Out-works?

[Mission]

This is an excerpt from Exquemelins The Buccaneers of America, describing the creation of a fire-ship by Morgan. What the heck are "out-works"? Cabins built on the main deck?

"...they cut down many out-works of the ship, that the powder might exert its strength the better..." (Exquemelin, p. 120)

[William Brand]

I've always understood 'outworks' as any significant structure used for protection, safety or defense, such as bulwarks, taffrails, and any number of solid wall enclosures used for protection on the weather decks, but I'd love to know if I'm anywhere near the mark on this.

[Mission]

Gah, I don't know why it didn't occur to me to remove the dash. (Nor do I know why it didn't occur to Google search...)

Wiki defines an 'outwork' as "a minor defense, fortification, built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached."

Based on that I would say you got it right.

[William Brand]

Actually, I think I'm less right, because you see such "minor defenses, fortifications, built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached" on drawings of warships sometimes. If you've ever seen a warship with its weather decks covered in what looks like walkways and extra walls, but built above the working deck, I think those are what they mean. I've seen what they're talking about, but I can't find a picture at the moment.