Types of pirate ships. Sea Cutthroat Vessels: Nine Most Formidable

Names of pirate ships from the thematic section (site) “Jolly Roger” (spirited from the pirate site):

"Brig" Black Ghost” . Once belonged to a famous pirate. The traders were afraid of this ship like fire. He is famous for appearing literally out of nowhere and carrying out his attacks.

Pirate frigate "Le periton"(Periton)

The mighty flying deer Peryton could perhaps be compared with the Greek Pegasus. As ancient legends testify, the beast had one distinctive feature.
It cast a human shadow, thanks to which scientists believed that the peryton was the spirit of travelers who died far from home. Winged deer were often seen in ancient times on the islands Mediterranean Sea and near the Strait of Gibraltar. It was believed that perytons fed on people. They attacked the confused sailors in a herd and devoured them. Not a single weapon could stop the powerful and terrible beast.

"El corsario descuidado" Translated from Spanish - "The Careless Corsair". The young owner of this beautiful brig with red sails never knew defeat. He won battle after battle, climbing higher and higher on the financial ladder. There was a hunt for him - each of the powers wanted to get the head of the corsair.
One day, a young pirate, after another successful robbery, filled the hold of his ship to capacity. The ship was moving slowly and was constantly sagging. And a leak in the stern of the brig was not welcome...
The Careless Corsair stopped abruptly and staggered. "What's happened?" - thought the young pirate. Looking overboard, he realized that the end of his exploits had come. The bottom of his ship was torn to pieces by the reefs. The team has already managed to dismantle the spare boats.
The young pirate stood at the bow of his ship, not believing what was happening. Tears welled up in his eyes and his head hung down. "From what?!" - The pirate raised his hands to the sky. - "For what?"
“For carelessness,” answered the boatswain standing nearby, who did not want to leave his captain.
The ship was going down.

Frigate "Omnipresent Death" - This is the storm of the Caribbean. The unknown pirate who sails on it plundered all the colonies of the new world. When meeting this ship at sea, the traders simply pray to stay alive, which does not happen. Since there is no money in the colonies, he is now heading for the waters of Madagascar to a paradise for pirates
the most romantic name
Corvette "Violet" - named after the captain's daughter. This name was given to her by her father in honor of the most magnificent flower.
the most majestic name
The battleship "Peter I" is a thunderstorm from the Russian State for Britain. This is the flagship of the squadron containing 6 other ships.

Corvette "Victoria the Bloody Baroness"- the ship is named after a pirate girl who is known for her hot temper and incredible cruelty. She sailed on this ship herself. Sleek, fast as the wind, corvette, with white sails and incredibly beautiful. But, as always expected, justice prevailed - the pirate was executed, and the ship itself was given to the Spanish governor.

Frigate "Black Revenge" the horror of all sailors, its captain is a real devil, his ship develops unprecedented speed, and the hull is impenetrable to cannonballs, according to rumors the boatswain on the ship can break a small ship with 1 blow...

Corvette "Luck Prize" it was ridden by an unknown pirate who
luck was with us. His Corvette was quite powerful and fast. To catch up and break.

Frigate "Bad Girl"
This is the popular name of the ship, since no one knows its exact name.
In the waters of the Caribbean archipelago, a certain captain appeared who robbed ships, leaving only two witnesses: one without eyes, the other without a tongue... Apparently in order to terrify people... I must say that the “couples” succeeded in doing this with interest ... From the words of the “lucky ones” a picture of the attacks was compiled.
Everything happened in cloudy weather, early in the morning before sunrise, when there was still fog over the water... The dead silence was broken by a girl’s laughter piercing to the bones. It was heard from everywhere, now on one side, now on the other... From this sound, people’s eardrums burst, blood flowed, some of them, unable to bear it any longer, were thrown overboard, while others, out of panic, could not move from their place. The frigate approached silently, without a single shot. The “girl’s” team took the cargo and the surviving people, and also quietly set sail, leaving two witnesses... No one else saw or heard anything about the captured people...
Apparently the pirate captain made a deal with Lucifer himself, who would get the souls of people...

the most majestic name
battleship "Sentence"
The captain of this pirate ship was a man of honor, so he always gave his victims a choice - to surrender, and then they would be given life, or to give battle and then let the Devil judge them... By their actions, people themselves signed a Verdict.

The most profound title
Bomber ship "Bell"
The motto of this ship is: "Its call is not for him"
The ship was created specifically to combat coastal fortifications and is equipped with the most powerful and long-range guns.
When a “ringing” was heard from one of the sides of this ship, it could only mean one thing - the echo of the fatal salvo would ring in the ears of the survivors for a long time.
The name of the ship was given by Peter I during the construction of the Azov Fleet

Frigate "Cerberus".
For a long time, the pirate island of Bermuda was a refuge for corsairs. But this skeleton did not have strong protection in the form of a fort or other fortifications. Its only protection was numerous rocks and reefs. But over time, maps of this island were drawn up and in calm weather these natural obstacles were no longer dangerous. A large number of pirate ships were sunk off the coast of Bermuda by English and Spanish squadrons. The corsairs were in deep despair and even wanted to leave this island forever. And in these most difficult times for them, the black frigate under the banner of the Jolly Roger single-handedly began to resist all the ships trying to attack the Pirate Settlement. Like a ghost, he appeared from the fog and crushed his enemies. This ship always stood guard over the island of Bermuda, like a watchdog, it did not allow any enemy to approach the island. The crew of this ship was numerous, characterized by incredible rage and thirst for blood. The team was led by their captain and two lieutenants loyal to him. For this, the corsairs christened the black frigate with the name “Cerberus” in honor of a three-headed dog with a snake tail, and snake heads on the back. Just like the mythical dog guarding the exit from the kingdom of the dead Hades, so this frigate stood guard over the pirate island.

Battleship "Shakespeare".
This battleship is the flagship of the British squadron of the island of Jamaica. In the entire Caribbean Sea, and indeed beyond its borders, there is not a single ship that could compare with it in firepower or speed. It was named "Shakespeare" after the English playwright William Shakespeare. Each of the battleship's battles was a work of art, and "Shakespeare" was the author of these works. When you watch his fight, you immediately remember one of William’s dramatic plays. Just as sad, but still great.

Schooner "Black Widow".
After death famous pirate in an unequal battle with Spanish battleships, his wife, being the daughter of a captain and first-hand familiar with maritime affairs, is a desperate and brave woman, having sold her house and all her property, buys a schooner, and, having hired a team of brave men, goes to sea to take revenge on her husband’s killers

Schooner "Alkonavtika".
This name was given to the ship because of the wild passion of its captain and crew for rum, wine, ale, and, indeed, for all liquid substances that contain alcohol. It was impossible to see the staff of this ship without drinking. Not a single corsair can remember when at least one member of the Alkonautika ship’s crew was sober, or at least hungover. Even the ships of England or Spain do not attack them when they meet them on the open sea. Because of the friendly attitude of these pirates towards others, they became welcome guests on all the islands to which pirates were allowed to sail.

Brig "Horizon".
Being a philosopher, the captain of this ship often liked to think on board his ship, looking at the sea stretching across the entire horizon. He said that at the most inopportune moment a ship belonging to any nation could appear on the horizon. The captain did not know whether he would be friendly or hostile. And this circumstance did not depend on anyone except God alone. For the mystery and unpredictability that the horizon combined, it was decided to call this brig “Horizon” by that name.

Frigate "Zodiac"

No one knows where it came from or where it was built, since its mizzen carried oblique sails, which made it even faster. Attacking exclusively at night and even in a storm, he did not leave anyone a single chance of salvation. They say that after his appearance, Morgan himself began to feel uncomfortable in the archipelago.

Corvette "Angels tears"
Got its name after tragic story happened to one corsair
For a long time, one fearless, daring and noble corsair on his corvette "Sword of the Apocalypse" terrorized the entire Spanish coast of the New World. From Belize to Cumana, in all cities, squares and taverns there were notices with a promised reward for his head. But they couldn’t catch this “El Diablo”. And yet, one day he fell into a trap laid for him. Having withstood a terrible battle with superior forces and miraculously remained afloat, the "Sword of the Apocalypse", almost completely broken, with the remnants of the crew headed to their lagoon to lick their wounds, but along the way a fierce storm broke out. With the last of their strength, fighting the elements, the already wounded crew did everything possible to save their beloved ship. Realizing that all efforts were in vain, the captain commanded: “Everyone in the boats!” Abandon ship! - The crew rushed to carry out the order, and soon the boat with the surviving sailors began to move away from the sinking corvette. And only after moving some distance away, the sailors suddenly noticed that the captain was not with them. And the captain, standing on the bridge, looked out to sea and sank into the water together with the ship. Soon the sea completely swallowed the ship.
“A real captain never leaves his ship,” said the boatswain. - But we must survive.
They managed to get to land and for a long time in taverns the surviving sailors retold this story and swore that when the last little creature disappeared across the water, they saw an angel in the sky.

Longboat "The Bold and the Beautiful". The captain of this ship considers himself the most daring pirate of the Caribbean, and his longboat – the most beautiful ship of all time. I thought... Until one day I collided with the Spanish Golden Fleet on the high seas. The pirate was daring. The longboat was beautiful.

Manowar "Leviathan". This masterpiece was built by the British at the Portsmouth shipyard. The best shipbuilders of the country participated in its creation. A huge amount of money was invested. The construction of the ship was very difficult and slow. And the result... completely justified itself. And Leviathan was born. A vessel of unprecedented power and beauty. Manowar was sent to the Caribbean to strengthen the English naval forces. And soon became the strongest ship in these waters. It's not even a ship, it's a force of nature that humiliates a person. Sea monster. Leviathan.

Corvette "Shaving the Water". This ship belongs to one of the most dangerous pirates in the Caribbean. A man nicknamed Raven. No one knows the true history of this ship, except for the captain himself. The Water Shaver is known to be the fastest ship in the Caribbean. Not a single ship can compare with it in speed. When people see how a corvette plows the sea, it seems that the ship is shaving water. Like a sharp razor it cuts through the waves.

Frigate "Beloved". The captain of this ship, Nicholas, was a privateer in the service of France. He honestly and devotedly served his country, carrying out the most difficult assignments of the governor of island N. At one of the audiences with the governor, he met his daughter, the charming Jacqueline. Soon the girl was kidnapped. But Nakolas found and rescued Jacqueline from the clutches of the scoundrels. Nicholas and Jacqueline fell in love and wanted to get married. But Jacqueline's strict father forbade the wedding until Nicholas became rich and famous. Nicholas accepted these terms. And thanks to his determination and courage, he soon received the title of baron and the rank of admiral of the French fleet. And the governor had no choice but to marry off his only daughter to a privateer. And there was a wedding. Not a single person in the Caribbean had ever seen or heard such a wedding. Even the famous Versailles has faded. And in honor of this event, the governor presented his son-in-law with a magnificent frigate. Without thinking twice, Nicholas named him “Beloved” in honor of his beloved wife.

Caravel "Circle of Life". Lions are predators. They eat antelope. Antelopes are herbivores; they eat grass. The lions die, and grass grows in this place. The antelope eats this grass. And this means that all life is closed in a circle. Circle of life. Back in the 17th century, this was noticed by one scientist and researcher who was studying the nature of South Africa. And on the same day, he named his caravel “Circle of Life”.

"Pandora" Possessing the divine flame stolen by Prometheus, people stopped obeying the celestials, learned various sciences, and emerged from their pitiful state. A little more - and they would have won complete happiness for themselves...
Then Zeus decided to send punishment on them. The blacksmith god Hephaestus sculpted the beautiful woman Pandora from earth and water. The rest of the gods gave her: some - cunning, some - courage, some - extraordinary beauty. Then, handing her a mysterious box, Zeus sent her to earth, forbidding her to remove the lid from the box. Curious Pandora, as soon as she came into the world, opened the lid. Immediately all human disasters flew out of there and scattered throughout the Universe.

So the appearance of my “Pandora” on the horizon promised only grief and disaster to unwary merchants

Corvette "Black Scorpio" (Black Scorpio)
Powerful and swift, he appears from nowhere and disappears into nowhere; like a scorpion, he stalks his victims and attacks like a ghost, leaving them no chance. When they realize what is happening, it is already too late - their fate is sealed...
This ship and its captain appeared in the Caribbean Sea to take revenge... To take revenge for the beautiful girl whose life so quickly ended, cut short in the dungeons of the Holy Inquisition. An unquenchable thirst for revenge so strongly enveloped the soul of the young captain and enslaved his mind that he stopped seeing the world in any other colors other than black and killed... He killed without looking back and indiscriminately, he killed for the sake of killing. His ship, a magnificent corvette - swift as a panther, powerful as a lion and dangerous as a scorpion... Black Scorpio...

Schooner" Weightlessness"
At that time, weightlessness was not known, ships did not fly into space, but there were magnificent sailing ships, an endless ocean and endless love, the fire of which was fanned even more by the fresh sea breeze. Two people, two halves of one heart, were now in the same captain’s cabin, and their ship, as if on wings, as if weightless, was rushing into the distance of the sea, towards infinity...

Frigate" Dead water"
A terrible pirate ship, which seems to have gathered on board the most notorious thugs from all over the Caribbean archipelago. The captain of the ship is devoid of any compassion, and his heart must have long ago turned into a hard, cold stone like marble. When they saw this ship on the horizon, the sailors preferred to jump into the sea before meeting it face to face.
These pirates do not leave a single living soul behind, but throw all their bodies into the sea... The water in these places will remain dead for a long time...

Manowar "Judas"
It was a huge manovar that was part of the Spanish punitive expedition in the New World. He brought a lot of trouble to the enemies of the Spanish crown. This powerful ship became a terrible weapon in the hands of the Holy Inquisition.
But one day, having sailed to carry out his next assignment to the Bermuda Islands, “Judas” never returned... No one knows what happened to him to this day...

Frigate" Transcendentis" ("Going beyond") lat.

The ship lived up to its name, instilling confidence in its crew and terror in the enemy crew.

Corvette" Grin" - on the bow of the ship there was a huge wolf's head with a terrible grin.
Only her appearance terrified cowardly traders and made even experienced warriors shake.
Combined with excellent performance and a dedicated team led by a captain, it spread terror throughout the archipelago for a long time.

Frigate " Black revenge", the horror of all the sailors, huge guns and a bunch of skeleton pirates who have outlived their lives. Both the lugger and the battleship are afraid of him. He reaches a speed of 19 knots in seconds, 2 hundred 48-caliber guns, how can you not be afraid of him?..”

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

In ancient times, the fleet was exclusively rowing; the ship had only one mast with a sail, which was used only when the wind was fair. Thus, the main driving force was human power. 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 oarsmen on a relatively short ship prompted them to be seated in two or more rows above each other. So, after uniremes - ships with one row of oars - biremes, triremes (triremes) and others appeared, respectively, with two, three or more rows of oars.

Gradually, however, the sail became increasingly widely used. Vessels that sailed only under sail began to appear: naves and coggas.

The development of the sailing fleet proved the irrationality of using rowing-sailing vessels, since with an equal displacement to a sailing ship, the weight of a galleas' gun salvo 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 designs of coats of arms, figures of people, crosses, so that the sails looked more like large banners. Ship flags sometimes reached such large sizes that their ends dragged in the water.

It was not only the desire to explore the globe that prompted 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, as well as many others, can be classified as pirates. Following the discoverers, hundreds and thousands of ships rushed in search of new lands and riches. The era of great geographical discoveries began.

In addition to European pirates, pirates from 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 they could manage. They were less bloodthirsty and more practical than European pirates; they did not kill people, but took them captive 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 Modern History, pirates had a safe haven and a strong organization in North Africa. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Mediterranean basin became the scene of a fierce struggle between Christian powers and Muslim Turkey. In the wars at sea, barbarian pirates played an important role, and, in particular, the pirate state in North Africa led by the sultans, the Barbarossa brothers.

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

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

Thanks to excellent maneuvering, Greek ships achieved great skill in delivering ramming attacks. When in the 3rd century BC. The Romans entered the naval arena, possessing the best ground forces in the world, but inexperienced in maneuvering ships; they won their first victory over the Carthaginian fleet in the battle of the Aeolian Islands (260 BC) using a boarding bridge they invented, called crow.

The "Raven" consisted of an arrow hinged to 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, shaped like a raven's beak, was suspended through a block. When approaching an enemy ship, an arrow with a platform was lowered onto it, and the load, piercing its tip into the deck, connected the ships. Roman soldiers in two rows, covering themselves with shields, moved onto 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 did not become widespread due to the fact that the damp sea air softened the springs made from animal veins or horsehair.

According to their design, throwing machines were divided into two-armed - eyutons, or catapults, and single-armed - politons, or ballistae.

Catapults represented a very large bow. They consisted of a long trench with a strong transverse frame in front, on the sides of which there was a vertical bundle of tightly twisted wires. A lever was inserted into the middle of each bundle, the rear ends of which, connected by a bowstring, tended to diverge. The middle of the bowstring was attached to a slider with a socket for an arrow, log or stone. The slider, using a gate or screw mechanism, pulled back the string, 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 the Gallic war, said that these machines threw arrows at such speed that they sparked from friction when sliding and were not visible in flight.

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

Europeans also became acquainted with firearms from the Arabs. They were called madfaa, which means "hollowed out part" in Arabic. And in the 14th century, firearms spread throughout Europe.

The first historically verifiable case of the use of firearms 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 Kreuzberg and Spangenberg. Judging by the text of the chronicle, the guns were of small caliber and did not harm anyone.

In 1340, during the siege of the Terni fortress, 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 English against the French at the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and then at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. The British won both battles and, presumably, the cannons well complemented the fire of the English archers.

In subsequent years, not a single major battle took place without the roar of artillery guns. In 1399, at the Battle of Worksla, united Russian-Lithuanian troops under the command of Prince Vytautas used cannons against the Tatars. And in 1410, at the Battle of Grunwald, German knights used cannons against the combined forces of Lithuania, Poland and the Principality of Smolensk. Although the side using artillery was defeated in both battles, armies throughout Europe rushed to acquire artillery.

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

To install firearms in ship hulls, they began to make cutouts in the areas where guns were placed. During the voyage, these cutouts were covered with canvas, but this did not create an impenetrable freeboard. Invented in 1500 by a French shipbuilder de Charges The 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 the superstructures and on the upper deck, but also on the lower decks. At the same time, it was also possible to place heavier guns on the lower decks, and this increased the stability of the ship.

However, due to a lack of experience and a lack of theoretical calculations during the construction of the ship, they were punched incorrectly on the slipway and were often placed so low from the water that at the slightest list the ships took on water and sank. This is how the carrack "Magu Kose" died in 1545 on the Sneathhead roadstead before the start of the battle with the French, drawing water from the ports open for battle, which were only 16 inches (40.6 cm) from the water.

Subsequently, the sizes of ports and the distances 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 was greatly lengthened and became multi-tiered, it was divided into a number of cabins and a large salon near the aft wall. The cabins were located at the sides, and their number increased with the growth of the number of command personnel. The cabins were separated by simple wooden bulkheads, and only the aft salon, which housed the ship's captain, had decorative interior decoration.

The significant inclination of the walls and deck determined the internal and external decoration of the ship's hull. The rear wall of the superstructure hanging over the stern began to be decorated with galleries, onto which the salon windows overlooked. Grilles with small glass were inserted into the windows. The frames were decorated with carved columns and arches. At the end of the 15th century. the hull set protruding into the interior of the cabin was sheathed with well-fitted boards; furniture also appeared - benches under the windows, chests and carved cabinets.

However, living conditions on ships of that time were very difficult. Typically, ships (caravels, carracks, etc.) did not have a continuous deck, and in stormy times the crew often fought without sleep or rest to prevent water from entering the hold, pumping it out with primitive pumps built into the hull of the ship. Beds were the privilege of the elite who lived in the cabins, that is, the highest command staff: captain, ship skipper, navigator and doctor. Hanging bunks, the prototype of which was the Indian hammock, appeared on ships only in the 16th century after the discovery of America. Until this time, the crew slept side by side, in incredible cramped conditions in the hold and in deck superstructures on boxes, barrels, boards, laying his own clothes underneath. The sailors, who had stood a four- to five-hour watch, in wet clothes, occupied the places just vacated by their comrades. (Fig. 10)

According to the system adopted in the 15th-18th centuries, all ship firearms were divided into the following main types:

• · bombards (mortars) - large-caliber guns of short length;
• · guns - medium-length, large-caliber guns;
• · culverins - medium-caliber guns of long length;
• Howitzers are medium caliber guns of short length. (Fig. 12)

In addition to those listed, the ships were equipped with half-cannons and double cannons, half-culverins and other guns that differed from the main type in barrel length.

When installed on a ship, large-caliber guns were suspended by pins (tides on the barrel) on special trestles (machines) made of strong beams. Gun mountings could be movable or stationary. The movable machines were attached to the side and deck of the ship with lashings (cables).

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

Gun cores were first made of stone, and later of cast iron or forged iron. In order to destroy the rigging, the Swedes were the first to use double shells ( nipple), connected by a chain and fired simultaneously from two adjacent guns. During the siege of Rhodes in 1552, the Turks used a new type of shell for mortars - incendiary shells filled with a flammable 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 the help of which they began to measure the angles of 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 a Spanish squadron. Given the difference in artillery, he resorted to a trick and ordered the flag of Emperor Charles V, who was also the Spanish king, to be raised on his ship. In addition, he said that he was taking a relative of the emperor to Spain and demanded a salute from all guns. Unaware of the deception, the Spanish admiral ordered a salute. Before the smoke had cleared, Polen rushed forward with his ships and boarded the Spanish ships before the Spaniards had time to reload their cannons.

Pirates also generally preferred boarding combat. There is a description of the battle tactics of pirate ships, compiled by the amnestied pirate Henry Mainwaring. He wrote that, in pursuit of prey, pirate ships followed a convoy of ships, and as soon as one of them or an escort ship fell behind, the pirates quickly overtook it. Approaching the attacked ship, they tried to approach from the stern and from the leeward, since in doing so they only came under fire from a few stern guns. Having overtaken the victim, the pirates tried to secure the bow of their ship to the stern of the attacked one using grappling hooks. At the same time, the pirates jammed the steering wheel 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 the enemy ship. Then the pirates went on board, using cutlass and pistols.

Despite its 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.

These ships have been burning in the furnaces of the underworld for a long time. All because the most evil pirates carried out their most terrible plans on them.

“Adventure” (Adventure Galley)

William Kidd's favorite ship. This is a Scottish sailor and English privateer, who became famous thanks to a high-profile trial - he was accused of crimes and pirate attacks. The results are still disputed to this day.

“Adventure” is an unusual frigate galley, equipped with straight sails and oars. Due to the latter, it was very maneuverable - both against the wind and in calm weather. Weight - 287 tons, armament - 34 guns. 160 crew members could easily fit on board. the main objective“Adventures” - destroying the ships of other pirates.

Source: wikipedia.org

Queen Anne's Revenge

The flagship of the legendary captain Edward Teach. Teach, aka Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated in the Caribbean from 1703 to 1718.

Teach loved “Revenge” for its weapons - 40 guns. The frigate, by the way, was originally called “Concord” and belonged to Spain. Then he moved to France, and then he was captured by “Blackbeard”. So “Concord” became “Queen Anne’s Revenge”, which sank dozens of merchant and military ships that stood in the way of the famous pirate.

Source: wikipedia.org

“Whydah”

“The Master” is the pirate Black Sam Bellamy, one of the most famous pirates of the Golden Age of sea robbery. The Ouida was a fast and maneuverable vessel capable of carrying a lot of treasure. But a year after the start of the pirate robbery, the ship was caught in a terrible storm and was thrown onto the sandbank. Result: the entire team (except for two people) died.

Source: wikipedia.org

“Royal Fortune”

It was listed in the possession of Bartholomew Roberts, the famous Welsh pirate (real name John Roberts), who traded in the Atlantic and the Caribbean. By the way, he captured more than 400 ships. He was distinguished by extravagant behavior.

So, Roberts was crazy about the 42-gun, 3-masted “Royal Fortune”. It was on board that he met his death - in a battle with the British warship Swallow in 1722.

Source: wikipedia.org

“Fancy”

The owner is Henry Avery, aka Arch-Pirate and Long Ben, a pirate nicknamed “one of the most successful buccaneers and gentlemen of fortune.” Fantasia was originally the Spanish 30-gun frigate Charles II. Her team successfully robbed French ships. But then a riot broke out on it, and power passed to Avery, who served as the first mate. The pirate renamed the ship and continued to rampage on it (and with it) until death did them part.

Source: wikipedia.org

“Happy Delivery”

A small, but no less beloved ship of George Lowther, an English pirate of the 18th century who “worked” in the Caribbean and the Atlantic. Lowther's trick is to ram an enemy ship with a simultaneous lightning-fast boarding. Often the pirate did this on “Delivery”.

“Rising Sun“(Rising Sun)

The ship was part of the estate of Christopher Moody, one of the most ruthless thugs - on principle he did not take anyone prisoner, and quickly and efficiently released everyone to the next world. So, “Rising Sun” is a 35-gun frigate that terrified everyone, especially Moody’s enemies. True, this continued until the thug was hanged. The bright and then painfully recognizable Moody flag deserves special attention.

Sometimes you look at the names of miserable buckets of branded bolts called “yachts” crowded in the marina and think “what do these people even know about the names of ships?!” Well, you can go and see for yourself, at the same time you can easily distinguish those that go on the sea a lot and often from those that are rotting away so that the owner can enjoy membership in the yacht club and pick up women.

I'll give you a hint: Most yacht names symbolize the qualities of their captains, and their size is usually (but not always) inversely proportional to the number of miles spooled on the log. Exceptions are usually noticed immediately by the features of the equipment and - usually - the work being carried out on board. On the pontoon yachts, barbecue work and sunbathing of busty beauties are carried out.

Ship names

But let's talk about names. The name of the ship is usually given on the slipway, and under this name it appears in the statements. And by and large you can forget about it, because it rarely turns out to be successful. The ship acquires its real name during operation, and is usually assigned for life. For example, one schooner got its name "this bitch", and it fully corresponded to her extremely bastard character. Her favorite pastimes were mud baths and diving - apparently she had them in her family submarines, hence the mania to lie down on the ground right next to the pier.

Many good ships that have sailed the oceans since time immemorial did not pay attention to what was written on their sides and stern. The crew and captain knew that it was better not to interfere with their voyage - these ships pulled their crew out of terrible storms and managed to stay afloat regardless of the number of cannonballs that made holes in their sides. Many troughs, on the other hand, had proud and arrogant names, but at the same time floated with the same grace as a refrigerator. And a sailor who wanted to be hired on a ship, unless of course he was a fool or was not so desperate as to go anywhere, usually tried to hear how the sailors were talking about the ship.

It should be emphasized that no matter how bad the sailor feels, he will never, I emphasize, never scold his ship. He would rather blaspheme, and few people can put a sailor to shame when it comes to swearing. So, the intonation with which the sailors talk about the ship says a lot about it, and if you’re lucky, you can hear its real name. Here, by the way, there is another point that is lost in the Russian language, but which is important to know: the ship/vessel is feminine, and they are referred to as “she”. A good ship for the captain - wife, daughter, girlfriend, goddess - choose any one.

And finally, the name of the ship that floats and does not pretend to be an iPhone is almost always short. The reason is that in those turbulent times of boarding battles, there were peculiar traditions - both the king, meaning all states, said “we,” and so did the captain, when asked “who is coming?” - he called the name of his ship, and during the battle he could yell “come to me!”, calling on everyone who could still fight to break through to it and with joint efforts throw the enemy into the sea. Now imagine that your ship is called “Admiral Ivan Ivanovich Molotoboytsev.” Yes, they will kill you before you say it, not to mention the fact that this may create confusion in the presentation.

There are ships that have gained fame for their names, and then, when a new ship is laid down, they are given the name of the one that has already retired. If you don’t remember the “Argo” paradox, this is one of the hopes of attracting good luck with the help of a name, or giving a ship the name of a glorious person. Few people know, but the Aurora was once a glorious ship of the Russian Imperial Navy, whose batteries defeated the British at Far East(of course, the tea-shoppers don’t like to remember this, because in that battle their marines lost the flag, and the admiral shot himself from such shame). And when the laying of new armored cruisers took place, one of them was named after the glorious sailing ship and - it crowned itself with even greater glory, becoming one of the symbols of the Revolution.

And while the winds will blow, beautiful ships will plow the seas, carrying glorious names like banners through the centuries.

If one day you take command of a ship, treat it like a woman. Find out about his history, watch how he walks on the waves, his weaknesses, his character, his secret name - and if you match the characters, you will understand why the Santa Clara was affectionately called "Nina", why the captains shared the fate of their ships , although they could have been saved... Well, if you don’t get along, then it’s better to change the ship, otherwise by the end of the journey only one of you will remain afloat.

Sloops
At the beginning of the 18th century, sloop meant various ships built in the Caribbean islands. Sloops were usually small single-masted ships carrying a disproportionately powerful sail. This made them fast and maneuverable, which, combined with their shallow draft, made them the ideal pirate ship. Typically, sloops were equipped with a slanting main sail and a jib at the bow. Sloops could also be called two- and three-masted ships with a similar sailing equipment.

Bartholomew Roberts on the West African coast. Behind him is a fleet of slave trading ships he captured. The “Royal Fortune” and “Great Reinder” - Roberts’ ships - are also located there. Images of two flags are clearly visible.

Schooners
Throughout the 18th century, schooners became an increasingly common type of ship. Typically, schooners are defined as two-masted ships with forward sails on both masts. The narrow hull and large sail area made them fast; the typical schooner speed with a tailwind exceeded 11 knots. The schooner's draft was also shallow, which allowed them to sail freely among the shallows and close to the shore. With a displacement of up to 100 tons, the pirate schooner carried 8 cannons and a crew of about 75 people. The disadvantage of the schooner was its insufficient cruising range. It was necessary to frequently call at ports to replenish water and food supplies. However, with sufficient knowledge and skill, the pirates took everything they needed into the sea.

Brigandines
Another type of ship often found along the American coast was the brigandine. Brigandine is a two-masted ship, with straight sails on the foremast, and an oblique lower sail and straight topsails on the mainmast. Such sailing rig allows the brigandine to effectively sail both jibe and close-hauled. The length of the brigandine is about 24 m, displacement is about 150 tons, crew of 100 people, armament of 12 guns.

A variant of the brigandine was the brig, but this type of ship was quite rare in American waters. The brig carried straight sails on both masts, although slanting sails were sometimes installed between the masts. Sometimes a slanting gaff sail was placed on the mainmast. In this form the ship was called shnyava. The Royal Navy used shniavs as patrol ships in Caribbean waters.

Three-masted ships (straight sail)
Three-masted ships with direct sails could be considered ships in the full sense of the word. Although three-masted ships were slower than pirate schooners and sloops, they still had a number of undeniable advantages. First of all, they were distinguished by better seaworthiness, carried heavier weapons and could accommodate a large crew. Many pirates, including Bartholomew Robert and Charles Vane, preferred three-masted ships.

Three-masted merchant ships were actively used during that period. Edward Teach's Queen's Envenge was a converted slave trading ship, equipped to carry 40 cannons. Typically, a merchant ship with a displacement of 300 tons carried more than 16 guns. Three-masted warships were divided into several ranks. A ship of the 6th rank carried from 12 to 24 guns. The 5th rank ship already carried up to 40 guns. These weapons were usually more than enough to defeat any pirate in an artillery battle. The only exceptions were Roberts' Royal Fortune and Teach's Queen N Revenge, as well as several other pirate ships that carried comparable weapons.