It's just recently that I finally managed to watch the 5 film series of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. It was never my intention to watch along with my wife since I really don't like Jack Sparrow nor Barbosa or Will Turner.
Upon finishing the 4th installment, On Stranger Tides, I took some time to did a quick research on the next series which is the Dead Men Tell No Tales.
I took a peek of the trailer at YouTube and boom! The character of Captain Salazar has caught me off guard. I was like, whoa! It got me more curious so I took time to check on his character.
Here's what I've got from Wikia
Captain Armano Salazar is the notorious captain of the Silent Mary of the Spanish Royal Navy. He become a legend of the sea for terrorizing pirate ships and sinking them into the depths of the sea.
So yeah, his story is quite interesting so we proceeded with our movie marathon. I was really anticipating a lot in the movie but it fell short in my opinion. Jack Sparrow is still cocky so as the rest of his crew. Captain Salazar's ship the Silent Mary and the Black Pearl was something worth noting though.
Upon wrapping up our movie session, I quickly head to my computer and did some reading about pirate ships.
What Is a Pirate Without His Pirate Ship?
To talk of pirates is to talk of murder, plunder and theft on the seas or sea coasts. To talk of pirate ships is to talk of theft in the first instance, because practically every pirate ship in existence was a stolen one.
Pirates did not, as a rule, have shipyards where they could build their own ships. They would typically acquire a new ship after an attack. If a ship was not worth keeping, it would be destroyed or perhaps sold or -- what the barnacles -- just left to rot.
Those that were judged to be in good pirate-ready condition were converted to pirate ships, often after alterations such as the adding of extra guns or the removal of bulkheads so as to increase the space for their ill-gotten plunder.
Some ships became pirate ships after a mutiny; and still others saw the Jolly Roger hoisted after a privateering crew, upon reaching the end of their commission, decided that the plundering life was indeed a good one.
Most pirates preferred light, fast ships such as brigantines and schooners, since they were more easily able to enter shallow waters without grounding, whereas the warships sent to hunt them down would fear to enter those same waters.
There are many kinds of pirate ships and all have their very own purpose. There are pirates that is used for scouting while there are ships that are used for heavy artillery and storage.
Here are the type of ship that most pirates preferred:
Schooner
The schooner became a commonly used pirate ship starting in the 18th century. The schooner had two masts, both of which sported aft and fore sails. They were built for speed with their narrow hulls and capable of doing better than 11 knots per hour when the wind gods allowed.
Weighing in at up to 100 tonnes, the pirate schooner could hold perhaps 75 crewmen and 8 cannons. Among the advantages of the schooner was its ability to enter and hide in shallow waters, while one of its disadvantages was its limited storage capacity, which meant that it was frequently compelled to seek land in order to restock its water and food supplies.
Notable Schooners
- Albatross
- Cobra
- Shrimper's ship
- HMS Adventure
Spanish Galleon
Often referred to as "treasure galleons," these were tempting targets of pirates despite the large number of men and cannons they contained. But once captured, the pirates would find that they were in possession of a formidable pirate ship.
The galleon typically carried 70 guns on two or three decks and required up to 200 men to man the ship. There were three or four masts. The galleon also featured many swing guns as well as platforms on the masts, from where archers might shoot. A broadside discharge could be most deadly.
Among the major drawbacks of the Spanish Galleon is its speed of eight knots and the square cut of its large, cumbersome sails, which prevented it from being able to sail effectively into the wind. Well, there's a saying slowly but surely, I guess I would prefer to be in a Galleon since its loaded with quite an amazing artillery.
Notable Spanish Galleons
- Behemoth
- Black Pearl
- Carrera de la Vega's ship
- Flying Dutchman
- La Fleur de la Mort
- Silent Mary
- Wicked Wench
Brigantine
This two-masted job featured a shallow draft and numerous square sails and fore- and aft-rigged sails, which ensured superior maneuverability and good speed.
It weighed up to 150 tonnes, needed 100 crewman to man her and, unlike the schooner, had the advantage of a large cargo hold, making it a reliable vessel for prolonged naval engagements.
The fire power of 12 guns was considerably less than what the galleon had to offer.
Notable Spanish Galleons
- La Vipère
There you have it, the most preferred types of ships most pirates wants to have. Though the may have different functions and purpose, only one thing is certain, pirates have their own agendas.
If you were a pirate captain, what type of ship would you like to have?
P.S.
Jack Sparrow's Black Pearl was a hybrid of an East Indiaman and a Spanish Galleon. An East Indiaman is a common sailing ship.
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References
Golden Age of Piracy - Pirate Ships
Wikia - Piracy
Wikia - Pirates of the Caribbean