Life Aboard a Pirate Ship
 
Captain:
     A pirate became captain of a ship if he was elected by the crew.  The captain was only in command of the ship either when attacking another ship or when another ship attacked them.  He worked as a regular crew member when the ship was not in battle.  If the captain would not attack other ships and take booty, then he was removed as captain. 
 
Quartermaster:
    The quartermaster actually had more power than the captain of the ship.  He was also elected by the crew.  The quartermaster was responsible for dividing the loot evenly between crewmembers, watching over prisoners until the crew could decide what to do with them, and to punish pirates who broke rules.
 
Pirate Crew:
     All pirates sailed with the understanding that if they didn't help attack ships and colonies, then they would receive no pay.  If they continued to refuse to attack they would be put off of the ship in a foreign land.  Most pirates did not kill people because they were only interested in the loot.  Pirate crews followed a set of rules called the Code of Conduct.
 

Code of Conduct

1.  No women were allowed on board.
2.  Captured women were not to be molested.
3.  The share of each pirates booty was agreed on.
4.  Death was the penalty for killing or stealing from another pirate.
5.  A trial was given before punishment was given.  The pirate crew was the jury.
6.  A pirate could be marooned on a deserted island if he broke too many rules.
7.  No lighted lamps or cigarettes were allowed below decks.
 

Pirate Punishment
     Pirates were punished in different ways depending on which rule was broken.  Sometimes they were tied to the mast of a ship and whipped.  Other times they were hung by either the quartermaster or when they were captured by the Spanish or other enemy.  One really gruesome way of punishing a pirate was to maroon them on a deserted island without food or water and be left to die a slow death.

 

Marooned

   

 

Pirate Whipped

 

Pirate Hung
 
 

Jolly Roger
     Blackbeard was the first pirate to call his flag the Jolly Roger.  One of his ships was called the Jolly Roger and he named his flag after it.  All other pirates began to call their ship's flag the Jolly Roger.  The Jolly Roger was usually a scary sight.  It was designed to scare any ship that it was attacking into surrendering without a battle. 
 

                       Skull & Crossbones                                          Ship with Jolly Roger

                                    

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