In one sense, there was no such thing as a “pirate” ship. There was no shipyard where pirates could go and commission and pay for a pirate ship to their specifications. A pirate shipi… See more

Since no one was making ships exclusively for piracy, pirates had to somehow capture existing ships. Some pirates were crew members on board naval or merchant vessels wh… See more

When pirates got a new ship, by stealing one or by swapping their existing ship out for a better one belonging to their victims, they usually made some changes. They would mou… See more

A good pirate ship needed three things: it needed to be seaworthy, fast, and well-armed. Seaworthy ships were especially necessary for the Caribbean, where devastatin… See more