Piracy
Piracy is robbery committed at sea, or sometimes the shore, by an agent without a commission from a sovereign nation. One who commits piracy by engaging in robbery, pillaging, or plundering at sea is known as a pirate. Seaborne piracy against transport vessels remains a significant issue (with estimated worldwide losses of US$13 to $16 billion per year[1]), particularly in the waters between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, off the Somali coast, and in the Strait of Malacca and Singapore, which are used by over 50,000 commercial ships a year. A recent surge in piracy off the Somali coast spurred a multi-national effort led by the United States to patrol the waters near the Horn of Africa to combat piracy. While boats off the coasts of South America and the Mediterranean Sea are still assailed by pirates, the advent of the United States Coast Guard has nearly eradicated piracy in American waters and the Caribbean Sea.
Antiquity
The earliest documented incidence of piracy are the exploits of the Sea Peoples who threatened the Aegean in the 13th century BC. In Classical Antiquity, the Tyrrhenians and Thracians were known as pirates. The island of Lemnos long resisted Greek influence and remained a haven for Thracian pirates. The Latin term pirata, from which the English "pirate" is derived, derives ultimately from Greek peira "attack, attempt", cognate to peril. By the 1st century BC, there were pirate states along the Anatolian coast, threatening the commerce of the Roman Empire. When Sulla died in 78 BC, Julius Caesar returned to Rome as a lawyer, prosecuted Sulla's supporters, and headed to the Greek town of Rhodes to study oratory. Pirates seized control of the vessel in 79 BC, kidnapped Caesar, and held him for ransom. After purchasing his freedom, he assembled a small army which captured the pirates and crucified them. (These dates are inconsistent, BC years progress by decreasing). The Senate finally invested Pompey with special powers to deal with piracy in 67 BC (the Lex Gabinia), and Pompey after three months of naval warfare managed to suppress the threat. In the 3rd century, pirate attacks on Olympus (city in Anatolia) brought impoverishment.
Among some of the most famous ancient pirateering peoples were the Illyrians, populating the western Balkan peninsula. Constantly raiding the Adriatic Sea, the Illyrians caused many conficts with the Roman Republic. It was not until 68 BC that the Romans finally conquered Illyria and made it a province, ending their threat.
Early Polynesian warriors attacked seaside and riverside villages. They used the sea for their hit-and-run tactics - a safe place to retreat to if the battle turned against them.
Middle Ages
After the Slavic intrusions to the Balkan peninsular in the 5th and 6th centuries, Serbs were given in the first half of the 7th century the land of Pagania between Croatian Dalmatia and Zachlumia. These Slavs followed the old Illyrian pirateering habits and often raided the Adriatic Sea. Already in 642 they invaded southern Italia and assaulted Siponte in Benevento. Their raids in the Adriatic increased rapidly, until the whole Sea was no longer safe for any travels.
The "Narentines," as they were called, took more liberties in their raiding quests while the Venetian Navy was abroad - like when it was campaigning in the Sicilian waters in 827-828, and as soon as the Venetian fleet would return to the Adriatic, they temporarily abandoned their habits again - even signing a Treaty in Venice and baptising their Slavic pagan leader into Christianity. In 834-835 they broke the treaty and again raided Venetian traders returning from Benevento - and all of Venice's military attempts to punish the Marians in 839 and 840 had utterly failed. Later, they raided the Venetians more often together with the Arabs. In 846 the Narentines breached to Venice itself and raided its lagoon city of Kaorle. In the middle of March 870 they kidnapped the Roman Bishop's emissaries that were returning from the Ecclesiastical Council in Constantinople. This caused a Byzantine military action against them that finally brought Christianity unto them.
After the Arab raids of the Adriatic coast circa 872 and the retreat of the Imperial Navy, the Narentines restored their raids of Venetian waters, causing new conflicts with the Italians in 887-888. The Narentine piracy traditions were cherished even while they were in Serbia, serving as the finest Serb warriors. The Venetians continued, though futilely, to fight them throughout the 10th-11th centuries.
Saint Patrick was captured and enslaved by Irish pirates. The Vikings were Scandinavian pirates who attacked the British Isles and Europe from the sea.
In 937, Irish pirates sided with the Scots, Vikings, Picts, and Welsh in their invasion of England. Athelstan drove them back.
The ushkuiniks were Novgorod's pirates who looted the cities on the Volga and Kama Rivers in the 14th century.
Piracy in East Asia
From the 13th century, Japan based Wokou made their debut in East Asia, initiating invasions that would persist for 300 years.
Piracy in the Caribbean
The great or classic era of piracy in the Caribbean extends from around 1560 up until the end of the Golden Age of Piracy in the 1730s. The period during which pirates were most successful was from the 1640s until the 1680s. Caribbean piracy arose out of, and mirrored on a smaller scale, the conflicts over trade and colonization among the rival European powers of the time, including England, Spain, Dutch United Provinces, and France. Two of the best-known pirate bases were Tortuga in the 1640s and Port Royal after 1655. One of the last famous pirates of the Caribbean was Cofresí: Roberto Cofresí Ramirez de Arellano (1791-1825). He was put to death for his crimes in Puerto Rico at the Castle of San Felipe del Morro. His romantic legend inspires plays and songs on the island.
Piracy was common in this area because the surrounding coastline had many isolated beaches where pirates could land.
Famous historical pirates
- Edward "Blackbeard" Teach
- "Calico" Jack Rackham
- Henry Morgan
- François l'Ollonais
- Anne Bonny
- Mary Read
- "Black Bart" Bartholomew Roberts
- Henry Nelson
- Sir Francis Drake
- William Kidd
- Louis-Michel Aury
- Jean Lafitte
Privateering
A privateer or corsair used similar methods to a pirate, but acted while in possession of a commission or letter of marque from a government or king authorizing the capture of merchant ships belonging to an enemy nation. The famous Barbary Corsairs of the Mediterranean were privateers, as were the Maltese Corsairs, who were authorized by the Knights of St. John. The letter of marque was recognized by convention—for example, the United States Constitution of 1787 specifically authorizes Congress to issue letters of marque and reprisal—and meant that a privateer could not technically be charged with piracy. This nicety of law did not always save the individuals concerned, however, as whether one was considered a pirate or a legally operating privateer often depended on whose custody the individual found himself in—that of the country that had issued the commission, or that of the object of attack. Under the Declaration of Paris of 1854, seven nations agreed to suspend the use of the letter of marque, and others followed in the Hague Conventions. The most famous privateer was Sir Francis Drake. His patron was England, and their relationship ultimately proved to be quite profitable.
Pirate organizations
In the popular modern imagination, pirates of the classical period were rebellious, clever teams who operated outside the restricting bureaucracy of modern life. In reality, many pirates ate poorly, did not become fabulously wealthy, and died young.
Unlike traditional Western societies of the time, many pirate clans operated as limited democracies, demanding the right to elect and replace their leaders. The captain of a pirate ship was often a fierce fighter in whom the men could place their trust, rather than a more traditional authority figure sanctioned by an elite. However, when not in battle, the ship's quartermaster usually had the real authority.
Many groups of pirates shared in whatever booty they seized, according to a complicated scheme where each man received his alloted share of the prize. Pirates injured in battle might be afforded special compensation. Often all of these terms were agreed upon and written down by the pirates. These articles could also be used as incriminating proof that they were outlaws.
Pirates readily accepted outcasts from traditional societies, perhaps easily recognizing kindred spirits, and they were known to free slaves from slave ships and welcome them into the pirate fold.
Such egalitarian practices within a pirate clan were tenuous, however, and did little to mitigate the brutality of the pirate's way of life.
The classical age of piracy coexisted with imperialism. Imperialism required merchant vessels to transport goods and warships to protect the trade ships from pirates and privateers. Living conditions on the warships were horrible even by 17th-century standards; sailors were often fed rotten, maggot-infested food, frequently suffered from scurvy or other nutritional disorders, and could be counted lucky to escape their service without a debilitating injury. Two life-threatening and omnipresent forces in the sailors' lives were the sea and the ship's captain. English captains were known to have been extremely brutal; the captain held a sort of sovereign power aboard his ship and many were unafraid to abuse that power. It is thought that the service of an English sailor during England's imperial reign is the most inhumane of all wartime duties to date. To fill the warships, officers would sometimes forcibly conscript or "press-gang" boys and young men to replace lost crew.
The horrid living conditions, constant threat to life, and brutality of the captain and his officers pushed many men over the edge. Possessing seafaring skill, a learned intolerance for absolute authority, and a disdain for the motherland they might have believed abandoned them, many crews would simply mutiny during an attack and offer themselves and their ship as a new pirate vessel and crew.
Commerce raiders
A wartime activity similar to piracy involves disguised warships called commerce raiders or merchant raiders, which attack enemy shipping commerce, approaching by stealth and then opening fire. Commerce raiders operated successfully during the American Revolution. During the American Civil War, the Confederacy sent out several commerce raiders, the most famous of which was the CSS Alabama. During World War I and World War II, Germany also made use of these tactics, both in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Since commissioned naval vessels were openly used, these commerce raiders should not be considered even privateers, much less pirates - although the opposing combatants were vocal in denouncing them as such.
Modern piracy
Piracy at sea continues into the present day. Partly due to the decline of the European Navies' ability to project their power, especially the Royal Navy, piracy in recent times has increased in areas such as South and Southeast Asia (the South China Sea), parts of South America, the waters of the Indian Ocean and the south of the Red Sea, with pirates now favoring small boats and taking advantage of the small crew numbers on modern cargo vessels. Modern pirates prey on cargo ships which must slow their speed to navigate narrow straits, making them vulnerable to be overtaken and boarded by small motorboats. Small ships are also capable of disguising themselves as fishing vessels or cargo vessels when not carrying out piracy, in order to avoid or deceive inspections.
In most cases, modern pirates are not interested in the cargo and are mainly interested in taking the personal belongings of the crew and the contents of the ship's safe, which might contain large amounts of cash needed for payroll and port fees. In some cases, the pirates force the crew off the ship and sail the ship to a port, where it is repainted and given a new identity through false papers.
Modern pirates can be successful because a large amount of international commerce occurs via shipping. For commercial reasons, many cargo ships move through narrow bodies of water such as the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal and the Straits of Malacca. As usage increases, many of these ships have to lower cruising speeds to allow for navigation and traffic control, making them prime targets for piracy. Modern piracy can also take place in conditions of political unrest or vacuum. For example, following the disintegration of the government of Somalia, warlords in the region have attacked ships delivering UN food aid [1].
Modern definitions of piracy include the following acts:
- Kidnapping of people for ransom
- Robbery
- Murder
- Seizure of items or the ship
- Sabotage, resulting in the ship subsequently sinking
Pirate attacks tripled between 1993 and 2003. The first half of 2003 was the worst 6-month period on record, with 234 pirate attacks, 16 deaths, and 52 people injured worldwide. There were also 193 crew members held hostage during this period.
182 cases of piracy were reported worldwide in the first 6 months of 2004. Of these incidents, 50 occurred in Indonesian waters.
The Piracy Reporting Centre of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) stated in 2004 that more pirate attacks in that year occurred in Indonesian waters (70 of 251 reported attacks) than in the waters of any other country. Of these attacks, a majority occurred in the Straits of Malacca. They also stated that of the attacks in 2004, oil and gas tankers and bulk carriers were the most popular targets with 67 attacks on tankers and 52 on bulk carriers.
In modern times, ships and airplanes are hijacked for political reasons as well. The perpetrators of these acts could be described as pirates (for instance, the French for plane hijacker is pirate de l'air), but in English are usually termed hijackers or terrorists. An example is the hijacking of the Italian civilian passenger ship Achille Lauro.
Modern pirates also use a great deal of technology. It has been reported that crimes of piracy have involved the use of mobile phones, modern speedboats, AK-47s, and even rocket propelled grenades. There is also speculation that modern pirates eavesdrop on satellite communication networks such as Inmarsat to determine cargo and the degree of risk involved with an operation.
Piracy in international law
Effects on international boundaries
During the 18th century, the British and the Dutch controlled opposite sides of the Straits of Malacca. Some pirates carried on activities similar to armed rebellion with the aim of resisting the colonizers[citation needed]. In order to put a stop to this, the British and the Dutch drew a line separating the Straits into two halves. The agreement was that each party would be responsible for combating piracy in their respective half. Eventually this line became the border between Malaysia and Indonesia in the Straits.
International law
Piracy is of note in international law as it is commonly held to represent the earliest invocation of the concept of universal jurisdiction. The crime of piracy is considered a breach of jus cogens, a conventional peremptory international norm from which states may not derogate. Those committing thefts on the high seas, inhibiting trade, and endangering maritime communication are considered by sovereign states to be hostis humani generis (enemies of humanity).
Since piracy often takes place outside the territorial waters of any state, the prosecution of pirates by sovereign states represents a complex legal situation. The prosecution of pirates on the high seas contravenes the conventional freedom of the high seas. However, as jus cogens, jurisdiction can nevertheless typically be exercised against pirates without objection from the flag state of the pirate vessel. This represents an exception to the principle extra territorium jus dicenti impune non paretur (the judgment of one who is exceeding his territorial jurisdiction may be disobeyed with impunity).
Other terms for pirates
Pirates who operated in the West Indies during the 17th century were known as buccaneers. The word derives from boucan, a wooden frame used for cooking meat (also called a barbacoa), used by French hunters called boucaniers. When these hunters became pirates, they took their name with them. The most famous person associated with buccaneers in the West Indies was Henry Morgan.
Dutch pirates were known as kapers or vrijbuiters ("plunderers"), the latter combining the words vrij meaning free, buit meaning loot, and the ending -er meaning agent. The word vrijbuiter was loaned into English as freebooter and into French as flibustier. The French loan-word returned to English in the form of filibusters, adventurers who became involved in Latin American revolutions and coups. It finally came to mean the disruptive parliamentary maneuver of talking nonstop.
Pirates are called Lanun by both the Indonesians and the Malaysians who form the nations bracketing the Straits of Malacca. Originally a culture of seafaring people, the Lanun name became synonymous with piracy in the 15th century. But the dedicated word for pirate in Indonesian Language is Bajak. This word has not clear ethimology, that proves the antiquity of the piracy in the Archipelago.
Wōkòu were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century onwards.
Pirates with commissions from a government are called privateers or corsairs. In modern Arabic the word is قرصان from the Turkish Korsan, which seems to have been derived from the European word. Corsair comes from the medieval Latin cursa, meaning "raid, expedition, inroad".
Pirates are also known as picaroons. This term comes from the Spanish word picarón, meaning "rogue."
Modern victims
- Environmentalist and yachtsman Peter Blake was killed by Brazilian pirates in 2001.
- The American luxury liner The Seabourn Spirit was attacked by pirates in November 2005 off the Somalian coast.
In popular culture
In popular culture, pirates are associated with a stereotypical manner of speaking and dress. This tradition owes much to Robert Newton's portrayal of Long John Silver in Disney's 1950 film adaptation of Treasure Island. Many stereotypical pirates have accents which are apparently from Cornwall, or Bristol in England. Popular interest in pirates rose again when the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was released, bringing more attention to the pirate bases of Tortuga and Port Royal.
In the 1990s, International Talk Like a Pirate Day was invented as a parodic holiday celebrated on September 19. This holiday allows people to "let out their inner pirate" and to dress and speak as pirates are stereotypically portrayed to have dressed and spoken. International Talk Like a Pirate Day has been gaining in popularity through the Internet since its founders set up a website, which instructs visitors in "pirate slang".
Pirates also play in a central role in the parody religion of Pastafarianism, established in 2005.
Piratical stereotypes
- Motley dress: in reality, pirates would have worn practical and comfortable clothing, meant to be convenient for working on a ship.
- Eye patches: Pirates and other mariners were sometimes blinded in one eye through the use of a sextant. Eyepatch wearing also would have been convenient for seeing in poorly lit conditions, and pirates of old may have done this to help see below deck.
- Peglegs: Pirates sometimes lost limbs through battle and other piracy acts and to replace them would be the wooden pegleg.
- Hooked hands: Despite some opinion, pirates actually did have hooks, they were just expensive, often having leather bases, and more than a normal pirate had to spend. (As seen on the pirates special on the history channel)
- Hoop earrings: some pirates believed that putting pressure on their earlobes (i.e., by wearing earrings) would prevent them from becoming seasick. Another suggestion for the purpose of a gold earring is that when a pirate died, the gold would provide some kind of funding for a funeral and coffin.
- Bandanas: bandanas were worn to keep sweat out of the eyes, keep the sun off of their heads, and some pirates believed that it prevented sea sickness.
- Parrots (on the shoulder, generally squawking "Pieces of eight, braak!" or "Polly wann'a cracker!") and Monkeys: sometimes pirates would keep animals aboard to supply fresh food; exotic animals such as parrots and monkeys would be of no use to them, however, though it has been suggested that pirates may have kept such animals for selling at high prices.
- Tricornes: tricornes were often used to keep water out of ones eyes while in a storm or the rain. Some pirates may have worn bicornes stolen from naval commanders such as commodores.
- Scruffy beards: many pirates had large beards, including the notorious pirates Barbarossa and Blackbeard; in fact, Blackbeard wove hemp and lit slow matches (slow burning cords used to fire cannons and matchlocks) into his enormous beard in preparation for battle .
- Cutlasses were the common naval swords of the period.
- Scars
- Spyglasses
- Saying, "Arrr, me matey,", "Yo ho ho and a bottle o' rum", "Avast!", "Belay!", "Heave to!", etc.:. "Arr" is the southern English affirmative (meaning "yes"), "Aye" is the northern dialect equivalent. "Matey" means "friend". These others are common expressions of intimidation or else shipping terms except "Yo ho ho and a bottle o' rum," which was invented by Robert Louis Stevenson for Treasure Island.
- Making people "walk the plank": again, no pirate is known to have forced or been forced by anyone to walk the plank. The idea was probably popularized by J. M. Barrie. Keelhauling is well-attested. It was also commonly thought that women, when captured, were commonly thrown overboard or were sent to walk a plank that extend beyond any ropes or other means of climbing back onto the ship.
- Drinking grog: grog was a watered down version of rum which was consumed to both make the rum last longer on voyages and to make the water safe for drinking. Sometimes citrus juices such as lime or lemon juice was added to prevent scurvy.
Pirates in sports
Because pirate ships connote fearsomeness, loyalty and teamwork, many professional and amateur sports teams are named "Pirates." The most famous of these is the Pittsburgh Pirates, a Major League Baseball team that has used the nickname since 1891.
Other teams:
- Professional
- Pittsburgh Pirates - Major League Baseball
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - National Football League
- Oakland Raiders - National Football League
- Portland Pirates - American Hockey League
- Amsterdam Pirates - Dutch Baseball League
- Orlando Pirates - Premier Soccer League, South Africa
- Tampa Bay Mutiny - Major League Soccer
- Canberra Raiders - National Rugby League, Australia
- Collegiate
- Minor
- British Football (Soccer)
- Bristol Rovers FC. The Pirates - Bristol, England.
- Rugby Union
Pirates in fiction
Characters
Listed alphabetically by the character's last name or full nickname
- Atomsk is the alien pirate king in the anime FLCL.
- Belit is the name of a female pirate captain who is one of the main protagonists along with her partner Conan of Cimmeria in the story "Queen of the Black Coast" by Robert E. Howard.
- The Black Corsair A former Italian noble turned Pirate in revenge for the death of one of his brothers. Maybe the strongest character created by author Emilio Salgari. Portrayed in "El Corsario Negro" (1944) by actor Pedro Armendariz
- The Black Pirate is the title character of the 1926 silent film, played with acrobatic panache by Douglas Fairbanks.
- Black Vulmea is the nickname of Terrence Vulmea, a swashbuckling hero of the Spanish Main created by Robert E. Howard. Vulmea's adventures are collected in Black Vulmea's Vengeance.
- Cannonball (Transformers), a decepticon space pirate.
- Captain Blood Peter Blood an Irish doctor turned slave, then pirate, is the title character of a series of novels by Rafael Sabatini. The novel was also adapted into a film starring Errol Flynn and directed by Casablanca director Michael Curtiz.
- Captain Levasseur A Dashing French Bucanner who briefly partners with Captain Blood , played by Basil Rathbone. Levasseur and Blood fight a duel to the death over the fate of Arabella Bishop. (as the film is called Captan Blood, guess who wins?)
- Captain Clegg is the alias assumed by clergyman Doctor Syn when he turned to piracy in the novel Doctor Syn on the High Seas by Russell Thorndike.
- Burt Lancaster played The Crimson Pirate a.k.a. Captain Vallo, an acrobatic rogue who became a hero in the namesake 1952 movie. Lancaster's former circus partner Nick Cravat also appears as Vallo's mute sidekick, Ojo.
- Captain Jack Dancer, skipper of the Red Wench, is the hero of "The Red Seas", an ongoing feature in the British comic book series 2000AD.
- Captain Kevin Garrigan, captain of the famous Slocum Creek Pirates, a ferocious pirate gang that pillaged the Atlantic Coast.
- Cervantes de Leon, former captain of the Adrian, is a Spanish ghost pirate who possesses Soul Edge in Namco's Soul Calibur series of fighting games.
- Captain Michael K. DeMillzy and other pirates appear in some episodes of the Internet comedy series The Lord Mike Saga.
- The Dread Pirate Roberts, a fearsome pirate dressed all in black (including a black mask and headrag) is reputed to "leave no survivors," and captains the pirate ship Revenge in the novel The Princess Bride by William Goldman.
- Gunpowder Gertie (Gertrude Stubbs) is a Canadian pirate created by storyteller Carolyn McTaggart.
- Tommy Lee Jones plays Captain Bully Hayes in the movie Nate and Hayes (US title), also known as Savage Islands (UK title).
- The notorious Captain Hook, from the novel Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, leads a band of pirates in his ship, the Jolly Roger, based in Kidd's Creek in the Neverland.
- Captain Gavin Capacitor, a software pirate from the computer-animated series, Reboot
- Captain Kennit is a pirate from Robin Hobb's The Liveship Traders trilogy.
- Nancy and Minerva Kington are the protagonists of Pirates! by novelist? please ID Celia Rees.
- Long John Silver is one of several pirates who appear in the Robert Louis Stevenson, novel Treasure Island, which weaves together many pirate myths and motifs including maps of hidden treasure, villany among pirates, marooning, parrots, missing limbs, and eye patches.
- Jamie WaringThe swashbuckling hero of "The Black Swan" 20th Century Fox's film adaptation of Rafael Sabatini's novel played by Tyrone Power
- Monkey D. Luffy is the protagonist in a world of pirates in One Piece, an anime and manga series.
- Captain Horatio McCallister a.k.a. The Sea Captain in the animated TV series The Simpsons, admits in one episode that he is not actually a sea captain, but he is still known for his frequent, pirate-like "Yarrr!"
- Captain Walker D. Plank, a villain in the animated TV series James Bond Jr., fits the traditional stereotype to the extent that even his parrot has an eyepatch and a wooden leg.
- Captain Barrett AKA "The Hook" Comic villain of the 1944 Bob Hope film "The Princess and the Pirate" Played by Victor McGlaglen
- One-eyed Willy is the pirate whose "rich stuff" the kids set out to find in The Goonies
- Patchy the Pirate is the pirate captain that sings the the theme song of Spongebob Squarepants.
- Captain Pugwash appears in a series of children's comic strips, books, and animated films created by John Ryan.
- Walter Matthau plays Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red in the Roman Polanski film Pirates.
- Captain Red Ned Lynch and his crew of the Blarney Cock are pirates in in the romantic adventure film Swashbuckler (1976).
- Red Rackham is a pirate in the Tintin adventure "The Secret of the Unicorn" by Hergé. He was killed by Sir Francis Haddock after Rackham attempted to take over Haddock's ship, the Unicorn.
- Redbeard (Barbe Rouge) is a comic book series since 1961, created by Jean-Michel Charlier & Victor Hubinon.
- Johnny Depp plays Captain Jack Sparrow in the series of Walt Disney Pictures beginning with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
- Geoffrey Rush plays the evil captain Hector Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
- Bill Nighy plays as human/sea creature hybrid, Davy Jones, Captain of the legendary Flying Dutchman in 2006's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
- Sandokan, the "Tiger of Malyasia", from author Emilio Salgari, is the scourge of the British in Southeast Asia. He was portrayed onscreen by Indian actor Kabir Bedi.
- Alan Tudyk plays Steve The Pirate, a dodgeball player who believes himself to be a pirate, in the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.
- Guybrush Threepwood is the bumbling hero of Ron Gilbert's Monkey Island series of adventure games by LucasArts. His antagonist is the evil zombie ghost pirate LeChuck.
- Monty Python alumni Graham Chapman played the main pirate character, Yellowbeard, in the 1983 comedy film Yellowbeard.
- A band of nameless and hapless pirates appears as a running joke in almost all Asterix adventures.
- Vyse is the main character of the video game Skies of Arcadia.
- "Captain Feathersword" played by Paul Paddick is a character in the stage and television shows of the popular children's troupe, "The Wiggles".
Works
- Peter Benchley's 1979 novel The Island, and the 1980 movie adaptation for which he wrote the screenplay, feature a latter-day band of pirates who prey on civilian shipping in the Caribbean.
- The Pirate Movie, an Australian film loosely based on The Pirates of Penzance, stars Christopher Atkins and Kristy McNichol.
- The Pirates of Dark Water is a Hanna-Barbera animated series of the 1990s.
- The Pirates of Penzance, a comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan contains a Pirate King and a crew of orphan pirates.
- The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists by Gideon Defoe is a surreal adventure with stereotypical pirates and Charles Darwin. Featuring The Pirate With A Scarf.
- The singing and dancing pirates Nasty Max, Mighty Matt, Massmedia and Sleazeappeal from the animated series Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea.
- Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff is an adventure comic strip frequently set among modern-day pirates of China and Southeast Asia, led by the notorious Dragon Lady.
- Sid Meier's Pirates! by Sid Meier is a well-known video game featuring pirates.
Other
- "Barret's Privateers" is a song popular in Nova Scotia detailing the fictional story of Elcid Barret and his privateers and their voyage on the Antalope to raid American shipping vessels.
- Pro wrestler Paul Burchill from WWE Friday Night SmackDown! dresses like a pirate and claims that Blackbeard is his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.
Legendary Internet satirist Maddox is also a self proclaimed pirate.
Pirates in music
Pop stars have long been drawn towards pirate culture, due to its disestablishmentism and motley dress. An early 1960s British pop group called itself Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, and wore eye patches while they performed. Keith Moon, drummer of The Who, was a fan of Robert Newton. Flogging Molly, The LeperKhanz, The Coral, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra,Bullets And Octane, Mad Caddies, Thee Pirates, and Stephen Malkmus have pirate-themed songs as well. San Diego three-piece Thee Corsairs take both their name and song inspiration from pirates.
Easily the most elaborate example of songs in this Rock sub genre is "Pirates" by Emerson Lake & Palmer a massive, 13 minute long performance piece from their 1977 tour, it features the Orchestra de L'Opera de Paris. The piece can be found on the album "Works, volume 1"
German metal band Running Wild adopted a "pirate metal" image in 1987, with its third album.. The Texas punk group Employer, Employee was considered "pirate rock" by its fans, as its lyrics often contained themes of piracy ("One Count of Mutiny"), as well as the 16th-century New World in general.
The Sex Pistols adapted the saucy song "Good Ship Venus" as their hit "Friggin' in the Rigging". Fellow Malcolm McLaren protegée Adam Ant took the pirate image further. One of the tracks on the album Kings of the Wild Frontier was called "Jolly Roger". In 1986, The Beastie Boys paid homage to the pirate lifestyle on their Licensed to Ill album with the song "Rhymin' and Stealin'". The song is filled with piratical and nautical phrasing liberally mixed with 1980s hip-hop references.
Mutiny is an Australian pirate themed folk-punk band with releases on Fistolo Records. Pirates imagery has also been adopted by many anarchists, possibly due to the origins of the black flag of anarchism in the pirate flag, and due to books like The Many Headed Hydra by Marcus Reddiker, about the early resistance to capitalism and colonialism, and Pirate Utopias, by Paul Lamborn Wilson, otherwise known as Hakim Bey. According to several authors, the pirate ship was among the most democratic institutions of the colonial age.
The Arrogant Worms, a Canadian band, play a humerous song called "The Pirates of The Saskachewan." It can be heard on line here.
Pirates also occasionally rival vampires as themes for goth music, fashion, and imagery. Goth musician/comedian Voltaire illustrates the sometimes humorous rivalry between vampiric and pirate camps of goths in the song "Vampire Club" from the album Boo Hoo (2002).
Space pirates
Within works of science fiction, a new type of pirate has begun to show prominence. The "Space pirate" is a common theme in works of science fiction, and is a pirate that operates in outer space as opposed to on the sea. A space pirate usually shares many traits with classical pirates, as they are usually ruthless criminals who raid passing ships for cargo and money.
A space pirate makes a brief appearance in the opening scene of the Futurama episode "Godfellas". After Leela exclaims, "Space Pirates!" Fry asks "Space pirates?", to which Leela matter-of-factly replies: "You know; pirates, but in space."
While certainly not a critical favorite, the film The Ice Pirates (1984) is noteworthy for exploring the realm of space piracy.
A unique group of pirates use hi-tech devices to loot and pillage, in order to set up a base in Earth's 9th century in 'Meddlers In Time'. The story is found in serial form at: Meddlers In Time
Space pirates are also the main enemy of Samus Aran in the Metroid series by Nintendo. In this the space pirates are after the unique metroid life form to use for domination of the universe. However their plans are usually foiled by Samus.
An example of an anime series starring a "space pirate" is the famous Captian Harlock series and its many incarnations. It can also be aruged that the protagonist of Irresponsable Captain Tylor is a space pirate in that he does whatever he feels like often in defiance of the orders of his commanding officers.
See also
- Hafsids
- List of pirates
- Timeline of piracy
- Space Pirates
- Looting
- Pagania
- Illyrians
- Pirates versus Ninjas
References
- Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships: Guidance for Suppressing and Preventing
- Reports on Piracy, Month by Month
- Information About Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships
- Piracy 'on the rise' off Somalia
- Waters That Prompt Fear From the Toughest of Sailors
- Yacht Piracy
- Pirate Event Photos from Pirate Events and more.
- Pirates attack 2 Navy warships from Norfolk in the Indian Ocean
- U.S. Navy prowls Africa's coast to extinguish threats from piratesacy
- More details on US Navy's latest pirate skirmish
Historic piracy
- "Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age" Audio and video of a lecture presented by University of Pittsburgh professor Marcus Rediker
- Pirate Utopias (Do or Die) - Piracy and Anarchism
- The Golden Age of Piracy, and its origins in class struggle - on peopleshistory.co.uk
- Brethren of the Coast - the website for everything related to the old pirates
- Great Collection of Pirate biographies
- Piracy Timeline
- Pirates and Privateers
- The Jolly Roger Pirate Flag
- The Pirate Brethren Web Forum, A Place to Discuss the Golden Age of Piracy, and Pirate Reenacting
- Handy Jones - Long Island Pirate
- Pirate Vengeance
- List of Pirates
- Women Pirates
- Historical Re-enactors based in Orlando Principal re-enactment group for Searle's Raid on St. Augustine, Florida
- Ocracoke Island
- A look at Piracy in the Caribbean, in fact and fiction
- The Pirates Hold - The history and mythology of piracy
- Pirates! Fact and Legend
- Pirates! Information and history
Pirate language
Lyrics
- Lyrics from Pirates (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) by Greg Lake and Pete Sinfield
Pirates' Code
Pirates publications and online resources
- The Pyrate's Way Magazine
- No Quarter Given Magazine for pirate reenactors and enthusiasts, with a great deal of pirate information.
Further reading
- Cordingly, David (1997). Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates. Harvest Books. ISBN 0156005492.
- Burnett, John (2002). Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas. Plume. p. 346. ISBN 0452284139.
- Langewiesche, William (2004). The Outlaw Sea: A World of Freedom, Chaos, and Crime. North Point Press. ISBN 0865475814.
- Girard, Geoffrey (2006). Tales of the Atlantic Pirates. Middle Atlantic Press. ISBN 0975441957.
- Cawthorne, Nigel (2004). History of Pirates: Blood and Thunder on the High Seas. Book Sales. ISBN 0785818561.
Notes
- ^ "Pirates Open Fire on Cruise Ship off Somalia". Retrieved November 14.
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