Pirate weapons had the capacity to be very destructive, however they weren't used in the way you might imagine. Weapons of today are used to destroy from great distances. A pirate's goal was to capture the target ship, its contents and its crew with as little damage as possible. Because of this, a more up-close and personal attack was often implemented. The following weapons were often utilized by pirate boarding parties:
Whydah Canon
Cannons required four or more men to load, aim, fire, and reposition. Several types of shot were used mainly to disable the target ship.
Kenneth Garrett National Geographic
The Cannon Negotiations with the target ship could happen quickly after the pirate ship fired a warning shot from a cannon or it could be used to take down the main mast, stopping the target ship in its tracks and making escape impossible. Several different types of "shot" were used depending on the desired damage to be done. Pirates did not usually want to sink the ship they were attacking so they used a selection of ammunition that was effective against taking down the crew, sails or rigging. This would include nails, gravel, and small musket balls or cannon for use against crew, chain shot for damaging the sail and rigging.
Flintlock Pistol The flintlock pistol was a pirate favorite because of its small size and light weight. Not much room was needed to maneuver the weapon towards its intended target. Because of the time it took to reload, an expert could reload in 15 seconds, pirates generally wore three or more tied around their necks. When all of the pistols had been discharged, the pirate then took up the cutlass.
Grenades
There have been more grenades recovered from the Whydah site than from any other 18th-century shipwreck with the exception of the wreck of a British troopship located in Canadian waters.
Kenneth Garrett National Geographic
Hand grenades Hand grenades were usually constructed from glass bottles, clay pots, iron or wood. These containers were then filled with black powder that had been mixed with scraps of iron or broken glass, sealed and a fuse was inserted. The explosion would often shock and stun the victim while the shrapnel would result in bodily damage. Some grenades were filled with tar and lit with rags to create a smoke screen.
The Cutlass The cutlass was perhaps the most used and favorite close ranged weapon used by pirates. It weighed about three pounds and was about two feet long. During boarding, a pirate did not lose precious time having to reload a flintlock; the next attack was just an arm-swing away. This was also useful in breaking through doors and cutting rigging and sails.
Boarding Ax The boarding axe was not generally considered a typical pirate weapon, though if wielded as such it would certainly do great bodily damage. This tool had a two or three foot long handle and the head had a blunt hammer side and a sharp blade. It was typically used to smash through closed doors and hatches, cut down rigging and destroy masts.
~~ Pirate Treasure ~~
