Pirates have had a fearsome reputation for centuries for looting precious metals from ships involved in global (and particularly Transatlantic) trade.
Understand
[edit]The period from the mid-17th century to the early 18th century is known as the Golden Age of Piracy, when piracy in the North Atlantic (and in particular the Caribbean Sea) and Indian Oceans was at its peak. However, the history of piracy has to be divided into two legally separate but realistically related operations. Privateers were licensed pirates, given letters of marque by one country authorising them to attack enemy ships in time of war. One of the most famous privateers was Francis Drake, an Englishman attacking Spanish ships in the 16th century. Another was Henry Morgan, a Welshman in the 17th. The Stan Rogers song Barrett's Privateers concerns a ship setting out from Halifax in 1778 to raid American shipping.
Other pirates operated entirely illegally; this was frequently punished by death. The distinction between privateering and piracy was never entirely clear; some privateers took ships not authorised by their letters of marque, thus becoming pirates, and even those operating within the rules were seen as pirates by their victims.
Given the illegimate nature of many piracy operations, no pirate ships survive intact and artifacts are limited compared to the fearsome reputation which pirate ships commanded. That said, in remote and then-crime-ridden locations, pirates established hideaways including a cemetery on a Madagascar island and an entire town in Port Royal, Jamaica.
Today there are few pirates still operating. Areas where they are still a hazard include at the mouth of the Red Sea and near Mindanao in the southern Philippines.
Historic sites
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- 1 Execution Dock, London. Believed to be the site of many executions of pirates, but there is little to see today.
- 2 Nosy Boraha. This island in Madagascar (also known as Île Sainte-Marie) is the location of a cemetery where pirates were buried.
- 3 Port Royal. A ghost town in Jamaica that was once a base of activity for many pirates.
- 4 Fortresses of Portobelo, Panama. Several forts in this coastal Spanish colony were captured by privateer Henry Morgan in his 1688 raid before he sacked the entire settlement.The ruins of the fortresses San Jerónimo, Santiago, and San Fernando still stand and the first two can be visited in the Portobelo main town area.
Museums
[edit]- 5 National Maritime Museum Cornwall, Discovery Quay, Falmouth, Cornwall, ☏ +44 01326 313388, [email protected].
- 6 Pirates of Nassau, [email protected].
- 7 St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum.
- Savannah Pirates and Treasure Museum, 209 W. St. Julian St., Savannah, ☏ +1 912 210-5752. 10AM-6PM.
- 8 Whydah Pirate Museum, 674 MA-28, West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, ☏ +1 508 534-9571, [email protected]. Preserves artifacts from the Whydah Gally, a slave and pirate ship that sank in 1717 and was rediscovered in the 20th century.
Pirate cruises
[edit]_-_View_of_Port_Royal,_Jamaica_-_BHC1841_-_Royal_Museums_Greenwich.jpg)
- 9 Bluefoot Pirate Adventures, 151 N Beach Rd, Dania Beach, Florida (Dania Beach Marina), ☏ +1 954 530-8302, [email protected].
- Pirate Ship Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, ☏ +52 322-120-6798, [email protected].
Stay safe
[edit]Piracy remains a threat to commercial shipping in geographical chokepoints such as off the coast of Somalia (near the Red Sea) and the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia. These incidents are unlikely to target tourists and are well outside established tourist areas; however, countries in regions affected by piracy have become more dangerous due to organized crime and drug smuggling by pirates.
If you're traveling at sea in a yacht, be aware of such high-risk areas and avoid them as yachts are easier targets for piracy than commercial ships.
See also
[edit]- Maritime history — as many ships were taken over by pirates, their ships reflected broader developments of ships over time, as preserved in maritime museums
- Vikings and the Old Norse — the Vikings were notorious for their acts of piracy