Weapons Weapons Pirates were essentially opportunists and many of the necessities of pirate life like food, medicine and weapons were taken from their victims. This meant that the weapons used by pirates were no different from those in common use among the seafarers of the times:
The cutlass is believed to have
evolved from the long knives used by the original buccaneers to butcher their
meat for their barbeques. Its short broad blade made it ideal for use in the
confined space of a ship and it was the favoured weapon of nearly all fighting
men at sea.
With its shortened barrel the
musketoon had limited accuracy but, like the cutlass, was easier to use on board
a ship where enemies were close and accuracy was not essential. The
brass-barrelled musketoon pictured below dates from 1758.
The pistol was light and
portable and so was the ideal weapon for boarding the victim ship. One major
problem (especially at sea) was that if the gunpowder got damp the gun would
misfire. The pistol could only fire one shot at a time and as reloading was a
lengthy process the pirate would have to carry several pistols or use the butt
of the gun as a club.
Pictured is a presentation of flintrock pistol of c. 1730
Easily concealed the dagger was
ideal for a surprise attack and was useful in areas where there was no room to
swing a sword. This picture shows an Eighteenth century naval dirk and its
scabbard.
The boarding axe was used by
pirates to help climb the high wooden sides of a ship and once on the deck
could be used to bring down the sails. This is a naval boarding axe of 1870.
This was used to store the
gunpowder needed for the pirates various pistols and muskets. The picture shows
an Eighteenth century powder horn.
