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Piracy

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The flag of 18th-century pirate Calico Jack
This article is about sea piracy; for other uses of "Piracy" or "Pirate", see Pirate (disambiguation).

Piracy is robbery committed at sea, or sometimes on 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 issue (with estimated worldwide losses of US$13 to $16 billion per year[1]), particularly in the waters between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, off the Somali coast, and in the Strait of Malacca and Singapore, which are used by over 50,000 commercial ships a year. A recent surge in piracy off the Somali coast spurred a multi-national effort led by the United States to patrol the waters near the Horn of Africa to combat piracy. While boats off the coasts of South America and the Mediterranean Sea are still assailed by pirates, the advent of the United States Coast Guard has nearly eradicated piracy in American waters and the Caribbean Sea. The Jolly Roger is the traditional flag of European and American pirates.

Antiquity

The earliest documented incidence of piracy are the exploits of the Sea Peoples who threatened the Aegean in the 13th century BC. In Classical Antiquity, the Tyrrhenians and Thracians were known as pirates. The island of Lemnos long resisted Greek influence and remained a haven for Thracian pirates. The Latin term pirata, from which the English "pirate" is derived, derives ultimately from Greek peira "attack, attempt", cognate to peril. By the 1st century BC, there were pirate states along the Anatolian coast, threatening the commerce of the Roman Empire. 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. After purchasing his freedom, he assembled a small army which captured the pirates and crucified them. The Senate finally invested Pompey with special powers to deal with piracy in 67 BC (the Lex Gabinia), and Pompey after three months of naval warfare managed to suppress the threat. In the 3rd century, pirate attacks on Olympus (city in Anatolia) brought impoverishment.

Among some of the most famous ancient pirateering peoples were the Illyrians, populating the western Balkan peninsula. Constantly raiding the Adriatic Sea, the Illyrians caused many conficts with the Roman Republic. It was not until 68 BC that the Romans finally conquered Illyria and made it a province, ending their threat.

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.

Middle Ages

After the Slavic intrusions to the Balkan peninsula in the 5th and 6th centuries, the tribe of Nerentines were given in the first half of the 7th century the land of Pagania, between Croatian Dalmatia and Zachlumia. These Slavs followed the old Illyrian pirateering habits and often raided the Adriatic Sea. Already in 642 they invaded southern Italia and assaulted Siponte in Benevento. Their raids in the Adriatic increased rapidly, until the whole Sea was no longer safe for any travels.

The "Narentines," as they were called, took more liberties in their raiding quests while the Venetian Navy was abroad - like when it was campaigning in the Sicilian waters in 827-828, and as soon as the Venetian fleet would return to the Adriatic, they temporarily abandoned their habits again - even signing a Treaty in Venice and baptising their Slavic pagan leader into Christianity. In 834-835 they broke the treaty and again raided Venetian traders returning from Benevento - and all of Venice's military attempts to punish the Marians in 839 and 840 had utterly failed. Later, they raided the Venetians more often together with the Arabs. In 846 the Narentines breached to Venice itself and raided its lagoon city of Kaorle. In the middle of March 870 they kidnapped the Roman Bishop's emissaries that were returning from the Ecclesiastical Council in Constantinople. This caused a Byzantine military action against them that finally brought Christianity unto them.

After the Arab raids of the Adriatic coast circa 872 and the retreat of the Imperial Navy, the Narentines restored their raids of Venetian waters, causing new conflicts with the Italians in 887-888. The Narentine piracy traditions were cherished even while they were in Croatia, serving as the finest Croat warriors. The Venetians continued, though futilely, to fight them throughout the 10th-11th centuries.

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.

The ushkuiniks were Novgorod's pirates who looted the cities on the Volga and Kama Rivers in the 14th century.

Piracy in East Asia

Main article: Wokou

From the 13th century, Japan based Wokou made their debut in East Asia, initiating invasions that would persist for 300 years.

Piracy in the Caribbean

Main article: Piracy in the Caribbean
The infamous Jolly Roger flag
Edward England's flag

The great or classic era of piracy in the Caribbean extends from around 1560 up until the end of the Golden Age of Piracy in the 1730s. 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. One of the last famous pirates of the Caribbean was Cofresí: Roberto Cofresí Ramirez de Arellano (1791-1825). He was put to death for his crimes in Puerto Rico at the Castle of San Felipe del Morro. His romantic legend inspires plays and songs on the island.

Piracy was common in this area because the surrounding coastline had many isolated beaches where pirates could land.

Famous historical pirates

Main article: List of pirates

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. One famous privateer was Sir Francis Drake. His patron was England, and their relationship ultimately proved to be quite profitable.

Pirate organizations

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.

The classical age of piracy coexisted with imperialism. Imperialism required merchant vessels to transport goods and warships to protect the trade ships from pirates and privateers. Living conditions on the warships were horrible even by 17th-century standards; sailors were often fed rotten, maggot-infested food, frequently suffered from scurvy or other nutritional disorders, and could be counted lucky to escape their service without a debilitating injury. Two life-threatening and omnipresent forces in the sailors' lives were the sea and the ship's captain. English captains were known to have been extremely brutal; the captain held a sort of sovereign power aboard his ship and many were unafraid to abuse that power. It is thought that the service of an English sailor during England's imperial reign is the most inhumane of all wartime duties to date. To fill the warships, officers would sometimes forcibly conscript or "press-gang" boys and young men to replace lost crew.

The horrid living conditions, constant threat to life, and brutality of the captain and his officers pushed many men over the edge. Possessing seafaring skill, a learned intolerance for absolute authority, and a disdain for the motherland they might have believed abandoned them, many crews would simply mutiny during an attack and offer themselves and their ship as a new pirate vessel and crew.

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 I and 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 at sea continues into the present day. Partly because of the decline of the ability of European navies, especially the Royal Navy, to project their power, 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. Also, pirates are often in regions of poor countries with smaller navies, and large trade routes. Pirates take advantage of pursuers by going into their enemy countries waters, to shake them off. With the end of the Cold War, navies have decreased size and patrol, and trade has increased, making organized piracy far easier. It is estimated only 1% of modern pirates are caught[citation needed]. Piracy is often a branch of crime syndicates, or small individual groups.

Pirate attack crews may consist of 4-10 for going after the ship's safe (raiding), or up to seventy to seize the whole vessel.

Captured crew members are either killed, set adrift, or held for ransom.

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 for 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, and/or the cargo is sold for massive quantities of money.

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].

Anti-piracy tactics include shining the search light on the boarding boat as it is coming to blind it, shooting the firehose at it, LRAD type noise weapons, use of flares as weapons, swerving to either create large waves or ram, and, rarely, having armed crew, though this is forbidden by international shipping laws. There are also often untrusted extremely expensive security guards that shipping industries sometimes hire. Unfortunately, piracy is increasing at a faster rate than the shipping business can handle.

Modern definitions of piracy include the following acts:

After the US retreat from Vietnam, many fleeing Vietnamese put all their valuables on boats and attempted to leave, and many were looted by pirates.

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[citation needed].

182 reported cases of piracy turned up worldwide in the first 6 months of 2004. Of these incidents, 50 occurred in Indonesian waters[citation needed].

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[citation needed].

In modern times, ships and airplanes are hijacked for political reasons as well. 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 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, shotguns, pistols, mounted machine guns, and even rocket propelled grenades.However, more primitive weapons such as knives, batons or boat-hooks are also often used, with a lesser sucess rate. 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[citation needed].

There is also terrorism at sea, which is different from piracy in that the acts are not aimed for profit. A large fear is that terrorists will steal a large tanker full of super cooled explosive gases, some of which when blown, could have an explosion like a very small nuclear device. This could also be used as a threat in more conventional acts of piracy, in order to extort ransom.

Piracy in international law

Effects on international boundaries

During the 18th century, the British and the Dutch controlled opposite sides of the Straits of Malacca. Some pirates carried on activities similar to armed rebellion with the aim of resisting the colonizers[citation needed]. In order to put a stop to this, the British and the Dutch drew a line separating the Straits into two halves. The agreement was that each party would be responsible for combating piracy in their respective half. Eventually this line became the border 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 a breach of 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 are considered by sovereign states to be hostis 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 boucaniers. They were semi-legal, attacking Spainish ships when France, England, and Holland were trying to gain territory on the Spainish Main. 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, zeerovers or vrijbuiters ("pirates"), the latter combining the words vrij meaning free, buiter meaning looter. The word vrijbuiter was loaned into English as freebooter and into French as 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. But the dedicated word for pirate in Indonesian Language is Bajak. This word has not clear ethimology, that proves the antiquity of the piracy in the Archipelago.

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."

Modern victims

  • Environmentalist and yachtsman Sir 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.

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 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 Disney's 1950 film adaptation of Treasure Island. Many stereotypical pirates have accents which are apparently from Cornwall, or Bristol in England, or possibly based on the pronunciation of Elizabethan English. Popular interest in pirates rose again when the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was released, bringing more attention to the pirate bases of Tortuga and Port Royal. Also, starting in the late 1990s, a Japanese manga and television show called One Piece has also accelerated people's interest in the general idea of pirates. There are even LEGO pirates.

A LEGO Pirate

In the 1990s, International Talk Like a Pirate Day was invented as a parodic holiday celebrated on September 19. This holiday allows people to "let out their inner pirate" and to dress and speak as pirates are stereotypically portrayed to have dressed and spoken. International Talk Like a Pirate Day has been gaining in popularity through the Internet since its founders set up a website, which instructs visitors in "pirate slang".

Pirates also play a central role in the parody religion of Pastafarianism, established in 2005.

Pirates in sports

Because pirate ships connote fearsomeness, loyalty and teamwork, many professional and amateur sports teams are named "Pirates." The most famous of these is the Pittsburgh Pirates, a Major League Baseball team that has used the nickname since 1891.

Other teams:

Pirates in fiction

See also: List of fictional pirates

Works

Other

Pirates in music

  • Easily the most elaborate example of songs in this Rock sub genre is "Pirates" by Emerson, Lake & Palmer a massive, 13 minute long performance piece from their 1977 tour, it features the Orchestra de L'Opera de Paris. The piece can be found on the album "Works, volume 1"
  • German metal band Running Wild adopted a "pirate metal" image in 1987, with its third album.. The Texas punk group Employer, Employee was considered "pirate rock" by its fans, as its lyrics often contained themes of piracy ("One Count of Mutiny"), as well as the 16th-century New World in general.
  • The Sex Pistols adapted the saucy song "Good Ship Venus" as their hit "Friggin' in the Rigging". Fellow Malcolm McLaren protegée Adam Ant took the pirate image further. One of the tracks on the album Kings of the Wild Frontier was called "Jolly Roger". In 1986, The Beastie Boys paid homage to the pirate lifestyle on their Licensed to Ill album with the song "Rhymin' and Stealin'". The song is filled with piratical and nautical phrasing liberally mixed with 1980s hip-hop references.
  • Mutiny is an Australian pirate themed folk-punk band with releases on Fistolo Records. Pirates imagery has also been adopted by many anarchists, possibly due to the origins of the black flag of anarchism in the pirate flag, and due to books like The Many Headed Hydra by Marcus Reddiker, about the early resistance to capitalism and colonialism, and Pirate Utopias, by Paul Lamborn Wilson, otherwise known as Hakim Bey. According to several authors, the pirate ship was among the most democratic institutions of the colonial age.
  • The Arrogant Worms, a Canadian band, play a humorous song called "The Pirates of The Saskachewan." It can be heard on line here.
  • Pirates also occasionally rival vampires as themes for goth music, fashion, and imagery. Goth musician/comedian Voltaire illustrates the sometimes humorous rivalry between vampiric and pirate camps of goths in the song "Vampire Club" from the album Boo Hoo (2002).
  • The Jolly Rogers is a pirate themed reniassance faire musical troupe based out of Kansas City.
  • The hardcore/pop punk band Set Your Goals will soon be releasing their first, pirate themed, full length "Mutiny".
  • Ska/Punk band The Mad Caddies 2001 album "Rock the Plank" has a skull and crossbones on the cover of the album, also featuring the song "Weird Beard", a song in the flavor of many classic sea shanties.
  • The Ska/Punk band the Aquabats recorded a song entitled "Captain Hampton and the Midget Pirates", which told the story of Jim, a young boy who joins a pirate crew headed by Captain Hampton.
  • The Pirate, a musical starring Judy garland and Gene Kelly, has a number of songs about Piracy in general and the dread pirate "Black Mack" Macoco in particular.
  • Relient K released a single covering the song "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" for children's show VeggieTales. It was originally recorded by the cast of VeggieTales, and Relient K's version of the song was later included in the 2003 compilation album called Veggie Rocks!

Space pirates

Within works of science fiction, a new type of pirate has begun to show prominence. The "Space pirate" is a common theme in works of science fiction, and is a pirate that operates in outer space as opposed to on the sea. A space pirate usually shares many traits with classical pirates, as they are usually ruthless criminals who raid passing ships for cargo and money.

A space pirate makes a brief appearance in the opening scene of the Futurama episode "Godfellas". After Leela exclaims, "Space Pirates!" Fry asks "Space pirates?", to which Leela matter-of-factly replies: "You know; pirates, but in space."

While certainly not a critical favorite, the film The Ice Pirates (1984) is noteworthy for exploring the realm of space piracy.

"Treasure Planet" by Disney, a play off the book Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, follows the adventures of Jim Hawkins in his extraplanetary search for the treasure of space-pirate Nathaniel Flint.

Space pirates are also the main enemy of Samus Aran in the Metroid series by Nintendo. In this the space pirates are after the unique metroid life form to use for domination of the universe. However their plans are usually foiled by Samus.

An example of an anime series starring a "space pirate" is the Captain Harlock series and its many incarnations.

A rare example of space pirates outside of science fiction can be found in Rayman 2: The Great Escape, a video game which closer resembles the fantasy genre.

In the Real Time Strategy game Homeworld, one of the first opposing races to the player is a space-faring pirate culture known as the Turanic Raiders known for light, maneuverable ships optimal for hit-and-run tactics.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Piracy.

References

Modern piracy

Historic piracy

Pirate language

Lyrics

Pirates' Code

Virtual pirates crews

  • The Pirates of Tibia A today very large organization in the game Tibia which has as number one priority to work as the pirates in the golden days of piracy.

Pirates publications and online resources

  • The Pyrate's Way Magazine Full-colour 96-page resource designed for pirate crews, leisure boaters, maritime and nautical enthusiasts and those who search for the golden days of pyracy.
  • No Quarter Given Newsletter for pirate reenactors and enthusiasts, with a great deal of pirate information.

Further reading

  • Burnett, John (2002). Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas. Plume. p. 346. ISBN 0-452-28413-9.
  • Cawthorne, Nigel (2004). History of Pirates: Blood and Thunder on the High Seas. Book Sales. ISBN 0-7858-1856-1.
  • Cordingly, David (1997). Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates. Harvest Books. ISBN 0-15-600549-2.
  • Girard, Geoffrey (2006). Tales of the Atlantic Pirates. Middle Atlantic Press. ISBN 0-9754419-5-7.
  • Langewiesche, William (2004). The Outlaw Sea: A World of Freedom, Chaos, and Crime. North Point Press. ISBN 0-86547-581-4.
  • Rediker, Marcus (1987). Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Merchant Seamen, Pirates and the Anglo-American Maritime World, 1700-1750. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-37983-0.

Notes

  1. ^ "Pirates Open Fire on Cruise Ship off Somalia". Retrieved November 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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