What Is A Pirate Ship Sailed By Outlaws Called?

Privateers were private individuals commissioned by governments to carry out quasi-military activities, sailing in privately owned armed ships called bowsprits. During the Golden Age of Piracy, which spanned from 1690 to 1730, pirates roamed the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the West Coast. A pirate ship is defined as any vessel whose sailors and crew are engaged in piracy, and anything from a raft or canoe to a massive frigate or man of war could be considered a pirate vessel.

A galleon, on the other hand, is a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to the 18th century. They would sail in privately owned armed ships, robbing merchant vessels and pillaging settlements belonging to a rival country. The most famous of all is a pirate ship in a nation’s service. Pirate ships were sailed by outlaws who captured, stole, and plundered other ships and split the loot among themselves.

From the 16th century, large Spanish ships, called galleons, began to sail back to Europe, loaded with precious cargoes that pirates found impossible to resist. Caravels were broad-beamed ships with 2 or 3 masts with square sails and a triangular sail (called a lanteen) and were up to about 65 feet long. Bartholomew Black Bart Roberts sailed aboard a French brigantine known as the Good Fortune, which was slightly larger than a brigantine.

The front section of a pirate ship is called the bow, which is an important part of the ship’s design. Sails on a pirate ship catch the wind, which propels the ship forward.