Pirates on board with

A patch on one eye, cutlass in hand and shoddy clothes vividly paints the picture of a pirate, but there is so much more to it. Each member on board a pirate ship had his own listed role with discipline and equality at core.

Meet the crew

Pilot
Known as the helmsman, a pilot would work with navigator and kept his eyes open to check the depth of water or take a call whether to steer the ship or stand still.

Captain
Commanded the pirates. He had to be bold, capable of handling and navigating the ship and crew, and know how to fight. As a leader he had to respect all the members of the crew.

Surgeon
The only person on board exempted from signing ‘Articles of Piracy’. The carpenter used to be elected as a proxy to the surgeon as he was also equipped with similar tools .

Boatswain
Keeps the ship in shape for travel or for battle. From looking for wood, canvas and ropes to weighing the anchor, setting the sails and maintaining the deck was all bosun’s duty.

Quarter Master
 The second most important man on the ship after Captain, Quarter Master was responsible for distribution of things such as rations, powder, work, prize and punishment. He watched and divided treasure amongst the crew.

Master Gunner
An essential aboard on any pirate ship, a master gunner or gunner was in charge of for the guns, cannons, bullets and gunpowder. He  trained the pirates on using guns, controlled ordnance and commanded the gun crews during battle.

Powder Monkey
Many young boys made up the gun crews called Powder Monkeys. They served aboard ship and learned about the basics of the ship with meagre wages and facilities.

Carpenter
Maintained the structural integrity of the ship. Keeping the masts and yardarms sound and functional was all that a carpenter did. This skill was extremely useful on the ship and good carpenters were highly valued.

Sea Artist
Not someone painting beautiful seascapes, but rather the ship’s navigator. Expert at reading and correcting maps and charts using tools such as quadrant and sextant and determining longitude through lunar and star observations.

Illustrator, Keshav Gupta, X C & Editor, Tanya Talwar, X A, AIS PV, take you on board with pirates