Edward Teach (1680-1718)

At the mention of the word "pirates" in memory, the plots of the trilogy about Jack Sparrow or the heroes of the book "Treasure Island", read in childhood, immediately pop up. Naval battles, dangers, treasures, rum and adventures... Over the centuries, legends about sea corsairs or filibusters have gradually grown into a mystery, and now it is impossible to understand where is fiction and where is the truth. But, of course, there is some truth in these legends! We will tell about the most famous pirates in history.

Edward Teach (1680-1718)

One of the most famous corsairs in the history of piracy is Edward Teach, who bore the nickname "Blackbeard". He was born in Bristol in 1680. His real name is John. Teach became the prototype of the pirate Flint in Stevenson's Treasure Island. Because of the beard that covered almost the entire face, his appearance was terrifying and there were legends about him as a terrible villain. Teach died on November 22, 1718 in a fight with Lieutenant Maynard. Upon hearing of the death of this terrible man, the whole world breathed a sigh of relief.

Henry Morgan (1635-1688)

Henry Morgan (1635-1688)

The English navigator, Vice-Governor of Jamaica, Sir Henry Morgan, nicknamed "Cruel" or "Pirate Admiral", was considered at one time a very famous pirate. He became famous for being one of the authors of the Pirate Code. Morgan was not only a successful corsair, but also a cunning politician and an intelligent military leader. It was with his help that England was able to control the entire Caribbean Sea. Morgan's life, full of the delights of a pirate craft, flew by at a frantic pace. He lived to old age and died in Jamaica on August 25, 1688 from cirrhosis of the liver. He was buried as a nobleman, but soon the cemetery where he was buried was washed away by a wave.

William Kidd (1645-1701)

William Kidd (1645-1701)

This is a pirate - a legend, more than one century has passed since his death, but the glory of him lives to this day. His piracy activity fell on the 17th century. He was known as a despot and a sadist, but became famous throughout the world as a smart robber. Kidd was quite a famous person, his name was known even in the British Parliament. There is evidence that he was rich, but no one knows where his treasures are hidden. The treasure hidden by Kidd is still being sought, but there is no result yet.

Francis Drake (1540-1596)

Francis Drake (1540-1596)

The famous pirate of the XVI century Francis Drake was born in 1540 in England in the county of Devonshire, in the family of a poor village priest. Drake was the eldest of his parents' twelve children. He received navigational skills while serving as a cabin boy on a small merchant ship. The glory of a very cruel person, who was favored by fortune, went about him. We must pay tribute to Drake's curiosity, he visited many places where no human foot had set foot. Thanks to this, he made many discoveries and corrections on the world maps of his time. The crowning glory of Captain Francis Drake came at the end of the 16th century, but on one of his trips to the shores of America, he fell ill with tropical fever and soon died.

Bartholomew Roberts (1682-1722)

Bartholomew Roberts (1682-1722)

Captain Bartholomew Roberts is an unusual pirate. He was born in 1682. Roberts was the most successful pirate of his time, always well and tastefully dressed, with excellent manners, he did not drink alcohol, read the Bible and fought without removing the cross from his neck, which greatly surprised his fellow corsairs. The stubborn and brave young man, who stepped on the slippery path of sea adventures and robberies, became a fairly famous personality of that time in a short four-year career as a filibuster. Roberts died in a fierce battle and was buried, in accordance with his will, at sea.

Sam Bellamy (1689-1717)

Sam Bellamy (1689-1717)

Love led Sam Bellamy to the path of sea robbery. Twenty-year-old Sam fell in love with Maria Hallet, the love was mutual, but the girl's parents did not give her in marriage to Sam. He was poor. And in order to prove to the whole world the right to the hand of Maria Bellamy to become a filibuster. He went down in history as "Black Sam". He got his nickname because he preferred his unruly black hair to a powdered wig, tying it, put it in a knot. At its core, Captain Bellamy was reputed to be a noble person; blacks served on his ships along with white pirates, which was simply unthinkable in the era of slavery. The ship on which he sailed to meet his beloved Mary Hallet, got into a storm and sank. Black Sam died without leaving the captain's bridge.

Aruj Barbarossa (1473-1518)

Aruj Barbarossa (1473-1518)

Aruj Barbarossa - a Turkish pirate, had power among the corsairs, had great power over them. He was a cruel and ruthless man who was very fond of executions and bullying. He was born into the family of a potter. He participated in many naval battles, in one of them, fighting heroically with his devoted team, he died.

William Dampier (1651-1715)

William Dampier (1651-1715)

And among the marine filibusters - robbers, there were exceptions. An example of this is William Dampier, in his person the world has lost a researcher and discoverer. He never took part in pirate revels, and spent all his free time studying and describing his observations of sea ​​currents in the ocean and the direction of the winds. One gets the impression that he became a robber solely in order to have the means and the opportunity to do what he loves. From the age of seventeen, Dampier served on an English sailing ship. And in 1679, already twenty-seven years old, he joined the Caribbean pirates and soon became a filibuster captain.

Grace O'Mile (1530 - 1603)

Grace O'Mile (1530 - 1603)

Grace O'Mile is a lady of fortune. This fearless pirate woman could give odds to any man. Her adventures are a whole adventure novel! From a young age, Grace, along with her father and his friends, took part in the attack on merchant ships that passed off the coast Ireland.After the death of her father, she won the right to be the leader of the Owen clan in battle.Beautiful Grace, with flowing hair and sabers in her hands, terrified enemies, while arousing admiration in the eyes of her associates.Such a troubled pirate life did not interfere with this brave girl love and be loved, she had four children from two marriages.Grace did not leave her craft, and, already at an advanced age, continued to make raids.She was honored with the attention of the queen and received an offer from her to serve, but the proud and freedom-loving Grace refused, for that she was arrested.

Talking about piracy, one cannot ignore the ships on which the pirates sailed, although, of course, almost any ship could act as a pirate ship. To a certain extent, piracy contributed to the progress of shipbuilding, since pirates needed the most advanced and fastest ships. Since my essay is still not about ships, but about people, I will describe very little and focus only on the most common types of ships, while a separate book can be written about each of them.

In ancient times, the fleet was exclusively rowing; only one mast was installed on the ship with a sail, which was used only with a fair wind. So the main driving force was the power of man. It is known that it is approximately equal to 1/10 horsepower (hp). Consequently, to obtain a power equal to 100 hp, about a thousand rowers were needed. The desire to increase the number of rowers on a relatively short vessel prompted them to sit in two or more rows one above the other. So, after unirems - ships with one row of oars - biremes, triremes (triremes), etc., appeared, respectively, with two, three or more rows of oars.

Gradually, however, the sail received more and more widespread use. Vessels that sail only under sail began to appear: naves and cogs.

The development of the sailing fleet proved the irrationality of using propeller-sailing ships, since with an equal displacement with a sailing ship, the weight of a gun salvo of a galleass was several times less, and the crew was much larger. Their construction stopped after the 17th century.

A characteristic feature of the ships of Western European countries in the Middle Ages was the decoration of sails with drawings of coats of arms, figures of people, crosses, so that the sails looked more like large banners. Ship flags sometimes reached so large sizes that their ends dragged along the water.

Not only the desire to explore Earth pushed the sovereigns of Europe to equip sea expeditions. There was also a more prosaic reason - enrichment through the seizure of foreign lands, gold, silver, spices and slaves. Therefore, the expeditions of Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Fernando Magellan, like many others, can be classified as pirate. Following the discoverers, hundreds and thousands of ships rushed in search of new lands and riches. The era of the Great Geographical Discoveries began.

In addition to European pirates, the pirates of Muslim countries, whose main bases were the coasts of Africa along the Mediterranean Sea, became widely known.

Pirates of the barbarian coast of Africa - Turks, Arabs, Moors - attacked every European ship that they could master. They were less bloodthirsty and more practical than European pirates, they did not kill people, but took them prisoner and sold them in the markets of Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Turkey; in addition, they themselves needed healthy young men to replenish the team of forced rowers. Young white women were highly valued in the eastern market, they were willingly bought for harems, and pirates took a good ransom for the children of wealthy and noble parents.

Throughout the Middle Ages and new history the pirates had a safe haven and a strong organization in North Africa. In the XV and XVI centuries The Mediterranean basin became the scene of a fierce struggle between the Christian powers and Muslim Turkey. Barbarian pirates played an important role in the wars at sea, and, in particular, the pirate state in North Africa, led by the sultan brothers Barbarossa.

The main weapon of ships in antiquity was ram, mounted on the stem. At first, they broke the oars of an enemy ship, depriving it of maneuverability, and then, having made a turn, they hit the side or (sometimes) the stern.

In addition to the ram, the Greeks armed their ships with heavy metal cargo, which was shaped like a dolphin, which was called that - dolphin. It was hung on a yardarm or arrow and dropped when approaching an enemy ship. The cargo pierced the deck or bottom of the attacked ship.

Thanks to excellent maneuverability Greek ships achieved great skill in ramming. When in the III century BC. the Romans entered the maritime arena, possessing the best in the world ground forces, but inexperienced in maneuvering ships, they won their first victory over the Carthaginian fleet in the battle of the Lipari Islands (260 BC) through the boarding bridge invented by them, called crow.

"Raven" consisted of an arrow, hinged on the bow of the ship. A platform 5.5 meters long and 1.2 meters wide was installed on the boom. At the upper end of the arrow, a heavy pointed metal weight was suspended through a block, shaped like a raven's beak. When approaching an enemy ship, an arrow with a platform descended on it, and the load, sticking its tip into the deck, connected the ships. Roman soldiers in two rows, shielding themselves with shields, moved to the attacked ship, and the outcome of the battle was decided, as on the shore, in hand-to-hand combat.

With the development of throwing machines, they began to be used on ships. Installed on the bow of the ship, they were intended to prevent boarding. However, ancient naval artillery was not widely used due to the fact that damp sea air softened springs made from animal veins or horsehair.

According to their design, throwing machines were divided into two-arm - eututons, or catapults, and single-arm - polyntons, or ballistas.

Catapults represented a bow of very large size. They consisted of a long trough with a strong transverse frame in front, on the sides of which a vertical bundle of tightly twisted veins was strengthened. A lever was inserted into the middle of each bundle, the rear ends of which, connected by a bowstring, sought to disperse. The middle of the bowstring was attached to a slider with a nest for an arrow, log or stone. The slider, with the help of a gate or a screw mechanism, pulled back the bowstring, which, after removing the stopper, straightened and sent the projectile forward. The catapult fired a projectile at a distance of up to 1000 meters, giving it an initial speed of up to 60 m / s. Their practical range was about 300 meters. Gaius Julius Caesar in his notes on Gallic war said that these machines threw arrows at such a speed that they sparkled from friction when sliding and were not visible in flight.

Catapults were used to destroy fortifications and ships. The chained log released by the machine pierced four rows of palisades along a gentle trajectory. The string was pulled by several warriors and took from 15 minutes to 1 hour.

Ballista consisted of a frame in which one bundle of veins was installed. A lever with a spoon or a sling for a projectile was inserted into the middle of the bundle. To drive the machine, the lever was pulled down with the help of the collar, a projectile was put into the spoon and the collar was released. At the same time, the lever hit the crossbar and sent a projectile that flew up to 400 meters. The range reached 200 meters. The initial velocity of the projectile was about 45 m/s. Stones, pots and barrels with a combustible mixture were used as projectiles. When launched, the projectile flew steeply upwards and, hitting the ship, pierced the deck and bottom. The most advantageous angle for throwing a projectile was in the range from 0° to 10°, since with an increase in the angle, the bouncing of the vehicle increased, and the initial speed and accuracy of the hit decreased. Arrow thrower- a throwing machine invented in Ancient Rome. The design of the machine is clear from the above figure. The shock board was pulled back by the collar with the help of a cable system and, after being released, it straightened out and pushed out the arrows installed in the guide boards. (fig.8)

Europeans also got acquainted with firearms from the Arabs. They were called madfaa, which means "hollowed out" in Arabic. And in the XIV century, firearms spread throughout Europe.

The first historically established case of the use of a firearm in European wars took place on the Italo-German border in Friol in 1331 during an attack on the city of Cividale by two knights of Kreutzberg and Spangenberg. Judging by the text of the chronicle, the guns were of small caliber and did no harm to anyone.

In 1340, during the siege of the fortress of Terni, the papal troops used "thundering pipes" that threw bolts, and in 1350, during the siege of the Sauerolo castle, bombards fired round bullets weighing about 0.3 kg.

The French first used cannons during the siege of Puy-Guillaume in 1338.

In field warfare, guns were first used by the British against the French at the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and again at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. Both battles were won by the British and, presumably, the cannons complemented the fire of the English archers well.

In subsequent years, not a single major battle did not pass without the roar of artillery pieces. In 1399, in the Battle of Worksla, the combined Russian-Lithuanian troops under the command of Prince Vitovt used cannons against the Tatars. And in 1410 at the Battle of Grunwald german knights guns were already used against the combined troops of Lithuania, Poland and the Smolensk principality. Although the side using artillery was defeated in both battles, the armies of all Europe were in a hurry to acquire artillery.

The era of naval firearms began from the very day when the Aragonese king don Pedro IV, being besieged in 1359 in Barcelona by the Castilian king, he armed one of his ships with a large bombard and fired the first shot. According to an eyewitness, the royal bombard with the help of fire and "artificial gunpowder" began to throw shells and knocked down the loophole and the mast of the enemy ship in two shots.

To install firearms in the hulls of ships, they began to make cutouts in the areas where guns were placed. In the campaign, these cutouts were covered with canvas, but this did not create impenetrability of the freeboard. Invention in 1500 by a French shipbuilder de Charges lockable "cannon port" opened a new era in shipbuilding and navigation. The closed cannon port made it possible to increase the number of guns on the ship by installing them not only in superstructures and on the upper deck, but also on the lower decks. This also created the opportunity to place heavier guns on the lower decks, and this increased the stability of the vessel.

However, due to the lack of experience and the lack of theoretical calculations during the construction of the ship, they were punched incorrectly on the slipway and often placed so low from the water that, at the slightest heel, the ships scooped up water and sank. So the karakka "Magu Kose" died in 1545 on the Sneathhead raid before the start of the battle with the French, drawing water from ports open for battle, separated from the water by only 16 inches (40.6 cm).

Subsequently, the sizes of ports and the distance between them began to be chosen depending on the diameter of the core; the center-to-center value between two adjacent ports should have been approximately 25 core diameters, and the length and height of the port should have been 6 and 6.6 diameters, respectively. The lower jamb of the port was above the deck at a height approximately equal to 3.5 core diameters.

The first living quarters on ships appeared in the 15th century. At first, the room occupied the entire space of the aft superstructure, later, when the superstructure became much longer and became multi-tiered, it was divided into a number of cabins and a large saloon near the aft wall. The cabins were located at the sides, and their number increased with the growth in the number of command personnel. The cabins were separated by simple wooden bulkheads, and only the aft saloon, which housed the captain of the ship, had decorative interior trim.

A significant slope of the walls and deck determined the interior and exterior decoration of the ship's hull. The rear wall of the superstructure, hanging over the stern, began to be decorated with galleries, which overlooked the saloon windows. Bars with small panes were inserted into the windows. The frames were decorated with carved columns and arches. At the end of the XV century. a set of hulls protruding into the interior of the cabin began to be sheathed with well-fitted boards; furniture also appeared - benches under the windows, chests and carved cabinets.

However, the living conditions on the ships of that time were very difficult. Usually ships (caravels, carracks, etc.) did not have a continuous deck, and in stormy times the crew often struggled without sleep and rest against water getting into the hold, pumping it out with primitive pumps built into the ship's hull. The beds were the privilege of the elite living in the cabins, that is, the highest command staff: the captain, the ship's skipper, the navigator and the doctor. Hanging beds, the prototype of which was an Indian hammock, appeared on ships only in the 16th century after the discovery of America. Until that time, the crew slept side by side, in incredible cramped conditions in the hold and in deck superstructures on boxes, barrels, boards, spreading their own dress under them. The sailors, who had defended a four to five hour watch, in wet clothes, took up places that had just been left by their comrades. (fig.10)

According to the system adopted in the XV-XVIII centuries, all ship firearms were divided into the following main types:

• bombards (mortars) - large-caliber guns of small length;
• Cannons - large-caliber guns of medium length;
• culverins - medium-caliber guns of great length;
• Howitzers - guns of medium caliber of small length. (fig.12)

In addition to those listed, half-cannons and double cannons, semi-culverins and other guns were installed on the ships, which differed from the main type in barrel length.

When mounted on a ship, large-caliber guns were hung by trunnions (tides on the barrel) on special goats (machine tools) made of strong beams. Gun mounts could be mobile and stationary. Mobile machines were attached to the board and deck of the vessel with lashings (cables).

Small-caliber guns were mounted on swivels (metal pins with a fork for trunnions), which were inserted into holes on board the ship.

Cannonballs were first made of stone, and later of cast iron or forged iron. In order to break the rigging, the Swedes were the first to use double shells ( knippel), connected by a chain and fired simultaneously from two adjacent guns. During the siege of Rhodes in 1552, the Turks used mortars new type shells - incendiary, stuffed with a combustible mixture. At the end of the 16th century there appeared buckshot with spherical lead bullets.

Since 1540, the design dimensions of guns, depending on the diameter of the core, began to be determined according to the calibration scale proposed by the Nuremberg mechanic Georg Hartmann.

Until the 16th century, there were no instruments for aiming guns, and aiming was done by eye. Famous Italian mathematician Nicolo Tartaglia(1500-1557) invented the quadrant, with which they began to measure the elevation and declination of guns.

However, the rate of fire of the artillery of that time still left much to be desired. How little they counted on the second salvo can be seen from the following example. In 1551, the French captain Paulin met with the Spanish squadron. Given the difference in artillery, he went to the trick and ordered to raise the flag of Emperor Charles V, who was also the Spanish king, on his ship. In addition, he said that he was taking a relative of the emperor to Spain and demanded that a salute be fired from all the guns. Unaware of deception, the Spanish admiral ordered a salute. Before the smoke cleared, Paulin and his ships rushed forward and boarded the Spanish ships before the Spaniards had time to reload their guns.

Pirates also generally preferred boarding skirmishes. There is a description of the tactics of the battle of pirate ships, compiled by the amnestied pirate Henry Mainwaring. He wrote that, pursuing prey, pirate ships followed a caravan of ships, and as soon as one of them or an escort ship fell behind, the pirates quickly overtook him. Approaching the attacked ship, they tried to approach from the stern and from the leeward, since in this case only a few stern guns came under fire. Having overtaken the victim, the pirates tried to secure the bow of their ship to the stern of the attacked one with the help of boarding hooks. At the same time, the pirates jammed the rudder with a wooden beam in order to deprive the defending ship of the ability to maneuver. Grenades and vessels with flammable liquid were thrown onto the deck of an enemy ship. Then the pirates boarded, using boarding sabers and pistols.

Despite their weaknesses, naval artillery is gradually ceasing to be only an auxiliary weapon during boarding. Its tasks include preparing for boarding or preventing it, depending on the conditions of the battle.

Small pirate ships

As we have already said, most pirates started their careers with small ships. The smallest vessels in the waters of the New World at that time were pinnaces, longboats, flat-bottomed vessels. Many of them have been known in the Caribbean since the 16th century. The term pinas has two different meanings. Firstly, a pinnace is usually understood as a semi-barge - an open single-masted vessel with a displacement of not more than 60 tons. Secondly, larger deck vessels with a displacement of 40-80 tons were also called pinas. Later, pinas reached a displacement of 200 tons, turning into three-masted ships capable of carrying artillery. In different countries, the same term could have different meanings, in addition, the meanings of terms changed over time.

Initially, pinas were called rowboats, which also had one mast with a latin or gaff sail. Usually the longboat had a length of no more than 10 m and was used for auxiliary purposes on large merchant ships and warships. Although maritime historians are still arguing on this topic, it seems that the term sloop most likely meant the same pinnace, but with a direct sailing rig. The Spaniards called the pinnaces "long launches", the Spanish launch carried direct sailing weapons. The Dutch used the word pinge, which meant any small merchant ship with a displacement of up to 80 tons, encountered in the Caribbean during the 17th century. At the end of the XVII century. pirates actively used all these small vessels in their criminal trade.

In another meaning, "pinas" meant an independent vessel with a displacement of 40-200 tons. Pinas could carry any number of masts; in the period we are describing, three-masted pinas were most common. Three-masted pinnaces could carry any rig, most often a combination of straight and latin sails. The armament of the pinas consisted of 8-20 guns. At the end of the XVII century. pirates like Henry Morgan used large pinnaces as the main ships of their pirate fleets, although the flag was kept on larger ships. The term flyboat usually meant a flat-bottomed trading vessel, usually Dutch, with the Dutch language having a special term fluyt. By the end of the 17th century, flyboats began to be understood as small vessels intended for coastal navigation. The Spaniards called such ships the word balandra. The Dutch and Spaniards actively used flat-bottomed flyboats to patrol the coast, reconnaissance, transport manpower, and also as small warships and raiders. The smallest ship in the Caribbean in the XVII century. was an Indian canoe. Canoes could be of various sizes. The smallest canoes could not carry even four, while the largest canoes could carry a mast, guns, and a large crew. Canoes were also actively used by pirates.

Ships sailing in the Caribbean at the end of the 16th century. From left to right: flyush, pinas and barge, sloop, ping, long barge, periag, canoe, yawl.

In the last decade of the 17th century, the terms "pinnace", "longboat" and "flyboat" fell into disuse. It cannot be said that the old types of Caribbean ships have abruptly given way to new types. Rather, ships now began to be classified by sailing armament and the number of masts, rather than by hull size and purpose.

Before continuing our story, it is necessary to identify the main types of ships of the “golden age of piracy”. A sloop was a small single-masted vessel with slanting sailing weapons and a jib. A brigantine was a two-masted vessel with straight sails on the fore mast and oblique sails below and straight sails above.

main mast. In addition, the brigantine carried a jib on a bowsprit. The brig was a variant of the brigantine with straight sails on both masts. A brigantine with slanting sails was called shnyava.

An analysis of pirate attacks between 1710 and 1730 in the waters of the New World showed that in half of the cases the pirates acted on sloops. Most of the rest of the pirate ships carried straight sails. Brigantines, brigs and shnyavs were the least common, and in some cases the pirates acted on open boats and longboats. But it should be borne in mind that these statistics can be challenged. First, pirates like Bartholomew Roberts, who captured over 200 ships, confuse the statistics. Secondly, Teach and Roberts immediately used fleets of ships in which light ships operated under the cover of a large flagship.

In any case, it is clear that the sloop was the most important type of pirate ship. Almost all pirates started their careers with this type of ship. Currently, a sloop is understood as a single-masted vessel with oblique sailing equipment. During the "golden age of piracy", the term was less defined, it was used to refer to different ships with different sailing weapons. Sloops appeared on military service in mid-seventeenth century, one of the first sloops was captured by the British at Dunkirk. With a keel length of about 12 m and a midship width of just over 3.5 m, the sloops were the smallest independent ships in the fleet. The sloops carried a minimum armament of four guns. In England, sloops were also understood as small two-masted ships with direct sailing weapons. Some sloops of war carried three masts.

Flying Dragon sloop by Edmund Condent, 1719

When an English colony was founded in the Bahamas in 1718, the pirate Edmund Condent fled from New Providence on a small sloop along with several pirates who did not agree to accept the amnesty. After the first failure, the pirates captured the first booty in the Cape Verde Islands. After that, the crew removed the old captain, and Condent took the vacant position. Soon the pirates seized several ships, including a heavily armed sloop from the Portuguese navy. Condent decided to keep the sloop, giving it the name Flying Dragon. The sloop crossed the Atlantic and reached the Brazilian coast, and then moved southeast to the Cape of Good Hope, from where it entered the Indian Ocean. Condent reached Madagascar in the summer of 1719. During the next year he sailed Indian Ocean while plundering met ships. During the attacks, Condent showed himself to be an experienced captain. On the French island of Reunion, he negotiated with the local governor, trying to get an amnesty from him. We do not know the details, but soon Condent was removed, and One-armed Billy was chosen in his place. In 1721, the sloop Fiery Dragon burned down due to an accidental fire. while at anchor in Martinique. Recently, archaeologists managed to find the remains of the ship's hull.

Here the sloop is depicted in a form typical of the "golden age of piracy". Displacement 150 tons. Length 16 m, width amidships 5.5 m, armament K) guns, crew 50-75 people.

To this day, drawings of the sloop HMS Ferret, built in 1711, have been preserved. 10-12 guns. In addition to cannon ports, each side had eight rowing ports, which allowed the sloop to move at oars in calm. It is not clear how many masts the ship had - one or two. Most likely, there were two masts, since it is known that five years later, sloops of war were built with two masts. But if we generally imagine what a sloop of war looked like, there are much more ambiguities with the appearance of a pirate sloop. Although not a single drawing of a trading sloop has been preserved, we can reconstruct the appearance of these ships from drawings of that time and a drawing dating back to the middle of the 18th century. from Frederick Henry Chapman's Architecture Navalis Mercatoria. We know that the sloops built in Jamaica and Bermuda were especially valued for their speed. The sloops from Jamaica were a development of the pinas, built from Virginian juniper. They were easily recognizable by their low freeboard and overturned masts. Similar sloops were built in Bermuda, Chapman presents drawings of just such a sloop.

Chapman's sloop is 18 m long (keel length 13.5 m) and amidships 5 m wide. The long bowsprit is set at an angle of 20 degrees to the horizon, the rigging of the sloop consisted of a slanting mizzen, a straight topsail and one or two jibs. The upper and lower yards of the oblique mizzen were only slightly shorter than the length of the hull. Therefore, the sloop carried a huge sailing armament for its displacement. The displacement is estimated at 95-100 tons. The armament consisted of 12 guns. The upper deck of the sloop ran continuously from bow to stern, without interruption by the quarterdeck.

Charles Galley is the sistership of the Adventure Galley, a privateer ship built for William Kidd in 1696. Both ships could be oared, for which there were ports at the bottom of the side.

Dutch engraving of a tropical port, circa 1700. Pirates in the foreground. Bays of this kind in the West Indies and in the northeast of Madagascar were used by pirates to keel their ships and replenish provisions. In the foreground is a small pinas.

Faience painting, late 17th century. Dutch whaling ship. Bartholomew Roberts ruined New England whaling and fishing in a raid in the summer of 1720. The whaler, capable of carrying 16 cannons, was similar to the ship captured by Roberts in August of that year.

The drawing is in perfect agreement with the three images of colonial American sloops made in early XVIII in. An engraving by William Burges (1717) of New York Harbor shows the sloop Fancy used as a private yacht. Like many other sloops, the Fancy had a single mast and a rig described by Chapman. Also noteworthy is the rounded aft cabin, which covers the rear part of the quarterdeck. Another engraving by William Burgis, also dated 1717, shows a sloop anchored at Boston Lighthouse. Although the sloop carries seven guns on each side, it is a merchant ship and not a warship. At the beginning of the 18th century, the threat of pirates increased so much that merchants began to put additional artillery on their ships, even evidence of that time has survived about the increased demand for small-caliber naval artillery. The third engraving depicts the port of Charleston, South Carolina. Various ships are shown in the foreground, including several sloops. All of them are single-masted, only one of them has a straight topsail. Although we do not know exactly what the pirate sloops looked like, the similarity of all three engravings with Chapman's drawings allows us to reconstruct the appearance of the sloops quite well.

With regard to brigantines, everything is a little simpler. We have several images of brigantines related to the period of interest to us. Their rigging remained unchanged for a century after the "golden age of piracy" ended. Chapman brought to us a number of drawings of the brigantine, which also allow us to learn a lot about the design of ships of this type. The term "brigantine" appeared before 1690. Even then, the brigantine had straight sails on the fore mast, and a combination of straight and oblique sails on the main mast. By the middle of the 18th century, the term "brig" appeared, which meant a two-masted ship with an oblique mainsail, in front of which there was no straight sail. The staysail was raised between the main and fore mast. At the beginning of the 18th century, the term "brig" also denoted a standard brigantine. At that time, shnyava was understood as a variant of a brigantine with additional

a vertical vertical mast installed immediately behind the main mast. Pirates used all these types of ships more out of necessity than by choice. The brigantine and its modifications did not have such powerful sailing weapons as the sloop carried. The fastest straight-rigged ships were used to transport slaves to the New World.

At the beginning of the XVIII century. a new type of ship appeared on the Atlantic - a schooner. The schooner was a two-masted vessel with slanting sails and sometimes an additional straight topsail on the foremast. The first mention of schooners is in the Boston Newsletter (1717). Six years later, another Boston newspaper reported on a pirate schooner under the command of John Phillips, operating in the Newfoundland area. In reality, the schooner was a New England ship captured by Phillips in the Great Newfoundland Bank area. Schooners could sail in American waters until 1717, although they were not popular. For the period from 1710 to 1730, only 5% of pirate attacks took place using schooners. In later times, fiction writers often began to place the heroes of their pirate novels on board schooners, since in later times schooners became widespread.

In summary, we argue that the main small ship of the pirates of the era of the "golden age of piracy" was a sloop.

The small sloop Fancy served as the yacht of Colonel Lewis Morris, commander of the New York militia, early 17th century. A typical example of a ship sailing off the North American coast during the "golden age of piracy".

Well-armed flute, late 17th century. 18 cannons on board the ship were supposed to help in the event of an attack by pirates. The flute's shallow draft allowed it to enter small ports in the Caribbean. The vessel could also take on board up to one and a half hundred soldiers, full flutes were often used as troop transports.

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Pirates! Gentlemen of the sea. For many centuries, their names inspired fear in people. Captain Flint, Jack Sparrow, John Silver, James Hook... The list of names goes on and on! Thunderstorm Royal Navy, cunning and treacherous, "people without honor and conscience", tireless adventurers. Read about such fearless marines below.

1 Jetrow Flint (1680-1718)

The famous Captain Flint begins our selection today. Despite the fact that this is the name of a fictional character created by the thought of the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, his mention is worthy of this collection. Flint was a merciless man. This is confirmed by the famous pirate song, which contains the words - "Fifteen people for a dead man's chest, yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum." It was fifteen people who unwittingly witnessed the place where Flint buried his treasures. And with that, they signed their own death warrant.

2 Henry Morgan (1635-1688)

The name of this pirate, we know from the film "Hearts of Three", based on the novel of the same name by Jack London.
However, unlike the previous participant in our selection, Henry Morgan really existed. He was not only a pirate, but also a man who helped England gain control over the entire Caribbean region. For this, he received the rank of Governor of Jamaica. However, the sea could not part with its favorite, and as a result of the earthquake, the cemetery where the old pirate was buried went under water. The cause of Morgan's death was liver disease, caused by the indefatigable use of rum, a favorite drink of pirates.

3 Francis Drake (1540-1596)

Despite the fact that Francis was born in the family of a priest, he was not an exemplary Christian. This was facilitated by the blessing of the Queen of England, who was ready for anything, if only the Spaniards were not the leading power in the world. At 18, Drake becomes the captain of a pirate ship that robs and destroys Spain's property. In 1572, he participated in the capture of the Spanish "Silver Caravan", thanks to which he brought 30,000 kg of silver to the treasury. In addition, with the desire to visit unknown countries, Drake was a participant. Thanks to her, the treasury of England received an income that was three times the size of its annual budget. In addition, the British got acquainted with the then exotic vegetable - potatoes. For this, Drake was knighted and received the rank of admiral.

4 William Kidd (1645-1701)

His fate has become a reminder to all pirates of the inevitable punishment. By a court verdict, he was executed, and his body was placed on display in a metal cage in London for more than 23 years. The reason for this was the pirate antics of Kidd, who was a real disaster not only for the French, but also for the British.

5 Grace O'Malle (1530-1603)

This name is forever entered into the annals of piracy. The life of this girl is a continuous series of love and adventurous adventures. In the beginning, she is a pirate along with her father. Then, after the death of her father, she herself becomes the leader of the Owen clan. With a saber in hand and loose hair, she made her enemies tremble. However, this did not stop her from loving and being loved. The mother of four children, even when she was no longer young, continued to raid. At the same time, she rejected the proposal of the Queen of England to enter the service of Her Royal Majesty.

6 Olivier (Francois) le Vasseur (1690-1730)

One of the most famous pirates, whose homeland was France. Without taking a direct part in the pirate raids against the British and Spaniards, Vasser, meanwhile, received the lion's share of all booty. The reason for this was the island of Tortuga (present-day Haiti), which this talented engineer turned into an impregnable fortress and became a haven for pirating elements. There is a legend that during the years of managing the island, he saved up more than 235 million pounds. But his character, which deteriorated over time, played a cruel joke with him, as a result of which he became food for sharks. Gold, which has not been found so far, remains hidden somewhere on the islands in the middle of the world's oceans.

7 William Dampier (1651-1715)

Despite the fact that William Damir's main occupation was piracy, he is also considered the father of modern oceanography. This is explained by the fact that he not only pirated, but also described all his travels and what was connected with them. The result of this was a book called A New Journey Around the World.

8 Zheng Shi (1785-1844)

"Night Butterfly", who first became the wife and then the widow of the famous pirate Zheng Yi, she inherited after the death of her husband more than 400 ships that were a thunderstorm merchant fleet China. The strictest discipline was introduced on the ships, which put an end to such pirate liberties as the robbery of allies and violence against prisoners. In addition, Zheng Shi is known in history as the owner of brothels and the patroness of gambling.

9 Arouge Barbarossa (1473-1518)

Potter's son. His homeland was the island of Lesvos. Probably because he did not find his great love on it, or perhaps because of the capture of the island by the Turks, Barbarossa becomes a pirate at the age of 16. After 4 years, he concludes an agreement with the authorities of Tunisia, according to which he can create his own base on one of the islands, and in return, he shares a percentage of the profits. Soon he becomes Sultan of Algiers. However, as a result of a clash with the Spaniards, he was killed. His successor was a younger brother known as Barbaross II.

10 Edward Teach (1680–1718)

This name not without reason frightened the British and French governments. Thanks to his courage and cruelty, Teach soon became one of the most scary pirates operating in the Jamaica area. By 1718, more than 300 men were fighting under him. The enemies were horrified by Tich's face, almost completely covered with a black beard, in which the wicks woven into it smoked. In November 1718, Teach was overtaken by the English lieutenant Maynardt and, after a short trial, was hung up on a yardarm. It was he who became the prototype of the legendary Jetrow Flint, from Treasure Island.

Well, what is a sea pirate without a ship? After all, he was for him both a home and a warehouse for trophies. And, of course, a means of transportation. Moreover, the movement is swift, because often the pirates had not so much to pursue interesting ships for profit, but to get away from the chase.

What is a pirate ship?

What main characteristics should a pirate ship have so that both its captain and crew could count on, if not a successful robbery, then at least salvation from justice?

Firstly, any ship that the pirates used as the main combat unit had to be extremely fast. This made it possible to suddenly attack an enemy ship, maneuver in order to prevent serious damage from artillery fire, and after the completion of the “event”, quickly leave to a distance inaccessible to the enemy.

Secondly, the pirate ship was equipped with serious weapons. Not a single boarding was complete without a preliminary exchange of cannon shots. Therefore, pirate luck directly depended on the quality, quantity and rate of fire of artillery. One has only to imagine a small, light and fast ship, bristling with a variety of cannons and vents, from which a team of real thugs looked predatorily at their prey. And it immediately becomes clear that few merchant ships had a chance to repulse the furious rebuff of the sea robbers.

In order for a ship to become a truly pirate ship, it often had to be rebuilt after being captured. If this was impossible or too expensive, the pirates simply sank the robbed ship, sunk it or sold it, after which they immediately rushed in search of a new victim. It should be noted that in marine terminology, a ship means at least three masts, as well as full equipment with a set of sailing weapons. But such ships were quite rare among sea robbers.

Converting a captured ship to a pirate one is a whole science. It was necessary to remove unnecessary interdeck bulkheads, cut the forecastle and lower the level of the quarterdeck to create an open combat platform. In addition, it was necessary to equip the sides with additional holes for artillery, and to strengthen the bearing elements of the ship's hull to compensate for the increased loads.

Small ship: the perfect ship for a pirate

As a rule, pirates sailed on the same ship throughout their "career". However, there is a lot of evidence that after a successful attack, the sea robbers easily changed their home to a more powerful and faster ship that could be converted to pirate needs. For example, famous pirate Bartholomew Roberts changed his ship as many as six times, giving the new combat unit the same name - "Royal Fortune".

Most of the gentlemen of fortune preferred small and fast vessels, in particular sloops, brigantines or schooners. The first approached the role of a pirate ship almost perfectly. In addition to speed, the sloop had another significant advantage in battle - a small draft. This allowed the pirates to successfully "work" in shallow water, where large warships did not dare to stick their noses. In addition, a small ship is much easier to repair and clean its skin. But individual pirate crews were still looking for more capacious and large ships.