Types of Ships That Were Utilized By Pirates in the Old Days
Pirate ships were certainly not all the same. Some were small oared galleys and others were larger three-masted ships that were more seaworthy on more open waters. Above all, pirate ships had to be fast, have plenty of firepower and be loaded with bloodthirsty men willing to fight to the death.
Pirates needed to attack their victims swiftly to take advantage of the element of surprise. They could not afford to spend days chasing their victims out on the open seas, so they hid in coves and other protected areas near common shipping lanes, harbors and inshore waters, so they could attack the very instant a trade ship passed by.
Pirates could not build their own ships or order them from a shipbuilder because they were wanted criminals. Pirates were thieves, and most of their ships had been stolen from somebody else. However, pirates usually made similar modifications to their ships in order to make them better pirate ships.
They strengthened the side decks to better withstand enemy fire and added large cannons and swivel guns for firepower. In the lower decks of their ships, they sometimes added barrels of rocks or sand for ballast. This put weight in the bottom of the ship to compensate for the weight of cannons and equipment above, so the ship didn't fall over.
Pirate captains and crews probably spent more time performing maintenance and making modifications to their vessels than they did committing acts of piracy. When they were not out attacking on the seas, they spent days and sometimes weeks repairing sails, making ropes and scrapping barnacles off the hull (called careening).
When performing these tasks, they hid in remote areas, as they feared being caught by the authorities on dry land.
Pirates needed to attack their victims swiftly to take advantage of the element of surprise. They could not afford to spend days chasing their victims out on the open seas, so they hid in coves and other protected areas near common shipping lanes, harbors and inshore waters, so they could attack the very instant a trade ship passed by.
Pirates could not build their own ships or order them from a shipbuilder because they were wanted criminals. Pirates were thieves, and most of their ships had been stolen from somebody else. However, pirates usually made similar modifications to their ships in order to make them better pirate ships.
They strengthened the side decks to better withstand enemy fire and added large cannons and swivel guns for firepower. In the lower decks of their ships, they sometimes added barrels of rocks or sand for ballast. This put weight in the bottom of the ship to compensate for the weight of cannons and equipment above, so the ship didn't fall over.
Pirate captains and crews probably spent more time performing maintenance and making modifications to their vessels than they did committing acts of piracy. When they were not out attacking on the seas, they spent days and sometimes weeks repairing sails, making ropes and scrapping barnacles off the hull (called careening).
When performing these tasks, they hid in remote areas, as they feared being caught by the authorities on dry land.
Oared Galleys
The Barbary corsairs used light oar-powered galleys to attack larger merchant ships. These galleys were powered by slaves captured by the corsairs of Barbary and Malta. They were shackled together and forced to pull the galley's long oars, each of which required five men or more to move. Most galleys had a single, large mast that was hoisted quickly in the event that wind power was used.
Firepower for the oared galleys typically came from a large cannon mounted at the bow of the boat and several smaller swivel guns mounted on the sides. In addition to its weaponry, galleys had the advantage of being able to carry more than one hundred fighting men, whose strategy was to board and attack their unsuspecting victims.
Firepower for the oared galleys typically came from a large cannon mounted at the bow of the boat and several smaller swivel guns mounted on the sides. In addition to its weaponry, galleys had the advantage of being able to carry more than one hundred fighting men, whose strategy was to board and attack their unsuspecting victims.
Sloops
The most commonly used pirate ship in the Golden Age of piracy was the sloop. Although the word sloop can be used to describe many different vessels, a common sloop was much smaller than a schooner or merchant ship (called a galleon in the Spanish Main). Not much is known about the sloops pirates used, because they didn't keep records or diagrams of their ships.
However, most of them probably used stolen sloops that originally had been built by shipbuilders in Jamaica and Bermuda for merchants in the Caribbean who wanted to avoid attacks by the buccaneers.
The construction of these sloops would have varied greatly, but most of them likely had two masts: a main mast supporting a large, square-shaped main sail and a smaller sail, and a foremast with only one small foresail.
Some held as few as four to six cannons with several swivel guns, while larger ones held up to twelve cannons. These sloops had to be seaworthy enough to sail in foul weather, yet sleek enough to quickly overcome enemy ships.
However, most of them probably used stolen sloops that originally had been built by shipbuilders in Jamaica and Bermuda for merchants in the Caribbean who wanted to avoid attacks by the buccaneers.
The construction of these sloops would have varied greatly, but most of them likely had two masts: a main mast supporting a large, square-shaped main sail and a smaller sail, and a foremast with only one small foresail.
Some held as few as four to six cannons with several swivel guns, while larger ones held up to twelve cannons. These sloops had to be seaworthy enough to sail in foul weather, yet sleek enough to quickly overcome enemy ships.
Large Ships
Pirates, especially those who traveled beyond the Spanish Main, also captured and used large, bulky ships, similar to the galleons used by merchants. In the later days of piracy, especially in the late 1600s and early 1700s, pirates such as Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, and Bartholomew Roberts used large ships to carry out their raids.
Pirates required larger ships for two main reasons. First, they had to have vessels with adequate firepower and crew to compete with British naval ships. Second, they needed large ships that were seaworthy and were capable of crossing large distances over rough seas.
This larger class of vessel was typically more than one hundred feet long, had three masts, weighed in excess of 250 tons, and carried more than 150 crew members. Some of these large ships were equipped to allow crews to oar them when seas were calm, but most probably did not.
Similar in size to galleons, many held more than 30 guns, ranging in size from small swivel guns to larger cannons. Although not swift like a sloop, these ships had the firepower needed to attack larger vessels.
Sometimes, large ships traveled in convoys with sloops. In one of Blackbeard's raids on the Atlantic coast of North America, he was accompanied by three sloops as he blocked and attacked passing ships.
Pirates required larger ships for two main reasons. First, they had to have vessels with adequate firepower and crew to compete with British naval ships. Second, they needed large ships that were seaworthy and were capable of crossing large distances over rough seas.
This larger class of vessel was typically more than one hundred feet long, had three masts, weighed in excess of 250 tons, and carried more than 150 crew members. Some of these large ships were equipped to allow crews to oar them when seas were calm, but most probably did not.
Similar in size to galleons, many held more than 30 guns, ranging in size from small swivel guns to larger cannons. Although not swift like a sloop, these ships had the firepower needed to attack larger vessels.
Sometimes, large ships traveled in convoys with sloops. In one of Blackbeard's raids on the Atlantic coast of North America, he was accompanied by three sloops as he blocked and attacked passing ships.
Schooners
Schooners were used in the later days of piracy, in the 18th century. A schooner is commonly a two-masted ship with fore and aft sails. Interestingly, the schooner is the subject of many fiction books and is the most common type of sailing vessel today.
Did You Know?
The only sunken pirate ship that has been firmly identified is Sam Bellamy’s WHYDAH, which was discovered off the coast of Cape Cod in 1984. This particular pirate ship weighed over 300 tons and had 28 guns.