hitman

I have been wonderin why this thread hasn't recieved more attention seems a good topic but then who knows. I saw this story last night and new it must belong here so here goes Way back when the first American congress passed and old George Washington himself signed into law the Alien Tort Reform Act. This act was created so that if a pirate had American backers one could seek damages from those backers in American courts. Today however several human rights orginazations are using it to force an end to U.S. company's human rights abuses over seas. The case getting the most attention envolves unocal. During the cunstruction of its pipeline through Burma the Burmesse army (known for its human rights abuses world wide) was tasked to provide security for the pipe line. They also provided forced labour and unocal provided them with a handy place to rape murder and other wise run amock. The sins commit along this pipe line's route are as notorious as any from recent histoty and thanks to our fore fathers unocal is going to pay for its decison to dance with the devil. As a conservitave I'm a little concerened by the ramifications of this as far as future lawsuits however if it sticks a cutlass up the a** of the Burmesse then for now I am all for it. Looks like one more legacy for the pirates of old...... Human Rights? As a quick ? why is it our own beloved bleeding heart Angus MacVox let me beat him too this one.

A tankyard for you on this fine day me lass. Happy birthday

1000th member man the shares of this voyage are gonna be small unless we do somethin big whats say we sack Paris then Rome. Might have enough too pay for me rum oh well devil take tommorrow I'll buy this round!!!! To the 1014 blokes be for me may the next 1000 be equally fine shipmates!

Many apologize longarm didn't see this till the day after, But happy birthday to ya mate. Here have a little of these corn squezzins it'll make what my bulldogs did to the game cocks seem much less offencive.

I have always loved history. Especially the history of machines. Everything from galleys to the Ronald Regan to the Wright flyer to the F-22. No one but no one used there tools like pirates. Who cant imagine the canvas sails streched taunt or the cannons roar. Guess these dillusians have a major pull on my unstable mind.

DROOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLL So thats how Britannia ruled the waves lol

Great now on top of a LeMat I want a paddle butt match lock and a pair of wheel lock pistols. I repeat any body know of bank that'll make a loan for some guns!!!!!!!!!

Agreed me should a been more specific, but if you dont mind me saying the Trireme( thank you) was used in piracy as well as many other forms of galleys. Not only in the golden years of fighting sail but before them as well. The trick to them was to approach your opponets in a dead calm and storm them. Escape was always handy as you could row at high speed directly into the wind defeating the power source of the purseor. This slight discretion aside I take your point and that of Hawkins quite seriously the use of smaller vessels by pirates for all the reasons stated is not only the way it was, but the best approach. As to my listing of the larger vessels it was as I stated before a long love of the big girls on my part that got them there but also a curiosity if the choice was up to you would you take one as your ship.

Hmm Sounds vaguley like what happened here after the abolition of slavery. Share croppers (tenemant farmers) prison farms and the like were the immediante cost of slavery's end well worth it if you ask me and thats comenin from the great grand son of a share cropper Who was in turn the son of a dirt pusher (non slave owning farmer) who fought with the gray.

Yeah Misery thats one of the proplems here THERE IS JUST TOO MUCH GOOD STUFF"

Well Deacon in the second link there is the note that "The standard official caliber of the CSN was .44 for revolvers----not navy caliber of .36 as used by the north." Although they did not show a pic I think what they are trying to say is that for colt imitations made in the south for the csn the caliber was .44. As to .39 that was a typo on my part and I have corrected it. Do you think I missunderstood this note?

Hmmm most of the refrences (mainly my high school history books) never give any indication as to much freedom for women but then we do have the proplem of politics writeing history here. On a simmilliar note what of slaves aboard ship. Large numbers of ships crew were black in fact whaleing was the first occupation here where a black man could accell, and foxe out of curiosity how does slavery in England and or Europe relate to slavery in America. Are they similliar in more than just thier horendous being or do they differ greatly.

Couple a points here some just for fun others for the sheer joy ofit. 1 Crow none of the ships (Top sail schooner included) could out run either the moonrakers (who unless some of the raceing rigs have beaten it in the last two years still holds the record for longest distance sailed in a day) or the galley. One praticular form of galley (correct me if I get its name wrong) the trimrine???? held the speed record for any ship in the med until the arrival of the fast steam engine. 2 Hey imagine this take a wind jammer and add half a dozen 100 pounder armstrong breech loaders per side then go and ransack Paris! 3 Hey I really appreciate the posts all

Aye I did list the big lasses didn't I couldn't help it . I have to admit I listed em because I love that giant spread a canvas. I am a little suprised to see a lack of love for the galley it could out run any of the other ships and distance itself even further by rowing into the wind. Course one good broadside and you're left with tooth picks. FYI I picked the wind jammer the last of the great tall ships and set up so you could drive round the horn with a class 4 gale at your back ( I wouldn't wanna do it though). Hate to admit it but I must conceede defeat for a pirate vessel she's just too big but then at 255 I'm no light weight me self.

Yeah it is becoming a real challenge because the options are pretty wide open. I'm thinking (with his eye towards his budget) I'll go with the legendary arms cutlass but I'll propably ditch the cabelas revolver as it was not origianally .44 caliber but .36. Ofcourse I could always claim the ten foot rule. As to officer or seaman I think I'll split the diffrence and go with a mate all though the truth is I'm a little young for that. Hey incase I haven't said it or even if I have thanks one and all for the help. Quick edit Well a look at the link you provided has been quite helpful decaon apparently the standared caliber for the confederate navy was actually .44 diffrent than the union specs apparently the cabelas catolog didn't note the reason for thier change of caliber and my mistake was thus made. Unfortunatly the link also convinced me I need a LeMat. (anybody know of a bank that ill loan money for a gun )

couple of quick suggestions one from the way back files, The first the Horatio Hornblower seris the second the aforementioned Audbrey Martin series. ( Yes I know there both Kings men but really anyone that loves a prize as much as Lucky Jack had to have been a pirate at heart and besides he was a privateer for a time.)

My curiosity is runnin wild Whats you're favorite if other please post.

A valid point Longarm but I belive you're missing something here. Lets take the golden age of piracy as an example. One of the primary threats made to the Spanish was indeed the threat of piracy as it was almost completly reliant on its colonies for its wealth so every effort must be made to protect it, yet the combined fleets of the English and Dutch provided them with another need much closer to home. If their main fleet was lost then the defence of the galleons was a mute point. Now this reguired the presence of a standing fleet capable of engagment with the British and Dutch fleets thus limiting (as ships be expensive mate) the number of vessels to protect the treasure galleons. This lessening of protection gave the celebrated pirates of old the breathing space they needed to ultimatly carry out their adventures. As oppossed to this we have (ok ok I say it alot but check the avatar) the ultimate failure of the confederate commerce raider. With no real ocean going fleet to divide the north's intrest the raiders were left with damn little room to manuver. Even the mighty Alabama was forced to hunt in the less densely patrolled waters of the Indian ocean. Although she was indeed successful there as she was almost everywhere she fought its effect on the union was very limited. I think although a great force multiplyer piracy was not that effective when there was no force to multiply. Agian I could be 180 out here but thats my two pence (as oppossed to my post under the legacy of pirates thats about two dollars worth) quick edit Notice how fast the U-Boat menace disappeared after the entry of Americas overwhelming numbers in WWII.

I think the legacy of pirates must be considered quite truthfuly varied. In this post I'm primarilly relying on the assements of Mahon as I consider his to be the best refrence book to have in the sucess and failure of naval tactics. (apparently Theodoore Rosevelt and Kieser Wilheilm agreed with me on this) The raids of the privateers in the golden age of piracy must be considered a major sucess in both the hot and cold wars waged agianst spain. However there are several other examples of piracy being a flop as a tatic of war. ( note the avatar)Mahons assement was that to be successful privateers need a main fleet in thier host country, it need not equal the strength of its opponets but merely be considered a viable threat. During the golden age of piracy the British were allied with the Dutch this alliance gave them a combined fleet that although in no way an outright match for the Spanish did provide enough of a threat to force the Spanish to divide there intrest between the protection of trade and preparedness for a main fleet engagement. As oppossed to this let us take the impact of my own beloved brethren the confederate commerce raider. With no real fleet the impact of ships like the C.S.S. Alabama was of little or no use to the Confederacy as the Union had plenty of ships to defend agianst them. Now this might seem odd given the success of the Alabama but it must be rembered she is now on the bottom of the ocean off the coast of France. (damned waterlogged ammo) Now where does this leave us in regards to the legacy and or effect of piracy...... Well we can obviously state that its long term effect was to bring peace beyond the line. Yet it was not always the success it could have been Today Brittania no longer rules the waves (Let me quess Foxe "Damned rebelous colonies" ) Would this be the case it if it wasn't for the U.S. Navy? Would the U.S. Navy be here if piracy was the most successful method of sea borne warfare? In the end the historical legacy of the pirate is more than just fodder for countless boy's own adventure sagas nor just an incredible period of witch to rember and debate it is an endelible mark on the history of sea power witch until the advent of the moderen Air Force was the most influential form of might to bless/curse the earth. Whever we read about the wars and battles fought by land or sea the pirate has left his jagged mark period.

found this bit of info The sea chest was the only piece of furniture an ordinary seaman needed in the tight quarters aboard ship. It served as clothes press, couch, card table and writing desk, and was often made to order by cabinetmakers in seacoast towns. Rarely were chests constructed by ship's carpenters at sea. Since the top of a sea chest lid received constant hard use, it was not decorated with painted scenes or carvings, though the underside of the lid sometimes was. Under-lid decorations, usually depictions of ships, were usually done by the chest's owner and were often crudely executed. Sea chests with carved or painted lid tops are not necessarily fakes, however. Retired sailors sometimes had their sea chests decorated by skilled artisans ashore and even added landlubber embellishments like bracket feet. And ship's masters or officers commissioned sea chests in Oriental ports to be made with exotic woods and high-quality under-lid paintings. Here, as with any antique, age is best determined by recognizing that elusive quality known as patina. Sea chests lived in a much more hostile environment than shore-side furniture, but their painted exteriors and bare wood interiors age much the same way. Plain as they often were, sea chests were cherished by their owners and should not necessarily look like they were carelessly knocked about.) at http://www.coastalantiques.com/archives/ma...01/ANTahoy.html Agian seems to point to a flat top still looking though. In Treasure Chests: The Legacy of Extraordinary Boxes by Lon Schleining ( hey mom comes through agian) There is a refrence to the dome shaped box being only a romantic ideal????

This is a link to a pic of a reproduction 18th cent. sea chest, http://www.tuckahoetradingco.com/gallery.html It appears to have a flat lid as one would expect I would presume that pirates used simmiliar chest and that the traditional depection is just a fictional tradition but I will keep looking (mom has a lot of antique furniture books)

There were indeed many women aboard english warships the exact numbers will of course never be known due too the fact there presece was rarely recorded. At one point there was a bill in the English parliment to award a medal to the women who had been at the battle of the nile. It was not passed on the basis that virtualy any women could apply for it and what proof could they (the English govt.) offer other wise. Of corse many have speculated that that the real reason was the public would then know how many women were actually aboard Englands wall of wood. Now as to other occupations as you posted foxe (and I do not really wish to start a fued about this as we are comparing two diffrent countries with simmilar but notably diffrent (hows that for an oxymoron) cultures) Housekeepers were until its abolition usually slaves. (agian for reference this is America I'm useing not England) After slavery the people who filled these positions might as well have been slaves for if they left without a refrence then they would certianly be left with few options, as too dairy workers and farm hands these options were open to women as long as the woman in question was a familly member (wife daughter etc.). When it comes to shop and ale house keepers women did in fact do the work entailed for the position but the title and associated money was given to a man in most cases.( in the case of shop keeper especially this was true as often the woman was wife or daughter to the owner. I fully concur and stand corrected on weaver,seamstress,and spinner. Now as to refrences on these I am not a librain and despite (or because of) the amount and varity of the topics I read I cannot sight chapter and verse any specific works but in my own defence I must say that where I live is a living lesson in history. Here in Americas deep south times change not opinions. It would not be too incorrect to say these were the choices given my grandmother. Even today a woman with an mind set that falls out of the norm is frowned upon. I'd also like to say that given the labor involved with these jobs its not hard too see how some women felt the urge to choose a diffrent path. I also would like to agree with you that as a blanket statement the choice of whore or pirate is indeed absolutly false. However as a statement to how women of the time must have felt (and this is how I ment my previous post) I feel it does carry some merrit. To be truthful I belive that the situation was not as dyer as it has been portrayed nor can we say that the treatment of it too date has been totally inaccurete. (Is it just me or is it really stupid that me and foxe are the ones haveing this debate. )

A friend of mine who has been into reloading and bp for several decades longer than I have been alive (hey when youre 24 lots of pepole can say that) has a shed about 300 yards away from his house where he stores his powder even though he does his reloading in the garge. Now this is for those who are beyond serious longarm. I do however reccomend you keep any form of ammo wether its bp or the modern ammo locked up somewhere out of the way. By this I mean that closet in the back room that no one uses more than ounce a year. The reason for this is... well curiosity killed the cat. I don't know if kids are an issue in you're home but even adults that don't know about something can and will get themselves killed playing with it. and belive me the average middle age male (or us younger males) love to play with toys that are dangerous. I haven't done any reenacting with live fire so I havent ordered any bp. I dont think it would be shiped much diffrent than my hogden powder is though. I store it in its original jar locked inside whats called a security cabniet. (those meteal gun cabniets you see at wal mart for a hundred bucks) Since I dont store it indoors I use a product called the golden rod ( a dehumidiffer) to keep the moisture out. ....Looking back at this post I have to question wether or not storing bp in doors is a good idea at all. I do keep my cartridge type ammo indoors. Hawkyns whats your take on this.

Thankee capnwilliam. Now If Icould just get some stars into those bars I'd at least have something completed.