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This article is about sea piracy; for other uses, see Piracy (disambiguation).

Piracy is robbery committed at sea, or sometimes the shore, by an agent without a commission from a sovereign nation. One who commits piracy by engaging in robbery, pillaging, or plundering at sea is known as a pirate.

Seaborne piracy against transport vessels remains a significant problem (with estimated worldwide losses of $13 to $16 billion USD per year), particularly in the waters between the Pacific and Indian oceans, and specifically in the straits of Malacca and Singapore, which are used by over 50,000 commercial ships a year. While boats off the coasts of South America and the Mediterranean Sea are still molested by pirates, the advent of the United States Coast Guard has nearly eradicated piracy in American waters and the Caribbean Sea.

Piracy in the Caribbean

Main article: Piracy in the Caribbean

The great or classic era of piracy in the Caribbean extends from around 1560 up until the 1720s. The period during which pirates were most successful was from the 1640s until the 1680s. Caribbean piracy arose out of, and mirrored on a smaller scale, the conflicts over trade and colonization among the rival European powers of the time, including England, Spain, Dutch United Provinces, and France. Two of the best-known pirate bases were Tortuga in the 1640s and Port Royal after 1655.

Privateering

Main article: Privateer

A privateer or corsair used similar methods to a pirate, but acted while in possession of a commission or letter of marque from a government or king authorizing the capture of merchant ships belonging to an enemy nation. The famous Barbary Corsairs of the Mediterranean were privateers, as were the Maltese Corsairs, who were authorized by the Knights of St. John. The letter of marque was recognized by convention—for example, the United States Constitution of 1787 specifically authorizes Congress to issue letters of marque and reprisal—and meant that a privateer could not technically be charged with piracy. This nicety of law did not always save the individuals concerned, however, as whether one was considered a pirate or a legally operating privateer often depended on whose custody the individual found himself in—that of the country that had issued the commission, or that of the object of attack. Under the Declaration of Paris of 1854, seven nations agreed to suspend the use of the letter of marque, and others followed in the Hague Conventions. The most famous privateer was Sir Francis Drake. His patron was England, and their relationship ultimately proved to be quite profitable.

Pirate organization

In the popular modern imagination, pirates of the classical period were rebellious, clever teams who operated outside the restricting bureaucracy of modern life. In reality, many pirates ate poorly, did not become fabulously wealthy, and died young.

Unlike traditional Western societies of the time, many pirate clans operated as limited democracies, demanding the right to elect and replace their leaders. The captain of a pirate ship was often a fierce fighter in whom the men could place their trust, rather than a more traditional authority figure sanctioned by an elite. However, when not in battle, the ship's quartermaster usually had the real authority.

Many groups of pirates shared in whatever booty they seized, according to a complicated scheme where each man received his alloted share of the prize. Pirates injured in battle might be afforded special compensation. Often all of these terms were agreed upon and written down by the pirates. These articles could also be used as incriminating proof that they were outlaws.

Pirates readily accepted outcasts from traditional societies, perhaps easily recognizing kindred spirits, and they were known to free slaves from slave ships and welcome them into the pirate fold.

Such egalitarian practices within a pirate clan were tenuous, however, and did little to mitigate the brutality of the pirate's way of life.

Commerce raiders

A wartime activity similar to piracy involves disguised warships called commerce raiders or merchant raiders, which attack enemy shipping commerce, approaching by stealth and then opening fire. Commerce raiders operated successfully during the American Revolution. During the American Civil War, the Confederacy sent out several commerce raiders, the most famous of which was the CSS Alabama. During World War II, Germany also made use of these tactics, both in the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Since commissioned naval vessels were openly used, these commerce raiders should not be considered even privateers, much less pirates - although the opposing combatants were vocal in denouncing them as such.

Modern piracy

Piracy in recent times has increased in areas such as South and Southeast Asia (the South China Sea), parts of South America, the waters of the Indian Ocean and the south of the Red Sea, with pirates now favoring small boats and taking advantage of the small crew numbers on modern cargo vessels. Modern pirates prey on cargo ships which must slow their speed to navigate narrow straits, making them vulnerable to be overtaken and boarded by small motorboats. Small ships are also capable of disguising themselves as fishing vessels or cargo vessels when not carrying out piracy, in order to avoid or deceive inspections.

In most cases, modern pirates are not interested in the cargo and are mainly interested in taking the personal belongings of the crew and the contents of the ship's safe, which might contain large amounts of cash needed to pay payroll and port fees. In some cases, the pirates force the crew off the ship and sail the ship to a port, where it is repainted and given a new identity through false papers.

Modern pirates can be successful because a large amount of international commerce occurs via shipping. For commercial reasons, many cargo ships move through narrow bodies of water such as the Suez Canal, the Panama canal and the Straits of Malacca. As usage increases, many of these ships have to lower cruising speeds to allow for navigation and traffic control, making them prime targets for piracy. Modern piracy can also take place in conditions of political unrest or vacuum. For example, following the disintegration of the government of Somalia, warlords in the region have attacked ships delivering UN food aid ^[1].

Modern definitions of piracy include the following acts:

• Kidnapping of people for ransom
• Robbery
• Murder
• Seizure of items or the ship
• Sabotage, resulting in the ship subsequently sinking

Pirate attacks tripled between 1993 and 2003. The first half of 2003 was the worst 6-month period on record, with 234 pirate attacks, 16 deaths, and 52 people injured worldwide. There were also 193 crew members held hostage during this period.

182 cases of piracy were reported worldwide in the first 6 months of 2004. Of these incidents, 50 occurred in Indonesian waters.

The Piracy Reporting Centre of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) stated in 2004 that more pirate attacks in that year occurred in Indonesian waters (70 of 251 reported attacks) than in the waters of any other country. Of these attacks, a majority occurred in the Straits of Malacca. They also stated that of the attacks in 2004, oil and gas tankers and bulk carriers were the most popular targets with 67 attacks on tankers and 52 on bulk carriers.

In modern times ships, as well as aeroplanes, are also hijacked for political reasons. The perpetrators of these acts could be described as pirates (for instance, the French for plane hijacker is pirate de l'air), but in English are usually termed hijackers or terrorists. An example is the hijacking of the Italian civilian passenger ship, the Achille Lauro.

Modern pirates also use a great deal of technology. It has been reported that crimes of piracy have involved the use of mobile phones, modern speedboats, AK-47s, and even rocket propelled grenades. There is also speculation that modern pirates eavesdrop on satellite communication networks such as Inmarsat to determine cargo and the degree of risk involved with an operation.

Piracy in international law

Effects on international boundaries

In the Straits of Malacca, during the 18th Century, the British and the Dutch controlled both sides of the Straits of Malacca. Some pirates carried on activities similar to armed rebellion with the aim of resisting the colonizers. In order to put a stop to this, the British and the Dutch drew a line separating the Straits into two sides. The agreement was that each party would be responsible for piracy in their respective area. Eventually this line became the separating line between Malaysia and Indonesia in the Straits.

International law

Piracy is of note in international law as it is commonly held to represent the earliest invocation of the concept of universal jurisdiction. The crime of piracy is considered jus cogens, a conventional peremptory international norm from which states may not derogate. Those committing thefts on the high seas, inhibiting trade, and endangering maritime communication were considered by sovereign states to be hostes humani generis (enemies of humanity).

Since piracy often takes place outside the territorial waters of any state, the prosecution of pirates by sovereign states represents a complex legal situation. The prosecution of pirates on the high seas contravenes the conventional freedom of the high seas. However, as jus cogens, jurisdiction can nevertheless typically be exercised against pirates without objection from the flag state of the pirate vessel. This represents an exception to the principle extra territorium jus dicenti impune non paretur (the judgment of one who is exceeding his territorial jurisdiction may be disobeyed with impunity).

Other terms for pirates

Pirates who operated in the West Indies during the 17th century were known as buccaneers. The word derives from boucan, a wooden frame used for cooking meat (also called a barbacoa), used by French hunters called bou(caniers. When these hunters became pirates, they took their name with them. The most famous person associated with buccaneers in the West Indies was Henry Morgan.

Dutch pirates were known as kapers or vrijbuiters ("plunderers"), the latter combining the words vrij meaning free, buit meaning loot, and the ending -er meaning agent. The word vrijbuiter was corrupted into the English freebooter and French flibustier. The French loan-word returned to English in the form of filibusters, adventurers who became involved in Latin American revolutions and coups. It finally came to mean the disruptive parliamentary maneuver of talking nonstop.

Pirates are called Lanun by both the Indonesians and the Malaysians who form the nations bracketing the Straits of Malacca. Originally a culture of seafaring people, the Lanun name became synonymous with piracy in the 15th century.

Wōkòu were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century onwards.

Pirates with commissions from a government are called privateers or corsairs. In modern Arabic the word is قرصان from the Turkish Korsan, which seems to have been derived from the European word. Corsair comes from the medieval Latin cursa, meaning "raid, expedition, inroad".

Pirates are also known as picaroons. This term comes from the Spanish word picarón, meaning "rogue."

In Latin, the term pirata -- from which the English "pirate" is derived -- means "to attempt."

Notable pirates and privateers

Main article: List of pirates

Victims

• Early Polynesian warriors attacked seaside and riverside villages. They used the sea for their hit-and-run tactics - a safe place to retreat to if the battle turned against them.
• The Sea Peoples were pirates who attacked ancient Egypt.
• When Sulla died in 78 BC, Julius Caesar returned to Rome as a lawyer, prosecuted Sulla's supporters, and headed to the Greek town of Rhodes to study oratory. Pirates seized control of the vessel in 75 BC, kidnapped Caesar, and held him for ransom. When Julius Caesar purchased his freedom, he assembled a small army, which captured the pirates and crucified them.
• Irish pirates attacked Roman trade vessels.
• In the 3rd century, pirate attacks on Olympus (city in Anatolia) brought impoverishment.
• Saint Patrick was captured and enslaved by Irish pirates.
• The Vikings were Scandinavian pirates who attacked the British Isles and Europe from the sea.
• In 937, Irish pirates sided with the Scots, Vikings, Picts, and Welsh in their invasion of England. Athelstan drove them back.
• Environmentalist and yachtsman Peter Blake was killed by Brazilian pirates in 2001.
• The American luxury liner The Seabourn Spirit was attacked by pirates in November 2005 off the Somalian coast.

Popular culture

In popular culture, pirates are associated with a stereotypical manner of speaking and dress. This tradition owes much to Robert Newton's portrayal of Long John Silver in the 1950 film adaptation of Treasure Island. Many stereotypical pirates have accents which are apparently from Cornwall, or Bristol in England. Popular interest in pirates rose again when the movie Pirates of the Caribbean was released, bringing more attention to the pirate bases of Tortuga and Port Royal.

In the 1990s, International Talk Like a Pirate Day was invented as a parodic holiday celebrated on September 19.

Pirates play in a role in the "religion" Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, established in 2005.

Piratical stereotypes

• Brightly coloured, mismatched clothes, known as Motley
• Eye patch
• Wooden peg leg
• Hook hand
• Golden hoop earring
• Bandana
• Parrot on the shoulder, generally squawking 'pieces of eight, Braak!'
• Mischievous ship's monkey
• Tri-cornered hat
• Scruffy beard
• Cutlass
• Saying, "Arrr".

Surprisingly, many of these stereotypes are true. Pirates during the Golden Era would often lose limbs in battle. These pirates would be employed as cooks, as they could not be of any use during raids anymore. Bandanas would be worn to keep sweat out of their face. Their clothes, however, would typically be practical and comfortable, meant to be convenient for working on a ship. Sometimes pirates would even keep animals on board, to supply them with fresh food; exotic animals such as parrots and monkeys would be of no use to them, however, though it has been suggested that pirates may have kept exotic animals in order to sell them for high prices. Some pirates also believed that putting pressure on their earlobes (wearing earrings) would prevent them from becoming seasick. Another suggestion for the purpose of a gold earring is that when a pirate would die, the gold on him would provide some kind of funding for a funeral and coffin. Pirates and other mariners would also sometimes be blinded in one eye through the use of a sextant. Eyepatch wearing also becomes convenient for seeing in low light conditions, and pirates of old may have done this to help see below deck.

Pirates in fiction

• A band of nameless pirates appears as a running joke in almost all Asterix adventures.
• Atomsk is the alien pirate king in the anime FLCL.
• The Black Pirate is the title character of the 1926 silent film, played with acrobatic panache by Douglas Fairbanks.
• Black Vulmea is the nickname of Terrence Vulmea, a swashbuckling hero of the Spanish Main created by Robert E. Howard. Vulmea's adventures are collected in Black Vulmea's Vengeance.
• Captain Blood, an English doctor turned slave, then pirate, is the title character of a novel by Rafael Sabatini. The novel was also adapted into a film starring Errol Flynn and directed by Casablanca director Michael Curtiz.
• Captain Clegg was the alias assumed by clergyman Doctor Syn when he turned to piracy in the novel Doctor Syn on the High Seas by Russell Thorndike.
• The character of Captain Bully Hayes is played by Tommy Lee Jones in the movie Nate and Hayes.
• The notorious Captain Hook, from the novel Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, leads a band of pirates based in Neverland.
• Captain Kennit is a pirate from Robin Hobb's The Liveship Traders trilogy.
• Captain Horatio McCallister or The Sea Captain from The Simpsons, admits in one episode that he is not actually a sea captain, but he is still known for his frequent "Arr!"
• Captain Jack Dancer skipper of the Red Wench is the hero of The Red Seas, an ongoing comic series in 2000AD which mixes pirates with strange goingson.
• Captain Pugwash comes from the series of children's comic strips, books and animated films created by John Ryan.
• Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red, of the Roman Polanski film Pirates, is played by Walter Matthau.
• The character of Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp, was introduced in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
• Cervantes de Leon is a Spanish ghost pirate who possesses Soul Edge in Namco's Soul Calibur series of fighting games. de Leon was formerly captain of a pirate ship called the Adrian.
• The Crimson Pirate, played by Burt Lancaster, is the titular hero of the 1952 movie. The Crimson Pirate was actually Captain Vallo, an acrobatic rogue who became a hero. Lancaster's former circus partner Nick Cravat also appears as Vallo's mute sidekick Ojo.
• The Dread Pirate Roberts, a fearsome pirate dressed all in black (including a black mask and headrag) is reputed to "leave no survivors," and captains the pirate ship Revenge. From the novel The Princess Bride, written by S. Morgenstern.
• Gunpowder Gertie (Gertrude Stubbs) is a Canadian pirate created by Carolyn McTaggart.
• Long John Silver is one of several pirates who appear in the novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, which weaves together many pirate myths and motifs including maps of hidden treasure, villany among pirates, marooning, parrots, missing limbs and eye patches.
• Monkey D. Luffy is the protagonist in a world of pirates in One Piece, an anime and manga series.
• Steve The Pirate, played by Alan Tudyk in the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, is a pirate--or at least a guy who thinks he's a pirate--on a dodgeball team.
• The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists by Gideon Defoe is a surreal adventure with stereotypical pirates and Charles Darwin. Featuring The Pirate With A Scarf.
• The Pirates of Dark Water was a Hanna-Barbera animated series of the 1990´s.
• The Pirates of Penzance, a comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan contains a Pirate King and a crew of orphan pirates.
• Red Rackham was a pirate appearing in the Tintin adventure The Secret of the Unicorn by Hergé. He was killed by Sir Francis Haddock after Rackham attempted to take over Haddock's ship, the Unicorn.
• Sandokan, The Tiger of Malyasia, Emilio Salgari's legendary creation, was the scourge of the British in Southeast Asia. He was immortalized on screen by Indian actor Kabir Bedi.
• Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff, is an adventure comic strip frequently set among pirates of China and South Asia who are led by the notorious Dragon Lady.
• Guybrush Threepwood is the bumbling hero and protagonist of Ron Gilbert's Monkey Island series of adventure games by LucasArts. He is also the antagonist of the evil zombie ghost pirate LeChuck (grrr!).
• Nancy and Minerva Kington are the protagonists of Pirates! by Celia Rees.
• Peter Benchley's The Island ( novel) (1979), and the later movie for which he wrote the screenplay (1980), are about a latter-day band of pirates who prey on civilian shipping in the Caribbean.

Pirate jokes

Main article: Pirate jokes

One of the verbal tics commonly attributed to pirates in popular culture — "Arrr!" — has become the basis for many jokes and puns and much levity, such as International Talk Like a Pirate Day. For example:

Q: Did you hear about the new pirate movie?

A: Yeah, it's rated "Arrr!"

Q: Why are pirates scary?

A: Just cos they "Arrr!"

More Pirate Jokes

Piratical pop stars

See also: Pirate rock

Pop stars have long been drawn towards pirate culture, due to its anti-establishmentism and motley dress. An early 1960s British pop group called themselves Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, and wore eye-patches while they performed. Keith Moon, drummer with The Who, was a fan of Robert Newton. Newer acts, such as Flogging Molly and Mad Caddies have pirate themed songs as well. German Metal band Running Wild are probably the only 'pirate metal' band in wide circulation, adopting this image since their third album in 1987 and continuing with it to this day.

During the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II, the Sex Pistols, banned from performing on land, hired a pleasure boat and cruised down the Thames before being stopped by river police. They later adapted the dirty song "Good Ship Venus" as their hit "Friggin' in the Rigging". Another of Malcolm McLaren's protegées, Adam Ant, took the pirate image further. One of the tracks on the album "Kings of the wild frontier" was called "Jolly Roger". fofo itut

See also

• Davy Jones' Locker
• Hijack
• Jolly Roger
• Keelhauling
• Walking the plank
• Buried treasure
• Libertatia
• Pirate enclaves
• List of pirates
• Cruise ship piracy attempt foiled by sound beam weapon
• Ghost ship
• VFA-103 Jolly Rogers
• Rum-running
• Shiver my timbers
• International Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19)
• Pirate Booty

External links

Modern piracy

• Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships: Guidance for Suppressing and Preventing
• Reports on Piracy, Month by Month
• Information About Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships
• Piracy 'on the rise' off Somalia
• Yacht Piracy

Historic piracy

• Pirate Utopias (Do or Die) - Piracy and Anarchism
• The Golden Age of Piracy, and its origins in class struggle - on peopleshistory.co.uk
• Brethren of the Coast - the website for everything related to the old pirates
• Piracy Timeline
• Pirates and Privateers
• The Jolly Roger Pirate Flag
• The Pirate Brethren's Web Forum, A Place to Discuss the Golden Age of Piracy, and Re-enacting
• Handy Jones - Long Island Pirate
• Pirate Vengeance
• List of Pirates
• Women Pirates
• Historical Re-enactors based in Orlando Principal re-enactment group for Searle's Raid on St. Augustine, Florida
• Ocracoke Island

Lyrics

• Lyrics from Pirates (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) by Greg Lake and Pete Sinfield

Pirates' Code

• Pirates' Code
• Movie History

Further reading

• Burnett, John (2002). Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas, 346, Plume. ISBN 0452284139.
• Langewiesche, William (2004). The Outlaw Sea: A World of Freedom, Chaos, and Crime, North Point Press. ISBN 0865475814.

and so on

Notes

1. ^  Pirates Open Fire on Cruise Ship off Somalia. URL accessed on November 14, 2005.
2. ^  CNN.com - U.S. Navy fires on small boats thought to be pirates - May 3, 2002. URL accessed on November 14, 2005.
3. ^  CNN.com - Cruise ship 'used sonic weapon' - Nov 8, 2005. URL accessed on November 14, 2005.

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