The "… but, I don't want to be a Pirate!" Story

The Pirates of Nassau Museum.

It was an ordinary day.  Carol and I are walking the streets of Nassau, the Bahamas.  We had just parked our car on Bay Street and our traveling friends Jerry and Just Sue set a time with us as to when we would meet back at the car.  We decided upon a two hour time limit and coordinated our watches.  Only problem was neither Carol nor I had a watch, so Just Sue loaned her watch to Carol.  OK, now were off to steal and plunder whatever we can find for two hours.  Carol and I walked toward the west side of the city and as we made a turn onto Duke Street, there in front of us was the "Pirates of Nassau" museum.  Something we had on our wish list to do, so we decided it was time to see what the life of a pirate may have been in the early 1700s.  We purchased our tickets at the gift store and headed into the museum.  As we entered we were greeted with a sign that read: The year was 1716 and the Golden Age of Piracy is at it's height.  The ship "Revenge" is moored alongside a Caribbean dock while her pirate crew celebrate a successful cruise.  The French Corvette is 130 feet long with 16 guns and a Pirate crew of 200.  Naturally there is a skull and crossed swords under the wording.  Before we began, a guide told us some of the reasons for being a pirate.  Merchant ships operated year round and spent months crossing the north Atlantic or navigating the shores of North America or Britian.  Most Merchant ships had a small crew of about 35 men which meant long hours and little rest in order to keep the ship moving.  Owners of the ships expected the captain to demand much of his crew and inflict cruel punishment if their job was not accomplished.  Because of that, it was a lot easier to be a sailor aboard a pirate ship where there were more sailors and an easier workload.  Therefore, many Merchant shipmen were tempted to become a pirate.  As we entered we read the sign that told us the dock that we were about to walk on had the Revenge moored to it.  Wow, pretty neat and authentic looking nighttime scene.  The ship is to our right and the rooming houses and taverns are to the left.  Carol saw a young man sitting on the dock and slowly walked up to him as I was taking a photo.  Manequin, but really looked real.  We walked to the end of the ship and entered onto the lower deck of this pirate ship.  To make my story easier to tell, I'll do it with the photos I took.  Hope you can get the feel for what a pirate ship would be like in 1716 in the city of Nassau, the Bahamas:

The dock in Nassau.  Ship is moored to the right with the shops to the left.

Life on board the pirate ship consisted of long periods of drunken idleness and brief periods of violent action.  The pirates were expected to carry out repairs and sail the ship.  Most of the time was spent gambling, drinking and manning the guns when another ship approached..  

The bow of the ship is where one of the most valuable man on the ship is located.  He is the ship's carpenter and is responsible for the constant repairs. 

The center of the ship.  Food and drink was stored here and was dependent on what they could rob from captured ships.   In the Caribbean the pirates ate turtles and fish.  At times chickens and a few live animals such as goats, cows and pigs could be killed for food.  A favorite dish was salmagundi and was a highly seasoned stew made from anything available.  I'm sure it had plenty of alcohol in the pot. The handrail was added for the display.  I'm certain that it wouldn't be there on a real pirate ship.

In the stern of the ship was locate the infirmary.  The carpenter usually was the surgeon on a pirate ship operating in a crude and primitive manner.  Many limbs were amputated to prevent gangrene and was done with a saw.  Mercury was used for syphilis and many lives were lost due to scurvy, yellow fever, malaria and cholera. Here the carpenter, on the left with arm lifted and holding a tool, prepares to cut the patient. 

This display was titled "Marooned" and the following was posted with it.

Click on it to enlarge it.

In 1718 King George I appointed captain Woodes Rogers, a former pirate, as the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas.  His main job was to dispense of the pirates and he arrived in Nassau with a Royal Pardon for any pirate who surrendered.  By 1729 he had succeeded in his mission.  Here he is interviewing ex-pirate Ben Hornigold and asking him to help him restore order to the colony by capturing the defiant pirate Captain Charles Vane.  The date is September 15, 1718.

After an uncooperative pirate was captured he was hung and the corpse was covered with tar to help prevent decomposition.  It was suspended in chains as seen here so other pirates would see the punishment they would get if they didn't cooperate.

Well, what ever happened to all the pirates.  By 1720 pirate attacks along the shores of North America had become so frequent that colonial governors and merchants persuaded the Admiralty to send out warships to track down the pirates.  They were captured and their crews put on trial.  Some were hanged as stated above.  With most of the ringleaders dead or in hiding, the great age of piracy came to an end.  But what about in today's society?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.