite a match for Grace. Donal was the tainist (next in line) to The O"Flaherty, the head of the clan and chieftain of all Iar Connacht.

Grace became actively immersed in politics, fishing, trading, and tribal disputes as time passed, she eventually overshadowed her husband and was well respected by the men of the clan. She soon became head of the clan's fleet of ships. It was unusual for a woman to lead men in this era.

The city of Galway, one of the largest trade centers in the British Isles, refused to trade with the O'Flaherty clan. Grace took it upon herself to annoy them as much as possible. She would sweep down on slower vessels in her fast galleys and waylay them. She would then bargain with the ship captains for a fee of safe passage, if they refused to pay she would let her men pillage the ships before letting them go their way.

During the 1560's another young war chief of the O'Flaherty clan was causing the British trouble. He defeated the British Earl of Clanrickard outside of Galway. The British were unhappy but unable to do much about it at this time, their treasury was low and to attack full force would have crippled them. They offered this young chieftain a treaty in which he would observe peace in return for the position of chieftain of all the Iar-Connacht. This ousted the current O'Flaherty and their tainist, Donal.

Donal soon died in a fight with a rival clan. As his widow Grace was entitled to one third of her husbands estates, but this was never paid to her. She returned to the O'Malley clan with her three children and 200 of her husband's followers.

Grace made her home on Clare Island in Clew Bay and between piracy and charging for safe passage she regained her riches. Soon Grace had a thriving piracy empire and control of five castles in the area

There was a last castle on the northeast side of Clew Bay that she coveted, this castle belonged to Richard Burke. Legend has it that Grace went to Castle Rockfleet knocked on the door and proposed marriage to the owner, Richard Burke. It is said that she proposed marriage for one year, she explained the union would allow both clans to resist the British invasion that was taking the Irish lands around them. Burke agreed to the arrangement and when Grace offered to release him at the end of the year he declined. They were married until his death seventeen years later.

During this time the English were taking over much of the Irish land, either by force or offering the Irish lords English titles and peace. Grace, always independent, refused to be bought and continued to rebel against the English invasion of her land.

At the age of 56, Grace was captured by the English Governor Richard Bingham who was a ruthless leader and determined to stop Grace's piracy and rebellion. Bingham arrested Grace and some of her followers and planned to hang her. As Grace awaited execution she continued to retain her dignity and refused to plead for mercy. Right before the execution was to take place Grace's son-in-law offered himself as a hostage and Grace was released. She was made to promise to stop all her on sea activity and Bingham stripped her of her cattle, some of her lands and forced her into poverty.

The Irish rebellion continued during these years. There were much fighting and loss of men and lands. The Spanish Armada patrolled the Irish coasts and were waging war against the English. Grace assassinated hundreds of Spaniards on the ship of Don Pedro de Mendoza near the castle on Clare Island in 1588. She was well into her late fifties by this time and proved to be as fierce at this age as she was in her younger years. It is unclear whether she was helping the English at this time or just protecting the little land and properties she had left.

In 1593, Richard Bingham was fearful that Grace would join the rebellion that was fast brewing and had her son Tibbot and her brother Donal-na-Piopa arrested. Although she was virtually penniless at this time and unable to raise much of a force against the English, he continued to try to keep her in his control by these arrests.

Grace appealed to the English Queen, Elizabeth during this time asking for the release of her family and help in regaining her lands and wealth. When she didn't receive a reply in the time she wanted she sailed to England herself. It was a daring move, not many Irish lords would dare set foot on English soil for fear of imprisonment or execution.

No one knows why Elizabeth agreed to see Grace, but they met in September of 1593. Grace was fluent in Latin and she and the Queen were able to converse freely. Grace explained to the Queen that her acts were not of rebellion but merely acts of self defence as Bingham had taken upon himself to destroy her and all of Ireland. She asked for the release of her brother and son and agreed to use her prowess at sea to help the Queen defeat her enemies.

Queen Elizabeth finally agreed to Grace's offer of services and wrote Bingham commanding him to release Grace's family and restore her possessions. Bingham released her son and brother but never did give her back her lands and wealth. She continued to struggle against him for many years, pirating and doing the things she had done all her life.

Grace was a fearless warrior. It is said she died in her early seventies and was active on the sea into her sixties. Grace died approximately around 1603 at Rockfleet castle. In her lifetime she maintained the old principles of the Gaelic and Brehon systems of law. She was able to survive the times with style and grace. She was a revered and honoured Chieftain of her people and will be remembered as such.

Charlotte de Berry

Born in England in 1636, Charlotte de Berry fell in love with a sailor. When the Royal Navy ordered him to sea, she donned male clothes and joined him on board his ship as his brother. One version of how she became a pirate said the two fought side by side in six major battles. An officer discovered Charlotte's ruse, but said nothing because he wanted her for himself. When his first attempt to get rid of her lover failed, the officer accused him of trying to start a mutiny. He was found guilt and flogged around the fleet, a punishment that killed him. Charlotte refused the officer's advances, stabbed him, and fled ashore.

She became an entertainer in waterfront saloons that sailors frequented. One sea captain kidnapped her, forced her to wed him, then set sail for Africa. Charlotte convinced the crew to mutiny and turn to piracy.

Another version says that sometime after the navy ship departed England, pirates attacked it. The pirate captain discovered Charlotte's true identity, but she engaged him in a duel and lopped off his head. The pirates rejoiced on hearing of his death, and made Charlotte their new captain. Rumours soon spread about her ferocity and cruelty. One claimed she had sewn shut one captain's mouth. Throughout her life as a pirate she pretended to be a man.

How and when she died is uncertain, but one story claims she married a wealthy Spaniard who joined her crew. A storm sank their ship and they survived without food and water for eight days aboard a raft. The survivors decided the only way they would continue to live was if they drew lots. The loser would forfeit his life to feed the others. Charlotte's husband was the first slain just before a merchantman rescued them. Pirates attacked that ship. Charlotte fought them off, saved her rescuers, then leapt overboard to join her dead husband."

Ching Shih

Ching Shih was born in Canton, China, in 1785. Not much is known about her early years, but in 1801 she married Ching Yi, a famous pirate. Part of their arrangement was that she would share in her husband’s plunder and help him command his fleet. For the next six years they sailed the high seas together. When Ching Yi died in 1807, Ching Shih took control of the fleet.

Ching Shih was one of the most successful pirates ever. Her Red Flag Fleet was estimated to include more than 1,500 ships and 80,000 pirates who terrorized the South China seas. Her fleet was fierce and dangerous, and she was said to rule with an iron fist, imposing harsh punishments for those who crossed her. If you stole some of her plunder, you were beheaded. Deserting cost you your ears. If you hid booty, you were flogged the first time and executed the second.

The Chinese navy did its best to catch her, but her massive pirate fleet kept defeating it in battle. It’s said that one admiral even committed suicide to avoid being taken prisoner by Ching Shih. When the Chinese navy couldn’t catch Ching Shih, British and Portuguese bounty hunters were called in to help. They were unsuccessful as well. That’s because Ching Shih had powerful relatives all over the world.

Running out of options to stop Ching Shih’s reign of terror, the Chinese government offered a truce in 1810. Ching Shih could keep her treasure and would not be punished if she surrendered. She agreed to the terms, and most of her pirates were given the same deal. Out of all her men, only 126 were executed. The rest were given government jobs or military positions. Some people believe that Ching Shih was part of a powerful family that actually controlled the government, but this has never been confirmed.

In retirement, Ching Shih remarried and had children. When her new husband died in 1822, she moved back to Canton and opened a gambling house. She died in 1844 at age 59, having lived an extraordinary life.

Female Pirates were few but they made up for it with fierce reputations.

The next instalment of Pirate stuff will be the Dreaded Pirate Flag.

Until then, Arrgh! Be Hearty and keep your powder dry.

Big Bad Al

... let's jump on Board and cut them to pieces.

... let's jump on Board and cut them to pieces. (Battle cry of Edward "Blackbeard" Teach)

Hollywood portrays Pirate Battles as an "All Guns A Blazing" affair. Another Hollywood misconception.

Pirates tended to aim to avoid battle as this would cause loses in their own ranks and inflict unintentional damage to their prize. Each successful Cannon blast would reduce the value of their prize and possibly lead to the ship catching fire or sinking.

Pirates tried to intimidate their enemies during the approach by making infernal noises and swinging their sabres menacingly. The Jolly Roger was hoisted and a warning shot put across their bows. History shows that few merchant Captains attempted to defend themselves against the heavily armed Pirates. They took their chance that the Pirates would spare the ship and crew if they surrendered any cargo voluntarily.

In the 17th and 18th Centuries the Merchant ships gradually became more heavily armed so the Pirates had to adapt their tactics in response to the new Naval and technical advances and equip themselves with weapons to match their foes. Pirate ships became some of the most heavily armed vessels on the high seas.

As the aim of the pirates was to disable a ship and it's crew a variety of weapons and tactics were used. A description of individual weapons is outline below. Pirate ships were usually faster than the heavily laden merchant ships so speed and surprise was the first tactic. Once the pirate ship closed with it's victim, Snipers in the rigging would fire upon the crew on deck. Deck Cannons loaded with Shrapnel shots fired sending hot metal shards across the deck killing and wounding. Deck Cannon also fired Chain shot to bring down the sails, rigging and masts. This usually allowed the two ships to get close enough so that grappling hooks could be used to pull the ships together allowing the pirates to board and engage the crew in hand to hand combat using pistols, sabre, knives and spikes.

As an aside. I read an interesting encounter between a British and French Navy Ships of the Line. Both ships were of equal size and firepower so the eventual outcome came down to tactics. Both ships engaged in a Cannon battle and when close enough small arms was used. The British Captain could see that neither was going to win.

Suddenly the French Captain noticed that the Britisher had stopped firing and there were bodies and wounded scattered all over the deck. He approached and using grappling hooks proceeded to bring the two ships together. As the ships drew closer together and the French crew prepared to board there was an almighty roar as all guns on the British ship fired. The French ship was cut in half just above the waterline. The deck and rigging collapsed in on itself and the French ship sank in a matter of minutes.

The British Captain had left half his crew on deck laying around pretending to be dead and wounded whilst the other half were below decks manning the cannons. A masterful act of deception and no doubt a complete surprise to the French Captain. I'll bet his last words were "Sacre Bleu!"

Let us now look at some of the weapons used by the sailors of the period.

The Cutlass

A cutlass is a short, thick sabre or slashing sword, with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge, and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket-shaped guard.

Best known as the sailor's weapon of choice because it was also robust enough to hack through heavy ropes, canvas, and wood. It was short enough to use in relatively close quarters, such as during boarding actions, in the rigging, or below decks. Another advantage to the cutlass was its simplicity of use. The cutlass required less training than the rapier or small sword, and was more effective as a combat weapon than the full-sized sword.

The Dagger

The Dagger was a small multi-purpose knife that was used at supper and slaughter.

With a straight blade, it was for thrust and puncture, not slash and gash like the cutlass.

The dagger usually had a cross bar or hilt to keep the hand off the blade and swords off the hand. The hilt's most important function came into play during a cutlass fight, because it could 'catch' the strike of the blade. The user could deflect the blow, swiftly swing the cutlass to the side, and answer with a hard cutting motion of his own.

Boarding Axes & Tomahawks

Boarding Axes, with a two or three-foot handle and a combination of sharp blade and blunt hammer side, were used to cut the ropes of boarding hooks, bring down masts and rigging, and generally tear through anything that stood in the way of the loot, like doors, hatches or locks. They could at times help steady the weight of a boarder if needed for climbing from a smaller boat to a larger vessel (a portable handle).

The boarding axe however, had other very important duties. It was used in fire fighting to chisel out hot cannon balls that could ignite ships' timbers. The broad blade end was used to cut through downed rigging and as a hook to drag the rigging and debris out of the way.

Boarding Hooks (a.k.a. Grappling Hook, Grapple, Grappler)

A Boarding Hook (or "grappling hook") is a composite hook attached to a rope, designed to be thrown or projected a distance, where its hooks would engage with the target. Grappling hooks were originally used in naval warfare to catch the rigging of an enemy ship so that it could be drawn in and boarded.

The most common design consists of a central shaft with a hole at the base of the shaft, called an "eye" to attach the rope, and three or four equally spaced hooks at the end of the shaft, so arranged that at least one is likely to catch on some protuberance of the target.

The Grenadoe (a.k.a. Smokepot, Grenade)

The precursor to the modern day Grenade, the Grenadoe was a round cast iron hollow ball roughly about the size of a soft ball or mature grapefruit. A hole would be be drilled to allow access to the interior, and then the sphere would be filled with gunpowder, grape shot, and other painful shrapnel.

The specifications of the Grenadoe were fairly inconsistent, measuring from as small as 2.5" (6.5cm) to 4.5" (11.5cm) diameter depending on their intended use. Some examples have a slight dimple in the bottom/side (apparently to keep it from rolling around on the deck) and maybe a 3/8ths-3/4th inch (1 – 2 cm) hole in the top (for the wooden dowel/fuse).

The skin of the Grenadoe varies with each unique batch but in general the thickness is approximately 1/4 inch (1 cm) in the top half and gradually gets thicker to about 5/8" toward the bottom (most likely due to the imperfections of the casting process).

Standard Deck Cannon

Cannons of the Seventeenth Century

The main changes in the 17th century involved sizes and numbers. European ships were now carrying as many as 100 guns on three separate decks. 42 pounder guns were often the standard gun on the bottom decks. Special shots or artillery rounds were being developed especially for naval use. Barshot, chain shot, were rounds designed to destroy rigging and sails. Bundle shot, canister, grape shot were used against personnel. Cluster rounds and Sangrenel rounded out the variety of shots fired from the Cannon. (See below for further details)

Cannons of the Eighteenth Century

Ships of War had improved dramatically by the opening of the 18th Century, In fact, the Golden Age of Piracy was probably the Golden Age of Sail as well. Cast Iron muzzle loaders ranging from the small 6 pounders to the large 32 pounders were the general rule. Elevation was adjusted by a modified quoin under the breech and the general science of trajectory was better understood. Fixed loads of powder were calculated for the guns improving accuracy and the guns were secured to the sides of the ships by heavy breech ropes passed through or around the casabels, limiting recoil and aiding in the reloading of the guns. Side tackles were also added as well as small ramps behind the guns to aid in pulling them back into firing position.

The Naval Artillery had unheard of range of about 2,000 yards (meters) by this time. Of course most engagements were fought at under 1,000 yards and sometimes within pistol shot (25 to 50 yards).

The term "pounder" refers to the size of a gun. A six pounder fired a solid shot of lead which weighed approximately 6 pounds. A 32 pounder fired a ball of lead that weighed approximately 32 pounds:

Swivel Cannon

A swivel gun is a small cannon, mounted on a swivelling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Such weapons were used principally aboard sailing ships during the age of sail, serving as short-range anti-personnel ordnance. They were not ship-sinking weapons, due to their small caliber and short range, but could do considerable damage to anyone caught in their line of fire.

Swivel guns are among the smallest types of cannon, typically measuring less than 3 ft (1 meter) in length and with a bore diameter of up to 1¼ in (3.5 cm). They can fire a variety of ammunition but were generally used to fire grapeshot and similar types of small-diameter shot, though they could also fire small caliber round shot. As with other types of cannon, swivel guns are muzzle loaders. They were aimed through the use of a wooden handle, somewhat similar to a baseball bat, attached to the breech of the weapon.

In operational use, swivel guns were highly portable and could be moved around the deck of a ship quite easily (and certainly much more easily than other types of cannon). They could be mounted on the deck railings of a ship, which provided the gunner with a reasonably steady platform from which to fire. Their portability enabled them to be installed wherever they were most needed; whereas larger cannon were useless if they were on the wrong side of the ship, swivel guns could be carried across the deck to face the enemy.

Cannon balls

Classic cannonballs weighed up to 32 pounds and did little damage at long range. As they were also very inaccurate, cannon were usually loaded with a various selection of ammunition in case of different targets. Some were specialized for personnel and some enemy ship (rigging and sail). These included gravel, nails, and combined small cannon or musket balls, effective against enemy crew.

Bar and Chain Shot

Main purpose of bar and chain shot was damaging the rigging and sail of enemy ship. This type of ammunition were two or more cannon balls connected together with iron bar or chain. When fired, the shot would rotate through the air creating destructive force able to destroy any sails and riggings.

Bundle Shot

This type of shot are specially designed for damaging opposing crew. Bundle shots were packs of short metal bars bundled together with a length of rope. When fired, the rope would loosen and the iron bars would begin to spread apart hitting everyone around. They were most effective at close distance.

Grape shot

Specially designed small iron balls or stones, about three quarters of an inch in diameter, were packed in bags and used as grapeshot. Grape shot was used to make deadly blows for crew on deck, causing little damage to the ship. One of the most famous pirates, Bartholomew Roberts was killed by this type of shot.

Canister Shot

Another type of cannon ammunition with multiple shots was a cloth bag filled with gravel, nails and spikes. When the shot hit its target it would burn and release sharp shards all over the deck, which caused severe wounds.

Pirate and Sea Battles of the time were fought eyeball to eyeball with some fearsome weapons. Do you still want to be a Pirate?

Coming up in the next posts: "Firey Red Head Female Pirates" or as Domestic Daze would prefer "Misunderstood Red Head Female Pirates".

Until then. Arrrrgh! Ye be Good and Share ye treasure with ye other swabbies. Arrrgh!