Life at Sea for Pirates in the Old Days
Life at sea for the pirates was harsh. Much of a pirate’s time was spent waiting for merchant vessels to pass by, sailing from one place to another, or making repairs to the ship. Despite this, the seafaring life attracted pirates because it offered a life of adventure and the possibility of great riches instead of the boredom or persecution they would have experienced on land.
Code of Conduct
Many pirates lived by strict rules, called a Code of Conduct. Pirate ships operated like a democracy where decisions such as where to attack or how to take care of the ship were brought to a vote.
Below shows a sample of what a pirate crew’s Code of Conduct may have been:
- Every crew member on the ship has a vote in all matters and has equal share to provisions, such as food and liquors.
- Every man shall obey the chain of command, and all issues that arise pertaining to the decisions on the ship are held to a vote. The captain shall receive one full share and a half of all booty taken, and the other officers one share and a quarter. All men receive an equal share of prizes.
- No man is to gamble at cards or dice for money.
- All crew members will keep their musket, pistols, cutlasses and other weapons clean and ready for battle.
- If any man should plan to abandon ship or run away, he shall be marooned with one bottle of water, a musket, some shot and powder, or be put to death.
Below shows a sample of what a pirate crew’s Code of Conduct may have been:
- Every crew member on the ship has a vote in all matters and has equal share to provisions, such as food and liquors.
- Every man shall obey the chain of command, and all issues that arise pertaining to the decisions on the ship are held to a vote. The captain shall receive one full share and a half of all booty taken, and the other officers one share and a quarter. All men receive an equal share of prizes.
- No man is to gamble at cards or dice for money.
- All crew members will keep their musket, pistols, cutlasses and other weapons clean and ready for battle.
- If any man should plan to abandon ship or run away, he shall be marooned with one bottle of water, a musket, some shot and powder, or be put to death.
Jobs
Although pirates scoffed at authority and did not like being told what to do, there was surprising order to most pirate ships. There were defined positions on ships, and each position was voted by the crew.
The captain of a pirate ship was usually elected by the crew, based on his skill and strong leadership. Although the captain was technically in charge of the pirate ship, the crew usually had a say in deciding where to sail and when to attack.
A captain could also be voted out by the crew and marooned. The captain's right hand man was called the first mate. The first mate assisted the captain and took over if something bad happened.
Quartermasters were the backbone of pirate ships. The quartermaster oversaw the daily operations of the ship, including directing attacks, deciding how booty was divided up, managing supplies, and directing work crews.
Surgeons were valued by pirates because they sometimes had experience treating the sick and wounded, but most didn't have real medical training. When an experienced surgeon was not available, the crew might elect a surgeon who they felt could do the job.
Carpenters were also highly skilled at fixing and making modifications to the ships. Often the ship’s carpenter was the surgeon because he had the saws needed to amputate infected limbs!
Navigators and gunners were important jobs on every pirate ship. The navigators had training to use delicate instruments and navigate the seas. Gunners were arranged in crews and spent much time mastering the maintaining, loading and firing of the big cannons.
Most pirate ships had a cook. If a crew member could whip up a batch of savory turtle soup, he was qualified for the job. Pirates who had been wounded in battle and could no longer fight often served as cooks.
The captain of a pirate ship was usually elected by the crew, based on his skill and strong leadership. Although the captain was technically in charge of the pirate ship, the crew usually had a say in deciding where to sail and when to attack.
A captain could also be voted out by the crew and marooned. The captain's right hand man was called the first mate. The first mate assisted the captain and took over if something bad happened.
Quartermasters were the backbone of pirate ships. The quartermaster oversaw the daily operations of the ship, including directing attacks, deciding how booty was divided up, managing supplies, and directing work crews.
Surgeons were valued by pirates because they sometimes had experience treating the sick and wounded, but most didn't have real medical training. When an experienced surgeon was not available, the crew might elect a surgeon who they felt could do the job.
Carpenters were also highly skilled at fixing and making modifications to the ships. Often the ship’s carpenter was the surgeon because he had the saws needed to amputate infected limbs!
Navigators and gunners were important jobs on every pirate ship. The navigators had training to use delicate instruments and navigate the seas. Gunners were arranged in crews and spent much time mastering the maintaining, loading and firing of the big cannons.
Most pirate ships had a cook. If a crew member could whip up a batch of savory turtle soup, he was qualified for the job. Pirates who had been wounded in battle and could no longer fight often served as cooks.
Routines
Contrary to what you may have imagined, pirates were not always attacking ships and taking booty. Life on a pirate ship was often boring, with pirates occasionally waiting weeks for merchant ships to pass by.
A pirate ship required constant maintenance. Sails needed mending after weathering a bad storm or from simply slapping against the masts.
Ropes would rot due to exposure to sun and salt—or worse, rats chewing through them. One of the most demanding tasks that pirates faced was careening their ships.
After spending weeks or months at sea, ships grew barnacles and seaweed on the hulls, which made them sail much more slowly. Also, little worms ate away at the wood, putting the ship in danger of sinking. To careen a pirate ship, the crew would sail to a remote place, and run the ship around on a sandy beach.
Here, pirate crews would work fast and furiously, scrapping and stripping the hull, and sealing the seams between the wooden planks with hot pitch before anyone could find the pirates and capture them.
A pirate ship required constant maintenance. Sails needed mending after weathering a bad storm or from simply slapping against the masts.
Ropes would rot due to exposure to sun and salt—or worse, rats chewing through them. One of the most demanding tasks that pirates faced was careening their ships.
After spending weeks or months at sea, ships grew barnacles and seaweed on the hulls, which made them sail much more slowly. Also, little worms ate away at the wood, putting the ship in danger of sinking. To careen a pirate ship, the crew would sail to a remote place, and run the ship around on a sandy beach.
Here, pirate crews would work fast and furiously, scrapping and stripping the hull, and sealing the seams between the wooden planks with hot pitch before anyone could find the pirates and capture them.
Food and Drink
Pirate ships had no refrigerators or freezers to store food. One of the biggest problems pirates had was consuming it before it spoiled. For this reason, they did not have the luxury of regular fresh meat and produce on their ships, unless they caught some turtles, which were abundant in the Caribbean.
When turtles were not available, pirates sometimes fished from their vessels. Pirates also collected wild animals like goats and birds to take on board while they were hidden near islands.
One famous food of pirates was hard baked biscuits called hardtack. These biscuits were made only of flour and water and lasted for a long time. But they didn't last forever! Sooner or later they would become infested with weevils, which are small beetles hatched from maggots. On long voyages, pirates ate hardtack even when it had weevils in it, because it was often all the food they had!
Pirates also carried barrels of water on their ships, but it was consumed or went bad quickly. For drink, pirates loaded their ships with barrels of wine and bottles of beer, in part because the alcohol in the beverages helped to preserve it.
The pirates of the Indian Ocean captured luxury cargoes of spices, such as ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. These spices were valuable because they flavored food and also preserved it.
When turtles were not available, pirates sometimes fished from their vessels. Pirates also collected wild animals like goats and birds to take on board while they were hidden near islands.
One famous food of pirates was hard baked biscuits called hardtack. These biscuits were made only of flour and water and lasted for a long time. But they didn't last forever! Sooner or later they would become infested with weevils, which are small beetles hatched from maggots. On long voyages, pirates ate hardtack even when it had weevils in it, because it was often all the food they had!
Pirates also carried barrels of water on their ships, but it was consumed or went bad quickly. For drink, pirates loaded their ships with barrels of wine and bottles of beer, in part because the alcohol in the beverages helped to preserve it.
The pirates of the Indian Ocean captured luxury cargoes of spices, such as ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. These spices were valuable because they flavored food and also preserved it.
Medicine and Disease
Pirates rarely had the chance to eat fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin C during long sea journeys. Because of this, many sailors developed scurvy, which is caused by eating too little vitamin C.
When a pirate got scurvy, it was bad news. The disease caused the limbs to weaken and teeth to loosen because of swollen gums. It also affected connective tissues that hold the body together, like ligaments and tendons.
Pirate ships probably carried a very basic surgeon’s kit that contained sharp knives, needles for stitching wounds together, and instruments to remove shot from flesh wounds caused by enemy guns.
Even a small cut could become infected, and sometimes whole legs or arms had to be sawn off. Medicines were usually a combination of ointments made of spices and herbs. Because of the close quarters, disease was easily spread on a pirate ship.
When a pirate got scurvy, it was bad news. The disease caused the limbs to weaken and teeth to loosen because of swollen gums. It also affected connective tissues that hold the body together, like ligaments and tendons.
Pirate ships probably carried a very basic surgeon’s kit that contained sharp knives, needles for stitching wounds together, and instruments to remove shot from flesh wounds caused by enemy guns.
Even a small cut could become infected, and sometimes whole legs or arms had to be sawn off. Medicines were usually a combination of ointments made of spices and herbs. Because of the close quarters, disease was easily spread on a pirate ship.
Pets
Pirates may have had pets on their ships for companions. Dogs and cats were occasionally kept on ship. Parrots didn’t need to eat much and could be trained to talk, providing entertainment for the crew. The idea of every pirate having a parrot, however, is largely a myth.