Prize Taking

Captain Henry Morgan (c.1635–1688), Welsh privateer-turned-pirate. Led 36 ships and 2,000 men in the 1668 sack of Portobelo, Panama, capturing Spanish treasure worth £30,000 sterling. Later pardoned and knighted; died Port Royal, Jamaica. Morgan exemplified the prize-taking enterprise at its peak—organized, violent, and profitable.

Prize-taking demanded speed and firepower. Attack vessels—sloops, brigantines, and small frigates—featured shallow drafts for coastal pursuit, reinforced hulls for cannon recoil, and minimal superstructure to maximize sail area. Steering was manual (wheel or whipstaff); gunnery required trained crews. Captured ships were often stripped of fittings, refitted with pirate colors, and resold in colonial ports or used as floating warehouses.

Prize-taking evolved from privateering (licensed by European crowns) into organized piracy after 1680. The Spanish Main, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean became hunting grounds. Pirates targeted merchant convoys, slave ships, and treasure fleets. By 1720, naval patrols intensified; the last major prize-takers (Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Mary Read) were hanged. The practice collapsed by 1730 as European navies dominated trade routes.

Colonial and European trade routes carried immense wealth with minimal naval escort. Piracy offered poor sailors, escaped convicts, and displaced soldiers rapid wealth and autonomy. Weak governance in Caribbean and Indian Ocean ports allowed pirates to fence stolen goods. Prize-taking was economically rational: a single successful capture could yield annual wages for an entire crew.

Attack began at dawn. Lookouts spotted merchant vessels; the pirate ship raised false colors to approach undetected. At musket range, pirates fired warning shots, hoisted the black flag, and demanded surrender. If resistance occurred, cannon fire targeted masts and rigging. Boarding parties swarmed the deck with cutlasses and pistols. Crew was given choice: join pirates or be marooned. Cargo was inventoried, divided by shares, and transferred to the pirate vessel or a designated prize ship.

Attack vessels were built in colonial shipyards (Jamaica, Tortuga, Madagascar) using salvaged timber and captured materials. Hulls were careened (beached and scraped) every 2–3 months to remove barnacles and maintain speed. Rigging was replaced frequently. Cannons were salvaged from wrecks or purchased from corrupt colonial officials. Most pirate ships were converted merchant vessels rather than purpose-built warships—cheaper, faster, and easier to crew.