Like anyone, I suppose, I used to think of pirate ships in the context of the movies, where large, stately multi-masted ships sailed magnificently across the sea, their sails full of a growing wind. Indeed, the latest of the ever popular pirates of the Caribbean offerings show large fleets of this type of vessel. The truth, however, as I discovered when researching for Pirates Revenge, was something quite different.
To understand the conversation, I feel compelled to illustrate
not only the different type of ships, but for your edification, a sampling of
nautical terms as well.
Common
nautical terms:
Bowsprit:
a
spar projecting from the bow (front) of a vessel.
Chase
Guns: cannon
situated at the bow of the ship used during pursuit.
Careen: to cause a vessel to keel over on its side in
order to clean or repair the hull.Fireship: a vessel loaded with explosives and used as a bomb by igniting it and directing it to drift among an enemy’s ships.
Larboard: The left side of a vessel. The term “port” was not used until later years after the “Golden Age” of pirates.
Piragua: a type of native dugout canoe.
Starboard: the right side of the vessel.
The
Ships:
Brig
or
Brigantine was a large, two-masted
ship, rigged square on the foremast and fore and aft with square topsails on
the main mast. This was the type of ship
usually referred to when speaking of a Man-of-War, or a Galleon.
Schooner
is
a two or three masted vessel with all lower sails rigged fore and aft. Some had square topsails on the foremast or
on both top masts.
Sloop
is a single masted vessel rigged fore and aft with a long bowsprit with a
single fore sail. These were much
favored by the pirates due to their shallow draught and good
maneuverability.. They usually only
carried four to twelve guns (cannons).
Snow
was similar to a Brig, having a main and fore mast, but smaller. It also had a “spanker” of supplementary
trysail just behind the main mast.
A “ship of
the line” usually referred to a large warship such as a Brig, that carried
anywhere from 50 to 100 guns, over multiple decks.
So what were the ships used by the pirates?
In his very informative and well researched book Under the Black Flag, David Cordingly
shows us in Appendix II, a list of pirate attacks from 1716-1726 in the
Caribbean and east coast of North America.
Of the thirty-seven attacks listed, only five were by a Brigantine.
Thirteen were listed only as a “ship”, sadly, not known of which type. The others consisted of eighteen
Sloops, one Schooner and one Snow. This
amply demonstrates that Sloops were favored by the pirates due to their speed
and maneuverability. Many were
converted merchant ships, with shallow draught, long, lithe, and low in the
water.
Pirates often simply took control over captured
ships, of whatever size, and modified them for their own purposes. They would raise the gunwales higher than
normal, for chest high gunwales gave more protection for the crew, as well as a
hiding place during a chase. Structural
changes below decks included the removal of bulkheads so that everyman had his
own quarters for eating and sleeping.
The pirates changed their ships as often as opportunity offered or need
dictated. They were always looking to augment their firepower with captured
weapons of all sorts, including cannon, swivel guns and hand weapons. Size
depended on the pirate’s range. Thirty
to fifty ton Sloops were common, but larger ones were also occasionally used.
In my book Pirates
Revenge, The pirate fleet was a well-armed fleet of eleven Brigantines, and
thirteen Sloops or Schooners. Little
wonder they were feared across the length and breadth of the Caribbean by all
nations.
For more information about Pirates Revenge, including a dazzling array of pictures and videos, as well as ordering information, go to:
http://dougboren.homestead.com/Pirates.html or click the image below:
Free prizes and book give aways!
I am offering copies of all of my books through random drawings for everyone who subscribes to my bi-monthly E-zine, The Alexander Chronicle. This interesting publication features the times, adventures, loves , losses and intrigues found in all my books through the eyes of the characters. There are reviews, brand new never seen before scenes, dazzling pictures of the people and places in the stories, videos, and contests based on a variety of fun things, where you can win valuable prizes.
There is also a featured "author of the month" section where you can find some really neat authors for your enjoyment. And finally there is a regular guest column written by authors, publishers, editors... in short movers and shakers of the written word. There is something for everybody, regardless if you are an author, a reader, or whatever you preferred genre is. Over 140 satisfied subscribers recieve this FREE e-zine, so why don't you? To subscribe, click this button, fill out the form, and send it along. You won't be sorry.
To read other Blogs in the Nautical Blog Hop go here:
J.M Aucoin
Helen Hollick
Born in Walthamstow, North East London I recently moved to North Devon with my husband, daughter & her fiance. I was accepted for publication 20 years ago by William Heinemann who took my Arthurian Trilogy and two novels of Saxon England. With the down-turn of historical fiction a few years ago my back-list was dropped, however and then my agent also dropped me. Out on a limb I decided to self-publish my back list with a small indie company within their even smaller mainstream imprint, and then followed with what turned out to be the first in a pirate-based nautical adventure series Sea Witch.
Douglas Boren: has lived a full and exciting life. A retired Physician Assistant, he has lived from Alaska to Florida, from New York to New Mexico, and many places in between. An avid Master scuba diver, he divides his time between the Caribbean and his home in North Carolina. He has always had a profound fondness for history, believing that rather than just a series of dates and events, it is a living record of real people, much like ourselves, how they live, and their impact on those around them and their role in the unfolding story of life. Pirates Revenge is his third novel.
Margaret Muir - I live in Tasmania in the band of the Roaring Forties. Besides writing historical fiction set in England for a female readership, I recently launched the third book in my Oliver Quintrell nautical fiction series which is set during the Napoleon Wars. I love to sail on Tall Ships and travel and enjoy weaving the places I visit into the stories I write.
Margaret Muir
Eva V Ulett : Proud to be an Old Salt Press author, V.E. is also a member of the National Books Critics Circle and an active member and reviewer for the Historical Novel Society.
V. E. Ulett
T.S. Rhodes
Mark Patton
Katherine Bone
Seymour Hamilton's Blog Spot
Rick Spillman
James L. Nelson : was born and raised in Maine and graduated from UCLA with a degree in motion picture/television production. Finding that despite being in Southern California, it was a damp, drizzly November in his soul, Jim took the cure Melville recommended and decided to sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. For six years he worked on board traditional sailing ships before launching a writing career as in 1994. He has since written seventeen works of maritime fiction and history. He is the winner or the American Library Association/William Young Boyd Award and the Naval Order’s Samuel Eliot Morison Award. Nelson has lectured all over the country and appeared on the Discovery Channel, History Channel and BookTV. He currently lives in Harpswell, Maine, with his former shipmate, now wife Lisa and their four children.
James L Nelson
S.J. Turney
J.M Aucoin
Helen Hollick
Born in Walthamstow, North East London I recently moved to North Devon with my husband, daughter & her fiance. I was accepted for publication 20 years ago by William Heinemann who took my Arthurian Trilogy and two novels of Saxon England. With the down-turn of historical fiction a few years ago my back-list was dropped, however and then my agent also dropped me. Out on a limb I decided to self-publish my back list with a small indie company within their even smaller mainstream imprint, and then followed with what turned out to be the first in a pirate-based nautical adventure series Sea Witch.
Meanwhile,
my historical fiction novels were picked up by Sourcebooks Inc in the US and my
novel Forever Queen hit the USA Today bestseller list.
The
indie company unfortunately went bust, so I found a different – and more
reliable and professional assisted publishing company based in Bristol
SilverWood
Books.
I
have four books in my Sea Witch Voyages series now: Sea Witch, Pirate Code,
Bring It Close and recently receleased Ripples In The Sand. On The Account, the
5th in the series is being written.
I
also recently published a Tips for Writers book Discovering the Diamond and I am
the UK Indie Review Editor for the Historical Novels Society.
I
also have a habit of saying “yes I’ll do it” when people ask me to help out and
have a tendency for not realising there are only 24 hours in a day!
*laugh*
Helen Hollick Douglas Boren: has lived a full and exciting life. A retired Physician Assistant, he has lived from Alaska to Florida, from New York to New Mexico, and many places in between. An avid Master scuba diver, he divides his time between the Caribbean and his home in North Carolina. He has always had a profound fondness for history, believing that rather than just a series of dates and events, it is a living record of real people, much like ourselves, how they live, and their impact on those around them and their role in the unfolding story of life. Pirates Revenge is his third novel.
Linda
Collison
: writes both contemporary and historical fiction and nonfiction. Her writing
has appeared in various and sundry magazines, including Sail, Sailing, Cruising
World, Quarterdeck, Caribbean Travel and Life, Hawaii, Chaminade Literary
Review, Woman's World, Ladies Home Journal, etc., and she has won awards from
Daughters of the American Revolution, National Student Nurses Association, Maui
Writers Conference, Southwest Writers Conference, Honolulu Magazine and the New
York Public Library. Much of her writing has a nautical influence, such as the
Patricia MacPherson Nautical Adventure Series -- which was hard aground for a
time but is now afloat and a third book is in the offing for 2014. Currently, Collison finds herself on shore
leave, high, dry, and without a ship in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Her latest novel, "Looking for Redfeather",
has just been released by Fiction House, Ltd., her own imprint, is a teenage
road trip story. Watch for two new
nautical novels to be published in 2014: "Yankee Moon (or, the Female Smuggler);
book 3 of the Patricia MacPherson Nautical Adventure Series", and, "Good
Fortune", a contemporary young adult psychological paramormal adventure with
historical elements, set at sea. Stay
tuned for release launches at her website
http://www.lindacollison.com
Linda CollisonMargaret Muir - I live in Tasmania in the band of the Roaring Forties. Besides writing historical fiction set in England for a female readership, I recently launched the third book in my Oliver Quintrell nautical fiction series which is set during the Napoleon Wars. I love to sail on Tall Ships and travel and enjoy weaving the places I visit into the stories I write.
Margaret Muir
Julian
Stockwin:
lives in Devon with his wife and literary partner Kathy. He has written thirteen
books to date in his Thomas Kydd historical action adventure fiction series.
Although they form a series each title can be read as a stand-alone novel. The
titles, in order are KYDD, ARTEMIS, SEAFLOWER, MUTINY, QUARTERDECK, TENACIOUS,
COMMAND, THE ADMIRAL’S DAUGHTER, TREACHERY (published in the US as THE
PRIVATEER’S REVENGE), TREACHERY, INVASION, VICTORY, CONQUEST AND BETRAYAL.
Julian has also written a non-fiction book, STOCKWIN’S MARITIME MISCELLANY. His
next book is CARIBBEE, out on October 24. More information can be found on his
website www.julianstockwin.com
Julian Stockwin
Anna
Belfrage :
Of Swedish descent, raised in South America where I attended English schools, in
the process developing a life long passion for British history that has since
expanded to be history in general, mainly from the 11th to the 17th century.
Married since ages back to a wonderful man with whom I have four marvellous
children (well... most of the time). Addicted to tea, chocolate, cake, more
chocolate – but as I know such weaknesses must be combated I am mostly on some
sort of restrictive diet, mostly along the lines of more veggies less sweet
stuff. Have a challenging day job as a financial director, have an equally
challenging – but oh, so rewarding – night job as a writer. As per one of my
former colleagues, I have a thing about love. And I do – the love interest in my
books is very important to me – but I also want pace and action. If someone were
to threaten me with an existence on a deserted island, I would insist on
bringing along LOTR and The Heart of Darkness. However, I’d quickly go crazy in
such an environment as I am a very social person, and unlike Tom Hanks in
Castaway I would have problems bonding with a volleyball.
Anna Belfrage
Andy
Millen
is a writer of fiction set in the 18th Century and featuring Smugglers,
Highwaymen, Thief Takers and other Criminals. His debut collection of short
stories is available from Amazon, based on the exploits of the Hawkhurst Gang,
and a full length novel will be out before the end of the year.
Andy MillenEva V Ulett : Proud to be an Old Salt Press author, V.E. is also a member of the National Books Critics Circle and an active member and reviewer for the Historical Novel Society.
V. E. Ulett
T.S. Rhodes
Mark
Patton
: I was born on the island of Jersey, and spent much of my youth in the sea,
swimming, diving and sailing. I studied Archaeology and Anthropology at
Cambridge, and completed my PhD at University College London. I have since
taught at various universities in the Netherlands, France and the UK, and now
teach for the Open University. I began writing fiction in 2006, and have since
published two novels, "Undreamed Shores" and "An Accidental King," both
published by Crooked Cat Publications, a small, independent publisher, and both
of which feature sea voyages.
http://www.mark-patton.co.uk/Mark Patton
Katherine Bone
Alaric
Bond
was born in Surrey, and now lives in Herstmonceux, East Sussex. He has been
writing professionally for over twenty years with work covering broadcast comedy
(commissioned to BBC Light Entertainment for 3 years), periodicals, children's
stories, television and the stage. His
acclaimed Fighting Sail series differs slightly from the standard formula of one
central hero, charting instead the course of several characters from both lower
deck and commissioned ranks and giving a broader insight into life aboard a man
of war during the age of sail.
Turn
a Blind Eye,
his latest novel, is set in a revenue cutter during the autumn of 1801, and
centres on the private war between smugglers and the custom service.
Alaric Bond
Ginger
Myrick:
Winner of the Rosetta Literary Contest 2012, Ginger Myrick was born and raised
in Southern California. She is a self-described wife, mother, animal lover, and
avid reader. Along with the promotion for three novels, she is currently
crafting novel #4, which takes place during the US Civil War. She is a Christian
who writes meticulously researched historical fiction with a 'clean' love story
at the core. She hopes to persevere with her newfound talent and show the
reading community that a romance
Ginger Myrick
Judith
Starkston:
writes historical fiction set in the Bronze Age environs of Troy. Her first
novel, Hand of Fire, to be published by Fireship Press in 2014, tells Briseis’s
story, the captive woman Achilles and Agamemnon fought over in the Iliad. Judith also reviews for Historical Novels
Review and her own website.
Judith Starkston
Seymour
Hamilton
: It took a long time until I could legitimately call myself a fiction writer,
although I remember wanting to do so when I was about 12 years old. Now I have two books to my name: The Astreya
Trilogy and The Laughing Princess. I
was a war baby, born near London during the blitz. Peace took my father out of the Royal Navy
and into a job in Mauritius which lasted until 1949, when we came to Canada. I
went to school in Ottawa, and then studied English and Philosophy at Queen’s
University, Kingston, Ontario, and went on to do a Masters in English at the
University of Toronto in 1963. In those
days, a MA was sufficient qualification to teach in many universities, so I
became an assistant professor at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia,
where I married, and my first son, Robin, was born. Three years later, I moved to Canada’s west
coast to teach at Simon Fraser University.
Three more years, and I returned to Queen’s to complete my PhD (on
American Science Fiction) just in time for a cyclical slump in hiring by
Canadian universities.
I
returned to Nova Scotia and worked first as a contract writer and editor, then
as a communications officer in the provincial government. I also wrote and voiced radio essays and
theatre reviews. It was during this time
that I sailed on Mike Whitehouse's schooner Hakada to the south coast of
Newfoundland – an experience that was the genesis of Astreya.
Government
communications experience led to my next academic job in the graduate school of
Communications Studies at the University of Calgary. It was hiking in the
Rockies that triggered The Laughing Princess.
The harp music of Kim Robertson played as I wrote.
After
four years of teaching in Alberta, I returned to Ottawa, the city in which I had
gone to school. I married Katherine
Fletcher, we moved a few kilometers into Chelsea, Quebec and had a son, Ben.
Until retirement, I taught part time at Ottawa University and wrote and edited
extensively for both the private sector and government.
Astreya
had been on my mind since the 1970’s, increasing in volume by fits and starts.
In retirement, it became a full-time activity, growing from a short novella to a
trilogy. The Laughing Princess followed The Astreya Trilogy into print in
2012.
www.SeymourHamilton.comSeymour Hamilton's Blog Spot
Rick Spillman
James L. Nelson : was born and raised in Maine and graduated from UCLA with a degree in motion picture/television production. Finding that despite being in Southern California, it was a damp, drizzly November in his soul, Jim took the cure Melville recommended and decided to sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. For six years he worked on board traditional sailing ships before launching a writing career as in 1994. He has since written seventeen works of maritime fiction and history. He is the winner or the American Library Association/William Young Boyd Award and the Naval Order’s Samuel Eliot Morison Award. Nelson has lectured all over the country and appeared on the Discovery Channel, History Channel and BookTV. He currently lives in Harpswell, Maine, with his former shipmate, now wife Lisa and their four children.
James L Nelson
S.J. Turney
Prue
Batten: A
former journalist from Australia who graduated with majors in history and
politics, Prue Batten is now a historical romance writer who is also a farmer,
dog owner, gardener and all round seaman who is most at home in the sea, on the
sea and by the sea.
Prue Batten
Edward
James:
I live in Cheltenham, England, and am one of the UK review editors for
Historical Novels Review. I plan to
publish two nauticals later this year or early next year, both set in the Tudor
period, one in Mexico and the other in Arctic Russia. I am a retired international consultant in
social security and worked on projects for the World Bank and the EU in
Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Central
Asia. I was other things before that, but it's on my blog.
Edward James
Antoine
Vanner
: writes historical naval fiction. He previously spent many years in the
international oil industry, followed by an academic career, and he has also
travelled extensively on a private basis. His knowledge of human nature, passion
for nineteenth-century political and military history and first-hand experience
of their locales provide the background to his Dawlish Chronicles series of
historical novels based on the life of a Victorian naval officer, Nicholas
Dawlish.
“I’m
fascinated by the Victorian period,” Vanner says, “for not only was it one of
colonial expansion and of Great Power rivalry that often came to the brink of
war, but it was also one of unprecedented social, political, technological and
scientific change. Britain’s power may
have been at an apogee but it was under constant threat and would demand
constant adaptation from those who aspired to shape events. Many born in the
1840s would not only play significant roles in the later decades of the century
but be key players in the maelstrom that would engulf the world in 1914. The
Dawlish Chronicles are set in that world of change, uncertainty and risk and
they involve projection of naval power to meet complex social, political and
diplomatic challenges.”
AntoineVanner
Joan Druett is a
maritime historian who is an expert on whaling history and women at sea. A
founding partner of Old Salt Press, she is also the author of the bestseller Island of the Lost. She lives in New
Zealand with her husband, the internationally acclaimed maritime artist, Ron
Druett. Her website is www.joan.druett.gen.nz
Joan Druett's blog here: http://www.joan-druett.blogspot.com/