How the Old Pirates Attack Ships
When a merchant ship spotted the skull and crossbones and heard the boom of a cannon, they knew they were in trouble. Most pirate ships were fortified with extra cannons and often fired them when attacking another ship. The weaponry of pirates far surpassed that of their victims and they had more sailors to use the weapons.
However, pirates had to be careful when they attacked, because they did not want to damage the other ship too badly. If the ship they attacked burned—or worse, sank—they would lose the booty they were trying to steal. And, if a captain thought the victim ship was sleek and seaworthy, he might want to keep it for himself.
Pirates had different methods of attacking ships. Sometimes pirates were sneaky and flew the flag of a friendly country to trick their unsuspecting prey. When the pirate ships were close enough to fire their cannons, they would raise the Jolly Roger, giving them the element of surprise.
Other times, pirate crews made a lot of noise and looked mean and intimidating, waving shiny cutlasses and smoking guns. This “fear factor” scared the crews of merchant ships, and most of the time they surrendered without a fight.
However, pirates had to be careful when they attacked, because they did not want to damage the other ship too badly. If the ship they attacked burned—or worse, sank—they would lose the booty they were trying to steal. And, if a captain thought the victim ship was sleek and seaworthy, he might want to keep it for himself.
Pirates had different methods of attacking ships. Sometimes pirates were sneaky and flew the flag of a friendly country to trick their unsuspecting prey. When the pirate ships were close enough to fire their cannons, they would raise the Jolly Roger, giving them the element of surprise.
Other times, pirate crews made a lot of noise and looked mean and intimidating, waving shiny cutlasses and smoking guns. This “fear factor” scared the crews of merchant ships, and most of the time they surrendered without a fight.
Pirate Flags
The Jolly Roger known by many as the "skull and crossbones” was the flag flown by many of the pirates. A hoisted Jolly Roger, with its intimidating image of death, instilled great fear upon the enemy crew that saw it. The origin of the Jolly Roger name is unclear, but many believe it comes from a French term for a red flag, called jolie rouge.
Others speculate that it comes from a term used to describe the devil: Old Roger. Whatever the origin, pirates used these scary-looking flags to strike fear in their victims! Although the most common images of pirate flags contain a skull and crossbones (an image of death perhaps taken from gravestones in cemeteries), Jolly Rogers also depicted swords, hourglasses, and skeletons.
Pirates were clever and deceptive, and probably carried an assortment of non-pirate flags on board, in addition to their Jolly Roger. To get close to the ships they wanted to attack, pirates would often fly the flag of their own country or the country of the ship they were approaching.
When the pirates were near enough to attack, the command would be given to hoist the Jolly Roger. The sight of the Jolly Roger—and its terrifying message—was usually enough to make a crew surrender without a fight. Some pirates probably flew plain black and plain red flags: the red flag meaning battle, and the black flag meaning death to those who chose not to surrender!
Others speculate that it comes from a term used to describe the devil: Old Roger. Whatever the origin, pirates used these scary-looking flags to strike fear in their victims! Although the most common images of pirate flags contain a skull and crossbones (an image of death perhaps taken from gravestones in cemeteries), Jolly Rogers also depicted swords, hourglasses, and skeletons.
Pirates were clever and deceptive, and probably carried an assortment of non-pirate flags on board, in addition to their Jolly Roger. To get close to the ships they wanted to attack, pirates would often fly the flag of their own country or the country of the ship they were approaching.
When the pirates were near enough to attack, the command would be given to hoist the Jolly Roger. The sight of the Jolly Roger—and its terrifying message—was usually enough to make a crew surrender without a fight. Some pirates probably flew plain black and plain red flags: the red flag meaning battle, and the black flag meaning death to those who chose not to surrender!
Weapons of the Ship
All pirate ships had cannons, but the number and variety depended on the size and type of pirate ship. Oared galleys used in the early days of piracy typically had one large cannon in the bow of the ship. Large, three-masted ships sometimes had more than 30 cannons.
Cannons were of different sizes and shot balls of varying sizes. Typical cannons were built of thick steel and had fairly short barrels that enabled the crew to maneuver and easily conceal them. They were sometimes mounted on a wooden frame with a swivel in the center that allowed the gun crew to adjust the pitch, or how far the barrel pointed up and down.
A tiered wooden wedge at the back of the cannon could be pushed in and out, and was used to brace the cannon once the proper pitch was set. Cannons shot large metal balls, which effectively busted down sails and broke up the timber of the victims' ships.
Cannons were usually only used until pirates got close enough to board the enemy ship. Sometimes pirates fired a broadside shot, where all cannons on one side of the ship fired at once. The danger of a broadside was damaging or sinking the enemy's vessel, rendering it unusable.
Swivel guns were mounted on the ship and had short barrels. They were easy to maneuver and aim, but their range was shorter than the cannons. Firepots were exactly what the name suggests: "pots of fire." Pirates filled clay pots with tar and cloth. These were set on fire and thrown upon an enemy ship, sometimes causing it to catch on fire. It also provided a smoke cover for pirates when they boarded other vessels.
A grappling hook looks like a huge iron fishing hook with three points, but they weren't used for catching big fish. These weapons had long, curved, barbed hooks and were tied to a rope. When a pirate ship sailed close enough to an enemy vessel, these hooks were thrown across to catch the rigging or other part of the ship. Using raw manpower, pirates could pull their enemies’ ships closer to them, enabling them to board it and fight.
Cannons were of different sizes and shot balls of varying sizes. Typical cannons were built of thick steel and had fairly short barrels that enabled the crew to maneuver and easily conceal them. They were sometimes mounted on a wooden frame with a swivel in the center that allowed the gun crew to adjust the pitch, or how far the barrel pointed up and down.
A tiered wooden wedge at the back of the cannon could be pushed in and out, and was used to brace the cannon once the proper pitch was set. Cannons shot large metal balls, which effectively busted down sails and broke up the timber of the victims' ships.
Cannons were usually only used until pirates got close enough to board the enemy ship. Sometimes pirates fired a broadside shot, where all cannons on one side of the ship fired at once. The danger of a broadside was damaging or sinking the enemy's vessel, rendering it unusable.
Swivel guns were mounted on the ship and had short barrels. They were easy to maneuver and aim, but their range was shorter than the cannons. Firepots were exactly what the name suggests: "pots of fire." Pirates filled clay pots with tar and cloth. These were set on fire and thrown upon an enemy ship, sometimes causing it to catch on fire. It also provided a smoke cover for pirates when they boarded other vessels.
A grappling hook looks like a huge iron fishing hook with three points, but they weren't used for catching big fish. These weapons had long, curved, barbed hooks and were tied to a rope. When a pirate ship sailed close enough to an enemy vessel, these hooks were thrown across to catch the rigging or other part of the ship. Using raw manpower, pirates could pull their enemies’ ships closer to them, enabling them to board it and fight.
Weapons of the Pirate
Weapons used by pirates were similar to those used today, but they were not as dependable. Muskets and pistol had to be reloaded after each shot, were not extremely accurate, and often rusted because of the salty seas. Pirates usually carried many different personal weapons for attack, just in case something failed or they needed different weapons for different situations.
The musket was a long rifle that was used to shoot the crew of an enemy vessel from a distance. In between shots, a pirate would have to manually load the musket with ball and powder. Its long barrel provided a fairly straight and accurate shot.
Pirates didn't use muskets boarding their victims' vessels since they were too long, clumsy, and took too much time to reload. They were impractical for the close combat pirates often encountered. The flintlock pistol was the weapon of choice for many pirates. It worked much the same way as the musket, except it was light and short barreled, making it ideal using when boarding a victim's vessel.
Sometimes pirates carried more than one because reloading took time. When all else failed, pirates used the pistols effectively as clubs. The cutlass was the favored weapon of the pirates. It was a sword that had a short, razor sharp, double-edged wide blade and a handle with a guard. Its short length was ideal for close combat on a ship.
Daggers were small, usually four-sided blades that ended in a sharp point. They were used for close combat where a cutlass was too long to swing. The ax was a very versatile tool for pirates. Many axes had two steel sides, one a traditional ax shape with sharp edge and the other that looked more like a pick.
Axes were used for ship maintenance and splitting wood, but they were also used as a weapon to climb the sides of ships (similar to how climbers use ice axes), cut through ropes, or to attack the enemy.
The musket was a long rifle that was used to shoot the crew of an enemy vessel from a distance. In between shots, a pirate would have to manually load the musket with ball and powder. Its long barrel provided a fairly straight and accurate shot.
Pirates didn't use muskets boarding their victims' vessels since they were too long, clumsy, and took too much time to reload. They were impractical for the close combat pirates often encountered. The flintlock pistol was the weapon of choice for many pirates. It worked much the same way as the musket, except it was light and short barreled, making it ideal using when boarding a victim's vessel.
Sometimes pirates carried more than one because reloading took time. When all else failed, pirates used the pistols effectively as clubs. The cutlass was the favored weapon of the pirates. It was a sword that had a short, razor sharp, double-edged wide blade and a handle with a guard. Its short length was ideal for close combat on a ship.
Daggers were small, usually four-sided blades that ended in a sharp point. They were used for close combat where a cutlass was too long to swing. The ax was a very versatile tool for pirates. Many axes had two steel sides, one a traditional ax shape with sharp edge and the other that looked more like a pick.
Axes were used for ship maintenance and splitting wood, but they were also used as a weapon to climb the sides of ships (similar to how climbers use ice axes), cut through ropes, or to attack the enemy.