Pirates sailed several kinds of ships that were popular in the eighteenth century. The crews required that their ships be fast, well armed, and agile. Pirates prized speed and power so they could easily overrun cargo-heavy merchant ships. Agility and firepower also aided pirates in evading and defending themselves against the roving fleets of the British Royal Navy, whose light, fast ships were crewed with heavily armed, trained fighters.

Outlaw pirates had no shipyards to provide them with crafts customized to their needs. Instead they plied their trade in a series of stolen merchant ships, which they altered to serve their purposes.

Pirates and Their Ships

When a pirate band first formed, the beginnings could be quite modest. Twenty or thirty men might buy a canoe, board the first fishing boat they came across, kill the fishermen or put them...