pirates

"I am writing to inform you of recent events that have transpired between the civilized world and a dastardly pirate by the name of Captain Jack Sparrow. Some of the events recorded are based on eyewitness accounts, while others are the result of hearsay and idle gossip. Either way, they are vital to our understanding of Captain Jack Sparrow and his cohorts. I beg of you, do not take this man or these stories lightly. Sparrow is a threat to our way of life and our rule of the seas. [...] It is our understanding that despite his apparent 'death,' Captain Jack Sparrow is still a threat. It is up to the Royal Navy and members of the East India Trading Company to determine Sparrow's status and put an official end to his pirating ways."
―Admiral Bratton[src]

Bratton was an admiral in service of the British Royal Navy and the East India Trading Company aboard the HMS Century. At some point, Admiral Bratton wrote reports, in which he described the events that transpired until Lord Cutler Beckett's war against piracy. While detailing the misadventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, William Turner and Elizabeth Swann, Bratton noted that they were enemies of the East India Trading Company.

Letters to the Crown

First letter

To all the good men of the Crown:
I am writing to inform you of recent events that have transpired between the civilized world and a dastardly pirate by the name of Captain Jack Sparrow.
Some of the events recorded are based on eyewitness accounts, while others are the result of hearsay and idle gossip. Either way, they are vital to our understanding of Captain Jack Sparrow and his cohorts. I beg of you, do not take this man or these stories lightly. Sparrow is a threat to our way of life and our rule of the seas.
It is said that thirteen years ago, Captain Jack Sparrow made a deal with Davy Jones. Jones raised the Black Pearl from the depths and gave it to Sparrow to captain. In exchange, after thirteen years, Jack would give up his soul and join Jones's crew on the Flying Dutchman.
But according to my sources, Sparrow did not get to captain the Black Pearl for very long. Shortly after he took the position, his first mate, a man by the name of Barbossa, led a mutiny against him. Around the same time, rumors of a black ship with tattered sails and a cursed crew began to circulate. It was said to be the Black Pearl. According to the stories, Barbossa and his crew had fallen victim to an ancient Aztec Curse.
Determined to get his ship back, Sparrow enlisted the help of a young blacksmith by the name of William Turner and Elizabeth Swann, the daughter of Port Royal's governor. A navy commodore by the name of James Norrington reported that Sparrow confronted Barbossa on Isla de Muerta. The specifics of what happened at the island remain a mystery, but it is assumed that Sparrow killed Barbossa and became captain of the Pearl once again. The cursed pirates have ceased to sail the waters, and Barbossa has not been sighted for many a night.
Elizabeth Swann has proven to be quite the enemy of the East India Trading Company. She was engaged to wed Commodore Norrington, but under the influence of Sparrow's wily and uncivilized ways, she fell in love with William Turner and decided to marry him instead. Norrington suffered greatly from the betrayal of his fiancée and was dismissed from the employ of the Royal Navy after failing to capture Sparrow.
Another point of interest pertains to the retrieval of an item belonging to Captain Sparrow. Lord Cutler Beckett, on orders from the Company, negotiated with Turner to find and return Sparrow's Compass. It is said that this is a special Compass that points not north, but to your heart's desire. Turner has yet to acquire the item.
Of further note, it has been discovered that Will Turner's father, "Bootstrap Bill" Turner, had once been a pirate on the Black Pearl. But Bootstrap is now trapped on the Flying Dutchman, doomed to serve Davy Jones forever. According to sources, it was Bootstrap who told Sparrow of Jones's intention to send his sea beast, the Kraken, after him. And it was this news that sent Sparrow to Isla Cruces where Jones's heart was buried. (To have the heart is to control Jones.) James Norrington later procured the heart on Isla Cruces, and for his valiant behavior he has been reinstated in the Royal Navy and promoted to admiral.
Without the heart to protect him, Sparrow was at the mercy of the Kraken. Reports claim that as he tried to flee, he was stopped by Elizabeth Swann. She chained him to the mast of the Black Pearl right before the Kraken surfaced and swallowed the ship...and Sparrow along with it.
Last our sources heard, Turner, Swann, and the Pearl's crew had gone to see Tia Dalma, a powerful mystic who lives in a dark bayou. Rumor has it that she has brought Barbossa back from the dead to help retrieve Sparrow from Davy Jones's Locker.
It is our understanding that despite his apparent "death," Captain Jack Sparrow is still a threat. It is up to the Royal Navy and members of the East India Trading Company to determine Sparrow's status and put an official end to his pirating ways.
Regards,
Admiral Bratton
of the HMS Century[1][3]

Second letter

To all the King's men:
I am writing to you about an enemy of the East India Trading Company.
Thirteen years ago, the pirate Captain Jack Sparrow made an agreement with Davy Jones. Jones gave a ship, the Black Pearl, to Sparrow. Sparrow agreed, after thirteen years, to give up his soul and join Jones's men on the Flying Dutchman. But another pirate, Barbossa, stole the Pearl. With the help of William Turner and Elizabeth Swann, the daughter of Port Royal's governor, Sparrow tried to get the Black Pearl back. He succeeded when he killed Barbossa on Isla de Muerta.
Elizabeth Swann is also our enemy. James Norrington, a British officer wanted to marry her, but she fell in love with William Turner. When Norrington failed to catch Sparrow, he lost his job. Will Turner's father, "Bootstrap Bill," was a pirate on the Pearl. He is now a prisoner on the Flying Dutchman, and must work for Davy Jones for ever.
Sparrow went to Isla Cruces to find Jones's heart. Jones has to take orders from the person who has his heart. But James Norrington found it, and is now a British admiral.
Without the heart, Sparrow could not fight Jones's monster, the Kraken. He tried to escape but Elizabeth Swann tied him to the Black Pearl. The Kraken destroyed the ship—and Sparrow.
Turner, Swann, and Sparrow's men then went to Tia Dalma. She brought Barbossa back from the dead to find Sparrow in Davy Jones's Locker*.
Captain Jack Sparrow is still dangerous. The East India Trading Company must find him and stop him.
Admiral Bratton[2][4]

Behind the scenes

Admiral Bratton does not appear physically and is only mentioned through his letter in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: The Movie Storybook, released in 2007.[1] A shortened version of Admiral Bratton's letter appears in the 2009 At World's End novelization.[2]

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: The Movie Storybook
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Penguin Readers)
  3. ↑ Admiral Bratton's letter in At World's End: The Movie Storybook Page 1, Page 2, and Page 3
  4. ↑ Admiral Bratton's letter in At World's End Penguin Readers