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Punishing their Own and Hunting Prey
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Salty Dog
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191991 Gold -

PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:49 pm    Post subject: Punishing their Own and Hunting Prey Reply with quote

Punishing Their Own and Hunting Prey
By Cindy Vallar



The quartermaster punished pirates for minor infractions such as quarreling, abusing prisoners, and failing to keep their weapons clean. The most severe offenses included murdering a fellow pirate, disobeying the captain's orders during battle, deserting the ship before they ended their voyage, or being a poor musician. While the quartermaster immediately shot any deserters who were caught, pirates tried their comrades and those found guilty received whatever sentence the pirates deemed fair.
No written accounts exist of pirates tying a murderer to his victim, weighting down both bodies, and tossing them overboard, but the Royal Navy punished seamen in this manner. Navies also used keelhauling as a form of punishment. Bound at the wrists, a seaman was hoisted out to the mainyard while a weighted line was attached to his bound feet. The other end of the line was passed under the hull and attached to the opposite end of the mainyard. Someone covered the guilty man's face with an oily rag to prevent drowning, then he was dropped into the sea and the line was hauled in, dragging him under the water against the ship's hull where barnacles slashed his skin before he resurfaced on the opposite side. Since he suffered this punishment three times, few survived.

Towing, a variation of keelhauling, involved tying the accused to a line fastened to the stern. As the ship continued its voyage, the accused was dragged through the ocean. Often, he endured this punishment for days before succumbing to exhaustion and hypothermia.
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Salty Dog
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Posts: 10060



191991 Gold -

PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The punishment most inflicted on seamen was a flogging, using a special whip known as the cat o' nine tails. The nine strands of a rope were unwound, knotted, and then covered with tar. Sometimes fish hooks or metal balls were affixed to the ends of the cat, which was kept in a red bag. The person wielding the cat cleaned the ends between each lash, but not always. The man to be whipped had his shirt removed before being tied to a grate or a gun. In the navy after a flogging, salt and vinegar might be applied to the open wounds. Moses' Law meant the guilty man endured forty stripes minus one as Jesus was punished.

Infractions that merited the severest consequence among pirates involved stealing from the crew or abandoning one's post in battle. Offenders received the most dreaded of all punishments - marooning. This slow, cruel death was included in the articles Bartholomew Roberts' and John Phillips' crews signed. The disgraced pirate was abandoned on a deserted island, preferably a sand bar without fresh water, food, or shelter. He had with him the clothes he wore, one day's worth of water, a pistol, powder, and shot. His mates returned to their ship and sailed away, leaving him to die. If he preferred a quick death, he could kill himself with the pistol. To do that, however, damned his soul forever.

Pirates did not inflict violence only on themselves. Some tortured their victims for information or to exact revenge. Others did it to amuse themselves. Many pirates learned methods of torture from their days as honest seamen or from attending public executions. Several buccaneers were noted for their cruelty, especially when dealing with Spaniards. Aside from burning victims with matches, they cut a man into pieces, slicing off some skin, then an arm, then a leg. It was an excruciating form of torture. Alexandre Exquemelin wrote "Among other tortures...one was to stretch their limbs with cords, and at the same time beat them with sticks and other instruments. Others had burning matches placed betwixt their fingers, which were thus burnt alive. Others had slender cords or matches twisted about their heads, till their eyes burst out of the skull." This last instance of torture, called "woodling," resembled how seaman bound cordage around a mast. It was fast and effective and required no supplies not already at hand.
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Salty Dog
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191991 Gold -

PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Women didn't escape tortures as brutal as those inflicted on men. One Spaniard reported Henry Morgan and his crew set a naked woman "upon a baking stove and roasted [her], because she did not confess" where she stashed her money. Some women endured repeated rapes, and if they survived and returned to society, society often considered them damaged goods.

Most of the tortures recorded in historical documents occurred when pirates attacked cities or towns. Few accounts exist of them using such cruelty at sea. In those instances, officers - particularly captains - of captured ships endured whatever tortures the pirates invented. This was especially true if the crew complained of unjust or harsh treatment at an officer's hands.

Authors of pirate fiction devised the punishment most associated with pirates. Walking the plank was, for the most part, a myth, but in 1829 The Times of London reported pirates aboard captured a Dutch brig, blindfolded the crew, bound their wrists and tied shot to their feet, then made them jump overboard. One passenger, who revealed where the gold was hidden, escaped.
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Salty Dog
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191991 Gold -

PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:53 pm    Post subject: To Capture Prey and Plunder It Reply with quote

To Capture Prey and Plunder It
By Cindy Vallar

Pirates relied on three elements to capture prey: surprise, speed, and terror. When a target was spotted, they either closed the distance quickly or stalked the other ship (sometimes for days) to determine whether to attack or not. They evaluated the risk factor through observation. What was the ship’s length? How many masts had she and how were her sails rigged? What flag did she fly? How many guns and crew were aboard? How low did she sit in the water?
VikingThe Vikings were consummate masters in the use of intimidation. They terrorized their victims, sometimes catching spears in mid-flight and hurling them back at the thrower. Their longboats seemed to appear out of nowhere, and the Norse descended on villages and monasteries with lightning speed. Since death during battle insured them eternal glory, their ferocity in battle was legendary. Their favored weapons included the broadsword, battle-axe, and spear.

To deflect an enemy’s sword the Barbary Corsair held a dagger in his left hand while wielding a rapier with his right. The Chinese, who also favored hand-to-hand battle, wielded two-handed hackers - a heavy sword capable of slicing through heavy armor


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Salty Dog
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191991 Gold -

PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To deflect an enemy’s sword the Barbary Corsair held a dagger in his left hand while wielding a rapier with his right. The Chinese, who also favored hand-to-hand battle, wielded two-handed hackers - a heavy sword capable of slicing through heavy armor.

Later pirates, however, favored capture over fighting. One of their tactics was the ruse de guerre. After sighting a possible victim and determining her nationality, the pirates ran up a flag that identified them as a friend. When they got close enough to fire their guns, they struck their colors in favor of the Jolly Roger and fired a single shot across the other ship’s bow. Too late, the prey realized its mistake and had no choice but to surrender or fight. If the target struck its colors, the pirates ordered her crew to lower their boats and ferry a prize crew over to their ship. If the other ship chose to fight, pirates preferred to board and fight rather than fire their guns, which could inflict serious damage to their intended prize.

Boarding PiratesThe weapons pirates favored often depended on the time period and circumstances. They wielded swords, pistols (usually a flintlock), grappling irons, half-pikes, knives, and belaying pins. Sometimes they lobbed grenades of tar and smoldering rags to frighten and confuse the other crew. They also scattered caltrops or crowsfeet on the deck. These barbs made nasty wounds for barefooted seamen and pirates alike. Pirates used axes to climb the wooden sides of the ship and bring down sail. A single blow could sever a rope the width of a man’s arm.

Pirates of the 16th and 17th centuries used blunderbusses. Their limited range and large spread made them ideal weapons for boarding pirates. Early blunderbusses were narrower than the trumpet-shaped guns most people think of when they hear that word. Musketoons, with their short barrels and limited range, were easier to use in cramped quarters on a pitching deck than muskets. Any weapon that utilized gunpowder, however, could misfire if the sea air dampened the powder. Since these firearms required time to reload, pirates either carried more or used them to club an opponent.

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Salty Dog
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191991 Gold -

PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pirates of the 16th and 17th centuries used blunderbusses. Their limited range and large spread made them ideal weapons for boarding pirates. Early blunderbusses were narrower than the trumpet-shaped guns most people think of when they hear that word. Musketoons, with their short barrels and limited range, were easier to use in cramped quarters on a pitching deck than muskets. Any weapon that utilized gunpowder, however, could misfire if the sea air dampened the powder. Since these firearms required time to reload, pirates either carried more or used them to club an opponent.

During the 17th century, the cutlass became the sword of choice because its short broad blade worked well in close quarters. Longer swords became entangled in the rigging. Pirate captains sometimes favored the smallsword over the cutlass.

Gun crewAlmost every ocean-going vessel carried some type of armament. Unlike naval ships, pirates avoided firing their guns except as a warning to heave to and surrender. The navy’s object was to destroy, whereas the pirates wanted to preserve the vessel. A shot delivered broadside might destroy a ship or damage her enough to make her unseaworthy.

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Salty Dog
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191991 Gold -

PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Often guns were mounted on four-wheeled truck carriages with worms, rammers, and sponges kept close at hand. (Guns is the correct term when referring to artillery aboard ships. Cannon refers to guns of a specific size that used a specific type of ordnance.) The four-pounder was the most common gun aboard a pirate sloop. Roundshot had an effective range of about 100 yards and was used to smash the hull and masts. It rarely sank a ship, but on impact roundshot sent deadly splinters flying through the air. Chain or bar shot decimated rigging and sails. At close range, gunnery crews fired grapeshot to cut down the crew.

Even when forced to fight, however, pirates used gunfire sparingly. They didn’t have the luxury of sailing into any port to purchase their ordnance. If they didn’t obtain it at a port friendly to pirates, they acquired it from their victims.
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Salty Dog
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Once pirates captured their prey, they searched for anything of value. Gold doubloons amounted to seven weeks pay for most seamen. The Spanish treasure fleets carried gold and silver melted down to save space. Pirates craved these treasures, but also stole from passengers. This was how they acquired fancy daggers or jewelry laden with precious gems (emerald, garnet, amethyst, blood stone, malachite, ruby, opal, diamond, tiger’s eye, sapphire). Necklaces, crosses, reliquaries, fan holders, pins, pendants, rings, and snuffboxes were frequent items amongst pirate treasure.

Treasure ChestWhile gold, silver, and jewels were the most desired booty, pirates also stole other items. These might include clothes, ships’ supplies, fabric (like silk), spices (cloves, nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon sticks), animals (provided fresh meat), rum, indigo, tobacco, sugar, flour, hardwood, copper, medicine, tea leaves, green coffee beans, alcohol and wine, olive oil, housewares, and slaves. During the 17th and 18th centuries Chinese porcelain became a favored prize. Pirates also placed a high value on weapons and ammunition.

Pirates sometimes became wealthy overnight, but usually squandered their ill-gotten gains when they reached land. In 1693, Thomas Tew (who lived long enough to enjoy his wealth and to mingle with society) captured a ship in the Indian Ocean. When the pirates divided the plunder, each man’s share came to £3,000 (worth over $3.5 million today).

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Roland
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 6:14 am    Post subject: Re: Punishing their Own and Hunting Prey Reply with quote

Salty Dog wrote:
The most severe offenses included murdering a fellow pirate, disobeying the captain's orders during battle, deserting the ship before they ended their voyage, or being a poor musician.

LOL! I was looking forward to reading about how pirates punished a poor musician, but nothing further was said on the subject.
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Roland
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 6:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Salty Dog wrote:
The punishment most inflicted on seamen was a flogging, using a special whip known as the cat o' nine tails. The nine strands of a rope were unwound, knotted, and then covered with tar. Sometimes fish hooks or metal balls were affixed to the ends of the cat, which was kept in a red bag. The person wielding the cat cleaned the ends between each lash, but not always. The man to be whipped had his shirt removed before being tied to a grate or a gun. In the navy after a flogging, salt and vinegar might be applied to the open wounds. Moses' Law meant the guilty man endured forty stripes minus one as Jesus was punished.

The Roman flagellum traditionally had just three cords, as opposed to the nine of the cat o' nine tails. The patterns of blood on the Shroud of Turin show that the man of the shroud was struck 40 times with a scourge of three cords, each ending in a piece of bone or metal.
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Captain Teague
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PostPosted: Tue May 16, 2017 1:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What prompted this increase in information dumping posts? Just out of curiosity.
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Roland
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PostPosted: Tue May 16, 2017 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Captain Teague wrote:
What prompted this increase in information dumping posts? Just out of curiosity.

Salty was accumulating gold for a major purchase. Check out his newest possession!
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Salty Dog
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PostPosted: Tue May 16, 2017 6:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, check out our posts on the "Announce Your Promotion" thread.
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