Pirate ships
Today we will discuss pirate ships. These sea vessels are an important part of pirate history. These ships had to carry a vast amount of pirates, as well as a fair amount of cargo. These ships carried pirates from place to place, and won vicious sea battles. Different pirates used different ships, and each one was unique. Just like pirates themselves, their ships struck terror into the hearts of men at sea.
Pirate ships had to be fast and?well armed. They also?had to have ?a shallow enough drift so they could sail close to land. The cannons played an important roll on pirate?ships, but so did the flags. Pirate flags would increase the maximum amount of fear on the other ship. If the enemy was scared, he might not fight as well. Or pirates might?raise a friendly flag to trick the ships into thinking the pirates?were friends. Then the pirates would attack once close enough.
The sloop was a fast,?agile ship and was extremely seaworthy. They carried a maximum of 14 cannons and up to 75 men. Many pirates used these ships. The Barque was a small fast ship with three masts. This ship was wider than the sloop, but could hold up to 90 men. It consisted of 12 cannons and could easily slip between islands. The Junk was the favorite craft for Asian pirates. It was around 80 feet long and could carry up to 15 cannons. Most of these were twin masted and fast. The Schooner was sleek and fast and was similar to the sloop. It weighed about 100 tons and could carry up to 75 men. This ship could carry eight cannons.
The Brigantine was one of the largest vessels commonly used by pirates. It could carry up to 100 men and twelve cannons. It was 80 feet in length and weighed 150 tons. The Frigate was one of the largest vessels. It would carry up to 190 men and up to 28 cannons. These ships were used to police infested pirate waters. The Square-Rigger was very large and commonly attacked by pirates. It was slower than the sloops and schooners, making them easier targets. Because of its size, it could carry a large cargo.
These ships were all used during the pirate age. They all had many uses. Pirates cared for their ships, and worked hard to keep them clean. Pirates hated to lose their ships, because they went through so much work to get it. But these ships weren’t just pirate treasures, they were the thing that inspired treasure hunters. If you could find any sunken ship that belonged to a famous pirate, you would be sitting real nice. Because what’s a sunken ship if it didn’t?sink with any treasure?
The facts in this post came from the book “Pirates” by John Matthews.
