Pirates of the Caribbean-The Real Truth

By Trevor Marriott

The stories about pirates as we have come to know them have created a picture of adventure and grandeur, but this was never further from the reality of how pirates really existed. Their lives were generally cruel, violent, and very short even for the more successful ones. A pirates life at sea, usually lasted for only two or three years before they got caught and hanged, or were killed attempting to plunder a ship.

This false picture we see now of pirates and the lives they lived has been created by the countless books that have been published over the years, and in more recent times the many pirate films, which have hit our cinema, and television screens, portraying them as swashbuckling heroes, and sometimes scurrilous villains.

This modern-day portrayal of the pirate was perhaps never intended to be realistic, but nevertheless, it has stuck, and the stories behind the real pirates, who sailed the seas, plundering and killing, seem to have been forgotten, or authors and film makers alike seem to have been reluctant to tell the true stories, but now the truth can finally be told.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trevor Marriott
• Release date: Nov 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386232766

Book preview

Table of Contents

Pirates of the Caribbean-The Real Truth

`The Pirates of the Caribbean`

The Real Truth

Written and Compiled

By

Trevor Marriott

Copyright © 2017

Any copyright issues arising from the publication of this book should be referred direct to the author

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

Index

Chapter 1

The History of Pirates

Chapter 2

Corsairs, Buccaneers, Privateers Part 1

Chapter 3

Pirate Ships

Chapter 4

The Pirate Flag

Chapter 5

The Pirate Crew

Chapter 6

Pirate clothing, weapons, and accessories

Chapter 7

The Pirates Code of Conduct

Chapter 8

Pirate Slang

Chapter 9

Pirate Songs

Chapter 10

Life at Sea

Chapter 11

Pirate drinks

Chapter 12

Pirate Myths

Chapter 13

Davy Jones locker

Chapter 14

Pirates, Corsairs, Buccaneers, Privateers part 2

Chapter 15

Pirate strongholds

Chapter 16

The Rewards of Piracy

Chapter 17

Buried treasure-Sunken Treasure

Chapter 18

The Pirate Treasure of the Knights Templar`s

Chapter 19

Pirate prisoners

Chapter 20

Pirate hunters

Chapter 21

Pirate Punishments

Chapter 22

Modern Day Pirates

Chapter 1

THE HISTORY OF PIRATES

The majority of  what is today known about the history and the exploits of pirates came from two historical books the first titled General History of the Robberies & Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates (written by Captain Charles Johnson in 1724. However, there is no record of such a sea captain existing, so it must be assumed that Captain Johnson is a nom de plume. The second titled The Buccaneers of America by Alexander Esquemelin in 1678.

The history of pirates, who were also known as Buccaneers, Corsairs, and Privateers has managed to captivate the minds of people like no other part of our history and still does today with the highly successful Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and for children, Jake and the Never land Pirates and of course Peter Pan in which the now-famous pirate Captain Hook is featured, along with the most-recent Hollywood block buster Pan  So how far back can we trace acts of piracy by those who can simply be described as nothing more than criminals operating at sea, who became commonly known as pirates.

Pirates have, in fact, been recorded as far back as 1350 BC plundering ships on all the main trading routes of ancient Greece, seizing cargoes of grain, and olive oil from Roman ships. In later years the most famous and far-reaching pirates in early the middle ages were the Vikings. Pirates once captured Julius Caesar and held him hostage for 38 days. Later, he ordered his generals to capture and crucify every one of them.

In 1553, China invited 120 monks to leave their peaceful life and deal with the Chinese pirates. These monks were anything but peaceful – they were superb kung fu fighters. In one year they participated in 4 battles against pirates, and killed every single one of them with just a few casualties on their side. Later they lost interest in the war, and the pirates took over the seas again.

The real pirate era as we have come to believe was between the late 16th through to the early 18th century. The Spanish established colonies on the land in the New World and also claimed specific sea routes, which became known as The Spanish Main this referred to the coastal region of the Americas surrounding the Caribbean Sea and South America. These new Spanish territories opened up paths to untold wealth for the Spanish, from the gold, silver, precious gems, slaves and spices, which were found in the New World. They loaded their ships with their treasure to send back to Spain. These Spanish treasure fleets became easy targets for the pirates of the Caribbean who used many of the small Islands as their bases to plunder from.

The stories about pirates as we have come to know them have created a picture of adventure and grandeur, but this was never farther from the reality of how pirates really existed. Their lives were generally cruel, violent and very short even for the more successful ones. A Pirates life at sea, usually lasted for only two or three years before they got caught and hanged, or were killed attempting to plunder a ship.

This false picture we see now of pirates and the lives they lived has been created by the countless books that have been published over the years, and in more recent times the many pirate films, which have hit our cinema and television screens, portraying them as swashbuckling heroes, and sometimes scurrilous villains. This modern-day portrayal of the pirate was perhaps never intended to be realistic, but nevertheless, it has stuck, and the stories behind the real pirates who sailed the seas, plundering and killing, seem to have been forgotten, or authors and film makers alike seem to have been reluctant to tell the true stories.

So how can we a pirate be defined? Quite simply he is a sailor, a robber, a cutthroat, who in the company of others of a similar disposition unlawfully attacks, seizes, plunders, and destroys ships at sea, stealing goods and valuables found on those ships and on many occasions responsible for the murders of crews of the ships they plundered.

In addition to plundering and murders, pirates were not aversed to involving themselves in other illegal ventures such as smuggling, and slave trading, in effect, anything that would prove to be financially viable. They knew that all of those crimes would result in death should they ever be captured by the authorities who relentlessly pursued them across the oceans in an attempt to make the seas safe and protect the trade routes.

Why were pirate attacks so often successful? Many of the Pirate ships were captained by experienced sea captain`s who adopted many different ways of seeking out their prey. Sometimes they would go ashore in a sea port seeking information in taverns on possible ships, which might be soon setting sail, where they were bound, for and what cargo and valuables, they might be carrying. The pirates would then wait offshore for the ship to set sail attacking it and plundering the cargo and valuables.

Other times they sailed near established trade routes and attacked whatever ships crossed their path. Alternatively, they hid in coves or straits, where they waited to ambush unsuspecting prey.  In these cases, pirates relied on their acquired knowledge of where ships passed at given times of the year rather than gathering more detailed information on possible targets.  Pirates preferred hunting in coastal waters rather than the open sea because the pirate captain`s knew that all vessels had at some time to navigate coastal waters and were therefore, easy prey. So while the risk of detection and apprehension increased when the pirates cruised close to shore, it also provided the greatest potential for locating ships with valuable cargoes.

Pirates also seized charts, logs, and other ship’s papers, which might reveal the departure/arrival of treasure ships or vessels carrying prized cargoes. Speed and mobility were of essence and were paramount to the success of attacks. Pirates preferred their ships to be fast ships and easy to manoeuvre. Once a potential target had been sighted, the pirates would not immediately attack.  They had to first identify the type of ship, whether she rode low or high in the water (full cargo vs. empty hold), and most importantly to quickly determine what firepower the ship carried.

Another successful ploy used by the pirates was what was called the ruse de guerre. This involved the pirates flying the flag of another, or the same nation’s flag of the ship they wanted to attack; this enabled them to get close to the target before revealing their true colours thereby not giving the ship time to take action to defend itself.

When pirates used the ruse de guerre in combination with other deceptions, their chance of success improved.  To lure the intended target within range, they might alter their sails or camouflage the gun ports. While most pirates hid below deck or out of sight behind the gunwale, a few pirates would don female attire and flaunt themselves on the deck.  When pirates sailed with two ships, they sometimes disguised one to appear as if it was a legitimate ship that had taken the second vessel as a prize.  The ultimate aim was to capture the prize incurring as little damage to their ship and loss of life to the crew, and to cause as little damage as possible to the ship they were attacking, which ultimately may be of further use to them.

During the 17th century, it is reported that Algerian pirates captured and sold into slavery more than a million Europeans.

September 19th every year is regarded as Talk like a pirate day

Chapter 2

CORSAIRS, BUCCANEERS, PRIVATEERS

PART 1

CORSAIRS

To us, Corsairs are unfamiliar names for pirates. They pirated in both the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas between the 15th and 17th centuries. Muslim corsairs, such as the daring Barbarossa brothers, had bases along the Barbary Coast of North Africa. They built many strong fortresses to defend the Barbary ports of Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunis. Christian corsairs, on the other hand, were based on the island of Malta. Muslim and Christian corsairs alike swooped down on their targets in swift oar-powered boats called galleys to plunder passing ships, and to abduct the unfortunate sailors and passengers, to be sold as either slaves or held for ransom.

French corsairs in the late 16th and early 17th century were, in fact, what were known as privateers working for the King of France attacking the ships of France’s enemies. In France, they did not need to fear punishment for piracy—being hanged—as they were granted a licence as combatants, the letter de Marque or letter de Course, a document which legalized their actions on behalf of the French government, and which they hoped would give them the status of a prisoner of war, in case they should ever be captured. However, they were looked on as pirates by other countries, and would be hung as pirates if captured.

The French corsairs were ordered to attack only the ships of enemy countries. If any did not respect this rule, they were, then treated as a pirate and hanged. The corsairs' activities also provided the King of France with revenue, as the terms of engagement required them to hand over a part of their plunder to the King, who took one-quarter and sometimes one-third.

In 1713 with the signing of the treaty of Utrecht, effectively put an end to the French Corsair raids on Spanish ships in the Caribbean, the Guerre de Course," as the French called it, had taken a huge toll on the Spanish treasure fleet's efforts to ship the gold and silver from Peru to Santo Domingo and Havana and then on to Spain.

BUCCANEERS

The time period relative to buccaneers is generally accepted to have been between 1650 and 1680. Initially hunter’s of cattle and pigs on the Island of what is now known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Buccaneers got their name from the meaning of the French word boucan which means barbecue, as they were frequently seen barbecuing their meat on grills, which they learned from the local Arawak Indians. These early Buccaneers were persecuted by the Spanish and driven out. They then joined groups of runaway slaves, deserters, and others who also hated the Spanish and together sought revenge on their enemy by attacking their ships.

The word buccaneer soon became common, and by the 17th, century was used literally to describe pirates and privateers who had bases in the West Indies, and who plundered ships sailing the Caribbean. Buccaneers whose crews were much larger than the average pirates crew initially used small boats to attack Spanish galleons surreptitiously, often at night, and climb aboard before the alarm could be raised. Buccaneers were expert marksmen and would quickly kill the helmsman and any officers aboard.  The Buccaneers' reputation as cruel pirates soon grew to the point that, eventually, most victims would surrender quickly, hoping they would not be killed. Buccaneers grew in strength and size even raiding towns; they did not sail into port and attack the defences, as naval forces would do. Instead, they secreted their ship out of sight and marched overland, and attacked the towns from the landward side, which was usually less fortified. These raids relied mainly on surprise and speed. Buccaneer crews had no regular wages; their pay would be from their shares of the plunder, a system called no purchase, no pay

The Buccaneers had little concerns for legal niceties, and exploited every opportunity to attack Spanish targets, whether or not aletter of marquewas applicable. Many of the letters of marque used by Buccaneers were in any event invalid, and any form of legal document might be passed off as a letter of marque. Furthermore, even those Buccaneers that held valid letters of marque often failed to observe their terms. French and English governors tended to turn a blind eye to the Buccaneers' depredations against the Spanish, even when unlicensed. However, as Spanish power waned toward the end of the 17th century, the Buccaneers' attacks began to disrupt France and England's merchant traffic. Merchants who had previously regarded the Buccaneers as a defence against Spain now saw them as a threat to commerce, and colonial authorities grew hostile. This change in the political atmosphere, more than anything else, put an end to buccaneering.

PRIVATEERS

A privateer was a pirate who by commission or letter of marque from the government of a country was authorized to seize or destroy a merchant vessel of another nation. The Privateers were most active between the 16th and 18th century, in a period when many European nations fought each other for dominance in the New World. A privateer was used as a cheap means of weakening the enemy. They would frequent shipping routes their main advantage to a country was to avoid the costs related to the maintenance and creation of its own navy. In theory, no Privateer with a letter of marque could be charged with piracy, since it was recognized by international law.

Privateers generally cruised independently, but it was not unknown for them to form what were called squadrons, or to co-operate with the regular navy. A number of privateers were part of the English fleet that helped fight the Spanish Armada in 1588.Although privateers were considered as a type of pirate, they were, in effect, more like naval soldiers as most of their actions were deemed legal. However, it was not uncommon for privateers to be charged and prosecuted for piracy by hostile nations. All details of vessels captured by English privateers had to be brought before an Admiralty Court who would determine if their plunder was legally acquired. Conditions on board, privateer’s ships varied widely. Some crews were treated as harshly as naval crews of the time, while others followed the comparatively relaxed rules of merchant ships. Some crews were made up of professional merchant seamen, others of pirates, debtors, and convicts.

Some privateers ended up becoming pirates, not just in the eyes of their enemies but also of their own nations. Captain William Kidd, who will be later be discussed at length, for instance, began as a legitimate British privateer but was later hanged for piracy in London.

The various nations and privateers alike, benefited from these arrangements. Many sailors got the opportunity for an easy-profiting and exciting job. They could attack ship sand ports without the fear of potential punishment. On the other side, privateers were helping to increase the size of nations' navy. Another bonus was the facts that the governments didn't have to pay the crew, to arm or supply them. Instead, they even gained a great wealth as privateers were giving a percentage of plunder to their backers in exchange for their immunity.

However, to the enemy country, a privateer was no better than a classic pirate and on many occasions, privateers were prosecuted and hanged for committing acts of piracy. Privateering was very prevalent during the American Revolutionary War against the British, which took place between 1776 and 1782, during which the following proclamation was issued to privateers.

You may, by Force of arms, attack, subdue, and take all Ships and other Vessels belonging to Subjects of the King of Great-Britain, on the High Seas, or between High-water and Low-water Marks, except... Friends to the American Cause, which you shall suffer to pass unmolested, the Commanders thereof permitting a peaceable Search, and giving satisfactory information of the Contents of Loadings, and Definitions of the Voyages

The practice of privateering lasted until the 1856 when the Declaration of Paris made it a criminal offence. The USA did not sign because a stronger amendment, protecting all private property from capture at sea, was not accepted. In the 19th century, many nations passed laws forbidding their nationals from accepting commissions as privateers for other nations. The last major power to use privateering ships was Prussia in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, when Prussia announced the creation of a 'volunteer navy ‘of ships, which were privately owned, and manned and eligible for prize money. The only difference between this and privateering was that these volunteer ships were under the control and discipline of the regular navy.

Chapter 3

PIRATE SHIPS

There is no specific type of vessel that can be calleda pirate ship. The pirates acquired their ships by capturing them. A good pirate ship needed three things: it needed to be seaworthy, fast, manoeuvrable, and well-armed. Seaworthy ships were especially necessary in the Caribbean, where devastating hurricanes were a yearly occurrence. Since the best ports and harbours were not welcoming to pirates, they often had to ride out storms at sea. Speed was very important: if they could not run down their prey, they would never capture anything. It was also necessary to outrun pirate hunters and navy ships. They needed to be well-armed in order to win fights. Ships with a shallow draft were preferred. With that advantage, the pirates could easily flee from large powerful vessels by hiding in shallow waters where pursuers could not follow them. 

Pirate ships usually carried many more crew than ordinary ships of a similar size. This meant they could easily outnumber the crews of ships they attacked. Pirates would modify their ships so that they could carry far more weaponry and larger cannons than merchant ships of the same size.

There