Pirate ships have fascinated us all since childhood. The demeanor and charisma of some of them has spread around the world through movies, cartoons, art, and even children’s toys. But what are the most famous pirate ships in history? Which seas and oceans were privileged to receive them?
Young modern-day pirate, welcome to Skull World! This is about adventure, about scary men, about the life of the carefree, in short: about pirates! 🏴☠️
And after we list the most famous pirates history is now the turn of her beloved ships. We simply have the 15 pirate ships that have shaped the sea world with their adventures and sizes, or captains who have had a terrifying career. Are you ready to bang your eyes out? Then on to boarding!
Decorate your cave like a pirate ship with this”” decorative skull”” !
15) The Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman is one of the most notable fictional ships of the entire Pirates of the Caribbean series. It is a combination of a galleon and a fluyt ship, which is a Dutch sailing ship originally designed as a freighter. ⛴
One of the inspirations for the Flying Dutchman look is the Vasa, a 17th-century Swedish warship. This ghost ship was also inspired by the legendary story of the ship of the same name, or « De Vliegend Hollander » in Dutch. Though considered 17th-century nautical folklore, many people have reported seeing the Flying Dutchman in real life. That makes us dream!
14) Adventure Galley
Captured by Scottish sailor William Kidd , the Adventure Galley, a 287-ton three-master, ran down the Thames in 1695. As part of a mission planned by New York Colonel Robert Livingston to slow attacks on British ships in the East Indies. Kidd was given orders to track down hackers and enemy French ships and robbed their treasure and property. 💰
To facilitate the mission, which was mainly funded by prominent English nobles, the Adventure Galley was fitted with 34 guns and 23 oars to maneuver the ship in calm weather. Kidd was originally a Scottish sailor. He saddled up… pirate! Realizing that finding French ships was becoming difficult, William Kidd contented himself with attacking ships belonging to his own allies for a living. On his return to London he was convicted as a pirate and immediately executed.
13) Cythera-Yacht
One of the rare instances of modern day piracy is the steel yacht Cythera, built by former Royal Navy officer Peter Fenton in Sydney, Australia. She was launched on March 17, 1962. Fenton, his wife, their journalist friend, and two crew members set out on March 31, 1963 for the Cythera’s maiden voyage. On April 10 of that year, when all the participants were stopping at Lord Howe Island for a short stay, the two crew members stole the yacht and put to sea out of radar range. The Fentons and their journalist friend were left stranded on the island… 🏝
After being missing for seven days, the Cythera was found on the island of Norfolk and the thieves caught. The yacht was badly damaged and all valuables were looted. The thieves were found guilty of piracy and were sentenced to four years in prison.
12) Fancy
In May 1694, while stationed off the Spanish coast aboard the privateer Charles II, Henry Avery was preparing for a mutiny that would end his new, short-lived pirate career. After the successful takeover, Avery, who was a former Royal Navy contender, renamed the ship ‘Fancy’ and set out with his newly discharged crew in search of fortune. 💸
The « Fancy » has almost 50 cannons and a crew of 150 pirates. Avery and his crew terrorize ships in the Indian Ocean until late 1695 before setting course for the Bahamas. Governor Nicholas Trott offered them sanctuary in exchange for treasure, including £1000 worth of ivory tusks, and Avery also gave Trott the Fancy as a gift. While some of his men were later captured and sentenced to death, Avery disappeared and died a free and wealthy man.
This beautiful ship was a powerful privateer ship and one of the fastest ships of the time. This ship began two successful years of plundering throughout the Indian Ocean, hijacking every ship in sight and spreading its infamous reputation across the seas. This ship’s greatest victory was against the 40-gun flagship of the Great Lakes, Gang-i-Sawai.
11) Whydah
The Whydah is believed to have contained the treasure of more than 50 ships when it sank in a storm off the coast of Cape Cod on April 26, 1717. Professional treasure hunter Barry Clifford discovered the ship in 1984 and has since recovered more than 100,000 valuable coins from the site. The Whydah was launched from London in 1715 as a slave ship; its name derives from the West African port of Ouidah in present-day Benin. 🇧🇯
When the Whydah was sailing between Cuba and Hispaniola on her second voyage, she was led by piratesambushed by “Black Sam” Bellamy, who claimed the ship as his flagship. Bellamy and his crew were sailing north along the east coast of the American colonies when they encountered the Nor’easter. The ship struck a sandbar, parted and sank. Of the ship’s crew of 146 men, only two survived.
At the time, the Whydah was believed to contain a huge bounty of more than 400,000 gold and silver coins from around 50 ships that had been looted by pirates. The wreck was recovered in 1984, but not all of its treasures…
10) HMS-Raven
HMS Raven was an Albacore-class wooden propeller-driven gunboat, launched in 1856 and sold in 1875. Her sister ship, HMS Forward, was launched in 1855 and sold in 1869. She was seized by Mexican pirates and attacked by the USS Mohican during the Battle of Boca Teacapan, resulting in her destruction. ❌
This ship is often taken as a model for children’s toys. His very own style offers canonical drawings for comics and films. It was also used in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy to design some of the most beautiful ships in the film. 
9) CSS-McRae
The CSS McRae was a 19th-century Confederate States warship that was originally a Mexican rebel ship named the Marques de la Havane. She was captured as a pirate ship by the USS Saratoga in 1860 and purchased by the Confederate States Navy in New Orleans the following year. It was expanded and renamed CSS McRae.
During the Civil War, the ship protected blockade operators sailing in and out of the Mississippi and Mobile Bays, and in October 1861 participated in a sortie with the federal blockade operators. During the naval battlein April 1861 near Forts Jackson and Saint Philip, which the McRae valiantly defended, the officers and crew fought to the death, but the ship was severely damaged and its commander killed in action. The ship returned to New Orleans under a flag of truce, but was eventually abandoned and sank upon arrival.
8) Royal Fortune
In July 1720, Captain Roberts captured a French ship off the coast of Newfoundland. He refits the 26-gun sea frigate, renames it Good Fortune , and sails south to the Caribbean, where the ship is repaired and renamed Royal Fortune. Shortly thereafter, Roberts captured a French warship operated by the governor of Martinique, rechristened it the “Royal Fortune” and made it his new flagship. Roberts died and the last Royal Fortune sank on February 10, 1722 in an attack by the British warship HMS Swallow. ⚔️
Welsh pirate Bartholomew Roberts was one of the most famous pirates of his time. During his glory years as a pirate, he captured three ships: a French brigantine, a French warship, and the frigate Onslow off the African coast, which he renamed Fortune Royale. This ship is a true legend in the maritime world .
7) Ambrose-Light
The Ambrose Light was a single-barreled brigantine ship commanded by Colombian rebels. The USS Alliance was sailing to Cartagena when they saw the Ambrose Light and captured her in 1885, suspected of being a rebel ship. However, the court ruled in favor of the Ambrose Light as the ship was operating legally to transport Colombian troops during the country’s civil war. 🛡
She will go down in history for her very own style that many of the shipbuilders should have copied. Fighting with only one cannon was remarkable back then, which will earn its captain the reputation of a great warrior.
6) CSS Alabama
Although technically a warship, the Raider is often portrayed as the most destructive ship in history . According to Stephen Fox’s biography of the Alabama’s captain, the ship’s destructive reputation once led the New York Herald to describe Semmes as a “pirate on the high seas.” Built in 1862 by Henry Laird, whose family business had also built 40 ships for the Royal Navy, the Alabama was designed for speed and surprise at sea. 🌊
The ship was 70 meters long and 12 meters wide and could accommodate 350 tons of coal. The Alabama’s forward pivoting gun fired 100-pound shells. If the captain took control of another ship, he would haul it out and, according to legends, sink it in less than an hour. At her most destructive, the Alabama burned an average of one ship every three days… The Alabama was sunk off the coast of Normandy on June 19, 1864 by the Union ship Kearsarge and discovered by French sonar in 1984.
5) The-Ark-Royal
The Ark Royal was an English ship commanded by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1586. She was initially called “Ark Raleigh” because it was customary to name the ship after its owner. However, it was later bought by Queen Elizabeth I. However, legends actually say that the queen did not actually pay for the ship. A pirate is said to have offered it to her in exchange for dropping all lawsuits against him… 🧐
The Ark Royal became the flagship of the English fleet during the Spanish Armada and led them to their defeat. She served for over half a century and was the terror of all northern seas.
4) The Golden Hind (The Pelican)
The Golden Hind, commanded by Sir Francis Drake , was one of the most famous ships in the history of sailing. She made a historic and exciting journey around the world and was the only one to return from this expedition. The Golden Hind was a ship armed with 18 guns of various sizes and weighed about 100 tons. The flagship was originally known as the Pelican, but Drake renamed her the Golden Hind during the 1577 voyage, having already lost two ships. 🛳
This beautiful ship is known for circumnavigating the world between the years 1577 and 1580. His name was retained in honor of Drake’s godfather, Sir Christopher Hatton, whose symbol was a large golden stag.
3) Die Black Pearl
The Black Pearl pirate ship is probably one of the most famous pirate ships of modern times, albeit a fictional one. The ship has become very popular and famous through the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. It was easily recognized by its black hull and black sails. It was known as a fast ship because of the many sails it carried. 🏴
The Black Pearl pirate ship was initially known as the Wicked Wench until it disappeared where it was burned and sunk. It was resurrected from the seabed by a man named Davy Jones, after which Jack Sparrow renamed it again.
2)Die Jolly Roger
The Jolly Roger pirate ship is another popular and fictional pirate ship that has featured in the Peter Pan story. The famous Captain Hook and Mr. Smee called the Jolly Roger home. Captain Hook used the ship as a base for his plan to get rid of little Peter Pan. Neverland and Skull Rock are pirate areas where the ship is located in the animated series. 😈
The name is not accidental, as it bears the inventor of the pirate flag, Captain Jolly Roger . He is a legend in the seafaring world and in the murky waters of the world.
1) Queen Anne’s Revenge
English pirate Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard , captured the Concorde, a French slave ship, in the West Indies in 1717 and made it his flagship. Slave ships, which often had a center bulkhead to protect the crew from slave rebellions, made good pirate ships because they were built for speed. Blackbeard added 26 guns to the ship that already had 14 guns, making the Queen Anne’s Revenge one of the most powerful ships in American waters. 🇺🇸
In May 1718, Blackbeard blockaded Charleston Harbor. After looting five merchant ships, he ran the Queen Anne’s Revenge aground. As Blackbeard knew the area well (he had sailed off the same coast the previous year), many historians believe he sank the Queen Anne’s Revenge on purpose, hoping to kill some of the crew and thus increase his fortune. The ship was discovered off the coast of Beaufort, North Carolina in 1997 and since then marine archaeologists have unearthed treasure from the remains…