Dirigoboy

I'm reading The Pirates Pact by Douglas R. Burgess. Utilizing undiscovered archives in England, the Carolinas, Rhode Island, Jamaica, and elsewhere, Burgess reports out on the GAOP from 1660-1725, opening the door on the role of the American colonies and the British Crown on piracy and privateering and how they financially benefitted from unregulated black-market profits. I've just started it, and I have found it totally riveting. A great teaching tool.

I had generally been under the impression that the rifled musket was more a 19th century component, and was surprised to find that the Thomas Dotson Doglock musket was being produced in the mid-17th century http://www.nramuseum.com/the-museum/the-galleries/old-guns-in-a-new-world/case-7-the-snaphaunce,-the-doglock-the-miquelet/thomas-matson-doglock-musket.aspx As to range and accuracy of ships cannon, others may speak effectively on it, but I found this lengthy piece on the Portuguese galleon Santissimo Sacramento, lost off Brazil in May of 1668 to be very informative and quite in-depth as to the ships cannon recovered, and the manufacture, which, I feel, would dovetail nicely in to the question of gunnery. http://www.angelfire.com/ga4/guilmartin.com/Santissimo.html

If you've never experienced the remote beauty of Eastport and the Northeast coast along the Maritimes, then make your way to it's 7th annual pirate festival this September 7-9. This event continues to grow and evolve each year and the town really gets behind it. Adding to it this year will be the HMS Bounty. http://eastportpiratefestival.com

I'm reading George Choundas's book "The Pirate Primer," (2007) and have found it quite interesting. All sorts of good stuff in there. Among the things he covers, are: Oaths, Epithets, and Curses----curse meaning a curse being placed upon someone or thing. Curses include: be damned to you with all my heart be off to hell blast you blast your deadlights blast your eyes blind you bloody end to you bone-rot you burn and blast your bones a curse on you a curse out of Egypt on you damn you to the depths devil burn you eat that what falls from my tail go to the devil when you please God rot your bones gut you for a .......... hang you here's a black passage to you may every curse ever cursed light on and blast you od rot the ____of you od rot your bones plague and perish you a plague on your scurvy head

Located in Waterville, Maine, you could always peruse the wares of Ed Welch's Antique Vintage Eyeglasses. He carries original 18th century specs. You could email him with your wants here; information@eyeglasseswarehouse.com

Egad. I'm not sure if this means I can play marbles with this group or not. Tip of the tricorn to any who found it of use at any road. As an aside, like an ass, I failed to write down local lore by a ships catamaran captain while I was upon his vessel, when I was in Bloody Bay, Negril, Jamaica this past December. If I can get myself back to the area in the next year or so, a main focus will be Port Royal.

This 2011 segment had probably been discussed before, yet doing a search I hadn't found it, so I thought I'd set it down here if anyone were interested. This morning over breakfast, I happened to catch the NatGeo, Warrior Graveyard segment, "Navy of the Damned." Had anyone else seen it? Granted, it reported out on the British Navy during the 18th/19th century, but it was very well done, and I think that many of the daily struggles of the British Naval sailor transferred to that of the pirates as well. If you'd not seen it, and find yourself interested, I'm hoping this link works; www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKHczkvtDwY

My keyboard......

Aye, stay clear...... Definitions of a siren: 1. a woman-like creature who caused the wreck of ships and death of men by the use of their sweet singing and instrumental playing 2. a dangerous beautiful woman 3. Greek root meaning to bind or attach 4. something which makes a loud warning sound often found on police cars, ambulances and fire trucks The sirens were the daughters of the sea god Phorcys or Achelous, the river god, and Malpomene, the muse of tragedy. They are most commonly referred to as the daughters of Achelous and Malpomene. There are many conflicts as to their number, their names, their appearance and the origin of that appearance. The most common names for the sirens are: [bibliography 4] o Aglaophonos: one of brilliant voice o Thelxepeia: one who uses words to enchant o Peisino‘: the persuasive one o Molpe: one with song The most well known story of how the daughters of Achelous became sirens is that they were playmates with Persephone and when they refused to help search for her when she was abducted, they were turned into birds. Another story claims that Aphrodite turned them into birds because they wanted to remain virgins. [bibliography 7] Another version of the story states that the daughters were present when Persephone was ravished by Hades and bid Zeus for wings to pursue Hades. A final story claims the opposite of all the others so far in one aspect, the sirens lose their wings and do not gain them for some reason. This final story states that the sirens lost their wings when the Muses pulled them out because they had been challenged. The Muses banished the sirens, who because of this humiliation, left for the islands near the coast of Southern Italy. They occupied many islands, some of these being: o Cape Peloris o Capri o Siren Isles o isle of Anthemusa No matter what the story, the most represented view of the sirens is as a bird with a woman's head. The sirens devoured sailors that happened to pass their islands and succumbed to their songs, however the Argonauts passed safely by as Orpheus outsang the sirens causing the sirens to throw themselves into the sea to die. The body of one of the sirens was washed back onto shore where many, many years later the city of Naples arose. [bibliography 5] The sirens, who lived in a flowery meadow on an island off the coast of Sicily, waited for ships to pass, were irresistible and lured men to their deaths. When a ship would pass, the sirens would sing and play music to attract the men. [bibliography 6]These men who listened to their songs could never leave and would therefore just die on the banks of the island. Only two ships have passed the sirens without falling victim to their singing, the ships of the Argonauts and Odysseus. Orpheus sang very loudly, overpowering the sirens in order to distract the crew so they would not listen to the sirens. One man jumped overboard, but Aphrodite brought him back to the ship and saved him from the fate of the sirens temptations, death. [bibliography 7] In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus is warned by Circe that he will pass the sirens island. She tells him to plug his men's ears with wax so they can not hear the sirens songs and to have them tie him tightly to the mast so he may listen if he wants to experience their seduction. The picture of the sirens attempting to seduce Odysseus and his crew from Women in Classical Mythology at Princeton University is a clear representation of this scene. Odysseus would have fallen in the sirens trap but for being tightly bound to the mast of the ship. Odysseus therefore chose to experience the sirens temptations and would have succumbed to the sirens but for his foresight to have his men bound him to the mast of the ship. The picture from the Geocities Athen Forum is another representation of this scene of Odysseus resisting the sirens temptations. Since he did not die, the sirens must since it was well known that a "Siren dies if a man successfully resists her charms." The sirens are often depicted as plunging head first into Odysseus' ship or the ocean after he has successfully resisted their temptations. The picture to the right depicts one of the sirens plunging head first into the ship because Odysseus has resisted her seduction. [bibliography 6] Odysseus, strapped to the mast as he passes the Sirens. Source: Geocities Picture Index The sirens voice was not the only cause of temptation for men. Their choice of words was the main temptation since they sung of how the men would be seen in the future after they died. In the Odyssey the sirens sing of the honor and glory that the men will be remembered as heroes of the Trojan War. The subject of these songs is therefore the dream of Greeks during this time; unceasing honor and glory. The sirens basically immortalize the men they are trying the seduce, but in reality they are trying to kill the men. The reasons as to why they are trying to kill men have been argued again and again. Many believe that the sirens consume the dead bodies, while others believe that the attraction or power they held over men was the only reason for luring men to their death. The sirens also lied to the men when they sang since they claimed that the men will leave wiser for having listened to their song. The song that the sirens sang to Odysseus tells Odysseus he will be wiser when he leaves, but all know this is a lie since he would die there if he succumbed. [bibliography 6] Odysseus being tempted by the sirens Source: Geocities Athens Forum Return to link for Geocities Athen Forum picture "Come closer, famous Odysseus - Achaea'spride and glory-moor your ship on our coast so you can hear our song! Never has any sailor passed our shores in his black craft until he has heard the honeyed voices pouring from our lips, and once he hears to his heart's content sails on, a wiser man. We know all the pains that Achaeans and Trojans once endured on the spreading plain of Troy when the gods willed it so - all that comes to pass on the fertile earth, we know it all!" [bibliography 3] As can be seen by the pile of body remains around the sirens islands that is depicted in every story, the sirens are associated with death and are therefore often found on grave markers or on objects found in graves. The three handled hydria was found in a grave in Kerameikos and strengthens the belief that sirens were associated closely with death. The Egyptian soul ba is very similar to the sirens in the sense that ba was a bird-headed woman which left the body of a dead person. [bibliography 6] The Orientals also have a soul-bird or ghost that stole into the living to share with it its fate of death. [bibliography 1] The sirens are also found on mirror stands for women to remind them that their beauty and powers of irresistibility are of voice and words as well as appearance. http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/imageswomen/...iren.html#link1

At least as far East as you can go in America. Rich in historical pirate and privateer activity, this small, easternmost town in the U.S. is putting on it's 3rd annual Pirate Festival to be held Sept. 5, 6, & 7, 2008. Granted, I'm a little biased.......ok, alot biased. I went to boat school here years ago and it is one of the most ruggedly beautiful, yet isolated areas I've ever seen. So much to see here in terms of coastline, and the trip north is well worth it with tons of maritime history along our rugged coast. Nearby are Quoddy Head, and it's wonderful walk around the tip where whales, and other sea mamals are often spotted. Also, Campobello Island, summer home to FDR is a short trip over the bridge from Lubec. Then there's the Old Sow, one of the largest natural whirlpools: http://www.eastportme.info/oldsow.html The festival. Granted, it's not much but it's growing. http://www.boatschoolhusson.net/pirate_festival.php Local history. http://www.maine.rr.com/07/portmag/pirates/default.asp The Insurgent Gopher metal detector website The story of the two pirates, Samuel Ballamy and Paulsgrave Williams (circa 1715-1717), has been written before but my version comes from a book dating to before 1900 and contains information which I have not found in any other publication. It was not at the mouth of the Machias River where the two pirates had their stronghold but further up the river. They did dig a subterranean treasure house but it was not inside the fort. There is little doubt but that the vault holds a large hoard of what we call treasure today. The story of Bellamy and Williams started out as what could have been just another instance of illegal salvaging in the West Indies. After several years of wrecking ships from the shore, the two men decided to try it at sea by becoming pirates. Now, for piracy, they needed a ship, which they did not have. But the problem was shortly solved with the appearance of the British merchant vessel Whidah near their headquarters. The Whidah -- her holds bulging with precious metals, ivory and gems -- took shelter in a small West Indian cove. Here the British proceeded to replenish their water supply before starting the long voyage to England. A few hours later the land bound pirates were rowing towards the unsuspecting ship. In a matter of minutes every member of the crew was dead. Bellamy and Williams, immediately commissioned the Whidah as a pirate ship and headed north. After looting a number of ships along the way, the pirates arrived at a destination selected by Captain Bellamy, the only navigator on board. The spot was near the mouth of a river (Machias River) far from any civilized community at that time. It was here that the two leaders put into action a plan they had had for some time. They reasoned that the cargo their ship carried should be hidden before they sailed again. They decided to build a permanent headquarters, which took the form of a large log fort with defensive fences and earthenworks. Close by, a large vault was excavated to serve as a treasure house. Here the spoils of their pirating were hidden. When all this was done and the Whidah had been overhauled, Bellamy and Williams set sail again. For several months their pirating was the by-word from New England to the Carolinas. After several forays the treasure house was filled. So extensive was the wealth that Bellamy and Williams decided they could afford to quit pirating. However, the temptation to make one more trip was too much, and on the last trip out near-disaster occurred in the vicinity of Fortune Bay. The pirates spotted a wealthy looking vessel, which, turned out to be a French Corvette with 36 guns. In the battle that followed, most of the crew of Bellamy and Williams was killed, although the battered Whidah did manage to elude the French vessel and sailed out on one last trip. Near Nantucket Shoals, Mass., the pirates captured the Mary Jane, an outbound whaler from New Bedford. it carried nothing of value. Bellamy appointed the Mary Jane's captain to lead the Whidah through the unfamiliar shoals until the tip of Cape Cod was passed, then Bellamy himself would navigate. The captain of the Mary Jane, threading his way through the reefs, led the Whidah aground and the pirate vessel was torn apart. All the men on board both vessels were drowned except the captain of the Mary Jane, who finally made it to shore. Seven pirates who were following the two vessels in a small sloop also reached the shore, but they were swiftly captured and hanged by the angry townspeople of Eastham, Mass. The pirates headquarters, near the mouth of the Machias River, has just about disappeared. But somewhere nearby is hidden one of the richest pirate caches in North America and it has never been reported found ... _________ The Story of Two Pirates The state of Maine, when you stop to consider its treasure hunting possibilities, is a natural for metal detector users. Its remoteness, coupled with a more than ample Atlantic coastline full of inlets, islands and other great out-of-sight hiding places, was a natural attraction for pirates of that day. Such is the tale of two pirates who became partners in crime and put away a fortune in stolen goods. Samual Bellamy and Paulsgrave Williams operated around 1716 through 1717, making their headquarters on the upper reaches of the Machias River. Here it is rumored that they dug a large subterranean vault into which they emptied a vast accumulation of treasure taken both from land operations and the sea, aboard ships. The two pirates started as simply illegal ship salvages in the West Indies. Their mode of operation called for the wrecking of passing ships (probably through the use of on-shore canons as well as other means) to get a passing ship grounded so that they could come aboard and take anything of value illegally. They soon came to view the salvage business the way there were conducting it as being ‘penny ante’ and soon began to look about for a ship that could carry them onto the high seas where shipboard treasure might be more valuable and less risky. Anchored in the Machias River, not farm from the Bellamy and Williams headquarters, was a British merchant ship, the Widah. Loaded to the gills with precious metals, the Widah needed supplying with water and other necessities before the long return trip to England. The two pirates, accompanied by a hastily assembled crew, rowed out to the English ship, shot and killed the entire crew, took command of the Whidah. They were now ready to sail off in pursuit of a better class of treasure. The Bellamy and Williams plan called for raiding and pirating locally along the Maine coast, but to always return with heavy accumulations of valuables, to they themselves could not be the victims of other pirates. By putting away their illegal gains, they were assured the safety of their own wealth. After looting several ships and putting together a respectable amount of treasure, the pair decided to put their plan of action into high gear. They returned to the mouth of the Machias River and prepared to build a large log fort, which would not only give them privacy, but also security against those who might come after them. The building of the log fort called for earthworks and fences also of logs to keep those who might try to assault the fortress a good distance away. In their minds, a secure defensible fort had to keep the enemy at bay. Also in the plan was of course inclusion of a large excavated vault in which to keep the seized treasures. After the large treasure vault was complete, they transferred a good deal of treasure from the Whidah to its new resting place, secure within the confines of their newly constructed fort. With a refurbished Widah and Captain Bellamy at the helm, the ship and its unsavory crew set sail along the coast ranging from New England to the Carolinas in their efforts to build up a large quantity of looted treasure. During the several months of pirating along the eastern seaboard of Colonial American, they had been so successful that for a brief time, they mutually concluded it was time to stop their pirate activities and just settle down to enjoy the fruits of their labor. They were ready to retire. But first one last trip for one last haul of treasure and they’d call it quits. It was to be their undoing. Near a place called Fortune Bay, they spotted a very good-looking prospect for an easy treasure haul. Finally within range of the ship they hoped to loot, they learned that they had picked on a French war ship (a Corvette) sporting 36 menacing canons. The ship was meant for fighting and fighting it did. Many of the Widah’s crew members were killed in the battle that ensued, but the Widah did manage to elude the French war ship and make it back to the pirate headquarters at the mouth of the Machias River. Following extensive repairs and the hiring of replacement crew members, the Widah again set sail for one last trip and one last haul. Near Nantucket Shoals off Massachusetts, the pirates seized a whaling ship called the Mary Jane. It was outbound for the high seas and carried nothing of particular value to the pirates, but being unfamiliar with the waters around Nantucket, Captain Bellamy forced the captain of the Mary Jane to lead the Widah through the dangerous waters ahead. Both vessels were soon caught up on some sharp reefs, sinking both ships. Most everyone from both ships drowned. Only a small contingent of pirates who were trailing the Widah in a small sloop managed to make it safely ashore, only to be caught and hanged by angry residents of the town of Eastham, Mass. Although the pirate headquarters at the mouth of the Machias River is well overgrown with brush, it still could be the site of a vast accumulation of pirated wealth, buried somewhere within the secret recesses of the old fort. 2 The Fishermen’s Soccer Game Treasure Occasionally a lost or misplaced treasure will appear and disappear just as suddenly as it came. Such as the experience of several Maine coast fishermen who in 1900, found and lost a treasure on the same day. Off the Maine shores about half way up and down the state’s coast, some hard-working fishermen stopped one day to relax a bit on Manana Island. They were between trips to differing fishing grounds and had some time to relax, while replenishing their ship’s supplies. One of the fishermen broke out his soccer ball and invited the remaining crew members to join him in a wild game of beachfront soccer. As the game wore on, one of the soccer players made a wild, uncoordinated kick at the ball to retrieve it. As the captain bent over to pick up the ball, he noticed some rusty metal sticking up from the sand. He dug the sand from around the metal object and was astounded to find an iron pot loaded with coins. Thinking he might be able to return later, he managed to pick up the pot and lodge it in a nearby rock crevice. Due to the clamor of the crew to finish their soccer game, he hastily returned to the field of play. Later when the crew returned to the ship, the captain managed to stay behind to relocate the crevice where he had hidden the heavily loaded coin pot. Finally deciding it was better to share the contents of the lost pot with the crew members, he called them back to help him look for the pot stuck in the crevice. The entire crew spent several hours looking for the Captains lost pot, but nothing ever turned up in any of the rock crevices they searched. Somewhere on Manana Island off the Maine coast, there may still be a good treasure-laden iron pot, stuffed into a rock crevice by the soccer-playing captain. 3 St. John’s Island Treasure Not far off Portland, Maine in Casco Bay lies St. John’s Island. Here it is reported that many fishermen hung out between trips to sea. One of their more favored spots was a tavern located on the north end of the island. A Portuguese fisherman who seemed never to have to go to sea, but always had plenty of gold and silver coins for spending money, also liked drinking at the large frame tavern. His drinking at the tavern continued for years as his seemingly limitless fortune continued to pay for time spent carousing. Later, as he lay dying in a foreign land, he produced a map of St. John’s Island and told a friend that his wealth came from a well located near his favorite drinking tavern. The coins at the bottom of the well had been part of a pirate treasure put there by a pirate named Dixie Bull. Author’s note: I have 20 pages of treasure information on Maine that I can copy for $7.50. (I will pay the postage). Send a check or money order to: Tom Vance, PO Box 14280, Tulsa, OK 74104. Sources: Phillips, Charles, Heritage of the West, Crescent Books, New York, 1992. MP Henson, Research Data, 1990. Von Nueller, Karl, Treasure Hunters Manual, 7th Edition, The Gold Bug Publishing Company, 1966. **Machias is just below Eastport :) Anway......lots of natural wonders to see in Eastport. It's where the sun first touches the U.S. Magnificent sunsets, mysterious sea fog, and a place worth beaching your hull. B&B's, cabins, and the few local motels can fill up early, so if you're hoisting sail to make it, reserve early.

I was perusing an 18th century Royal Navy/Marine site this afternoon and happened upon a gent who goes by the name Michael the Tailor. I have no idea of the quality of his work, perhaps someone here knows of him and can render an opinion. He does provide raw diagrams of his goods and he does custom work as well. Perhaps he could construct your jacket for you. Prices seem reasonable. You can give it a look here: http://www.angelfire.com/va/sutler/sps.html

Gibbs jacket Photo of Gibbs http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1179228416/ch0001230 If you go to the Kevin R. McNally fan site and click on photos, it will bring up several pages of his film work. The bank of photos 51-75 & 76-100 include a couple of photos of him in jacket. One nifty little option is a zoom function. Click on any photo, then right click your mouse, and it activates a zoom function for close up viewing. You'll find it handy in random photos of him in his jacket in the cargo net. His photos can be found here: http://www.kevinmcnally.moonfruit.com/#/ph...otos/4514555115 This is a little larger photo of his jacket, though obscured. I would add that there are many good production photos that you can scroll through to the right in "Gallery view." http://movies.yahoo.com/summer-movies/Pira.../photos/79/2544 Official Disney POTC site for At World End. Click on the menu stone, then click on the Gallery. To view the photo selection just slide the bar. The fourth photo contains one of Gibbs in his jacket. Again, another somewhat obscured photo. To be truthful, I thought the design was pretty cool. http://movies.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite...tes.movies.com/ This site had a couple of nice photos of Gibb's jacket. Just click to enlarge. http://www.thehobbithole.co.uk/Pirates%20o...432_rgb_jpg.jpg http://www.thehobbithole.co.uk/Pirates%20o...898_rgb_jpg.jpg http://www.thehobbithole.co.uk/Pirates%20o...296_rgb_jpg.jpg Hope they prove useful mate.

With exceptions, wearing it on your hat is more a reenactorism I think. Short stems were a norm----a result of having them in a pocket. There was a fine maker of hand rolled clay pipes along the coast up on the Maritimes of Nova Scotia called Olde World Clay Pipes. I don't know if he's still in business, but his selection was phenomenal, and he was very knowledgeable. I'm including a dated article from him with contact information at the bottom of the page. I hope he's still in business and the article proves useful. http://computeme.tripod.com/claypipe.html

I won't disagree with what you're saying, but I think in the final analysis, what I am saying is that whether it's a pirate portrayed accurately or inaccurately by Johnny Depp, or Errol Flynn, the end product serves to whet the appetitite of the masses---and then it's up to us to dig deeper to garner our truths. Sadly, most people don't want or need that, they just like the "look." I have worked in film, both on a couple of large projects and on smaller projects such as Indy film or the History Channel, and it is always among the latter two where you will find the more authentic living historians (why is that?). From a distance however, it's going to take a practiced eye to discern the difference between the two entities, yet in the end even the larger project plays a role in enticement. We can punch holes in it, but John Q. Public would never spot the differences. Ultimately, the reasons lie within each of us to search and research. I'm looking forward to researching the material culture of this historical period further and I'll take a serious look at the resources mentioned above. Many thanks to those who put in the time to provide it, and to those who share that information with the rest of us.

Well yes, but then again, I didn't feel that I could render a decision on liver until I'd tried it. One thing I have learned in many years of living history is that all of the resources exist, but they often need to be excavated----and sometimes from unlikely sources. As well, sharing that information along the way is not only a courtesy, but critical to broadening the interest and growth of whatever historical period we're engaged in. I'm not necessarily advocating this website as a new catchall, it's simply being offered as a resource in which to glean from. To say that you're not likely to visit it is a personal choice, but in doing so you rather invalidate your opinion of it. Having just joined it, I'm still looking around, but I'm remaining open until I've examined it. I'm doing the same here. I am sorry to hear that the search function on this particular website is so under utilized. The ones I frequent on my other historical websites get quite a workout. I'll make it a point to push the button to take a tour of Mr. Hand's research as suggested. It sounds extensive. Thanks for the tip.

As I said, I'm still learning my way around the pirate fleet, but I did recently join a Yahoo group called potccostuming. They have some very knowledgeable people there who do make garments, plus some nice photo documentation of garments from POTC to look at and compare. They seem like a very experienced group and have some decent resources. You might check in and take a look.

After lurking for a week or two, this is my first foray into the pirate realm to post on these threads. I've decided to land here. I'm coming from a different historical period where authentically minded garment makers are more in abundance, and I can see that the struggle to find quality garment makers is more of a struggle for this time period. I think the battle will always exist to find those who make garments based on research which is constructed out of similar 18th century materials and hand stitched per originals. Demand drives availability. Quality and authenticity have always been driving forces for me. Yes, you pay more for it, but the "look", which I assume we're all after, is more of a tribute to the time period being recreated. I haven't fully looked around yet and am very unfamiliar still, but I think if I could field a question, it would be whether or not this site, or any site maintains a list of high quality manufacturers for the 18th century impressionist? If not, I think it would be beneficial, and I know I would frequent it. If it doesn't exist, could it? I think it would greatly enhance the time period and cut down significant time in looking for quality craftsmen.