To be concise, pirates were in the TAKING business, not the fighting business.
Pirates didnt usually sail the biggest ships, of have the largest most numerous cannons.
But pirate ships had huge numbers of pirates on them.
And, as we saw in the very firstBlack Sailsepisode, large numbers of pirates are pretty scary.
This was made easier by the fact that merchant ships ran with the smallest crews possible.
This tactic was used by the pirate prince Sam Bellamy in his first piratical action.
A group of pirate ships had chased a French merchant ship into a cove before the wind died.
None of the ships could move without wind.
Then Bellamy showed up with his followers.
The agreement was that Bellamys canoes would tow the largest pirate ship into shooting distance of the French merchant.
We should note here that the pirates werent afraid to fight.
They just wanted to keep fighting to a minimum.
And that was how the descended onto the French ship.
If the target could not be persuaded to surrender, the pirates would open fire.
Pirate crews had a lot more practice than merchant crews.
The pirates did not want to sink ships.
You cant steal from a ship thats at the bottom of the ocean.
To this end, anything could be used.
Pistol shot bound into bunches, pieces of chain, even rocks and chunks of broken glass.
The pirate captain would probably still not fight broadside-to-broadside.
The rear of the ship was especially vulnerable.
Pirates also fought unconventionally.
They also fought from positions of extreme disadvantage.
A grounded ship could still fight if she could bring her guns to bear.
Indeed, a deck tilted away from an opposing force offered superior cover for pirates to fight from.
A grounded ship could also be freed.
Or the captain might lighten the ship.
The most common way to do this was to pump most of the ships water over the side.
A ship would likely be carrying several tons of water, and this could make a huge difference.
Historically, ships also shook themselves free of obstructions by simple action of their guns.
The kick of a broadside could virtually lift a ship into the air.
It was used by navies for exactly this purpose on several occasions.
So what should Flints fight against the cannons of the Nassau fort look like?
Flint sails in, runs aground on the wrecked ship.
The fort opens fire, but cant hit their target.
The forts gun crews reload.
Meanwhile, on the pirate ship, Flint shouts orders.
The carpenter reports water coming in.
Flint commands him to shore up the hole.
As the ship begins to tilt, Flint orders the guns moved to set her right.
The crew races to obey.
This time one of the forts guns had the right range, but they are shooting too far south.
Flint sends men out in the longboat to tow his ship off the wrecks.
But now the deck is closer to level, and Flints gun crews are firing back.
This has the makings of a real nail-biting scene.
This is TV, after all.
TS Rhodes is the author ofThe Pirate Empireseries.
She blogs about pirates atthepirateempire.blogspot.com
