pirates
All cannon ports open, the flagship, , can deliver a broadside of metal weight of over 1100 lbs. One of the heaviest in the .

All cannon ports open, the East India Trading Company flagship, HMS Endeavour, can deliver a broadside of metal weight of over 1100 lbs. One of the heaviest in the Caribbean.

"Give 'em a broadside! Pound 'em lads! Pound 'em!"
―Pirate Captain[src] (pre-2006 revamp)

Broadside most commonly refers to the firing of all the cannons on one side of a ship. It also may refer to either the literal 'broad side' of the ship (meaning the port and starboard sides of the ship), or the amount of guns on either side. Most professional naval gun crews can deliver a broadside of fire every 2-5 minutes, while a pirate crew usually boards after firing and doesn't bother reloading. Military trained gunners fired broadsides one cannon after another, in turn, giving each one time to reload without interrupting the attack.

History

The Silent Mary fires a full broadside.

The Silent Mary fires a full broadside.

"Prepare to broadside!"
―Elizabeth Swann to the crew of the Black Pearl[src]

Broadsides were used throughout the Golden Age of Piracy. When Sharkheart Sam's pirate ship the Buzzard attacked the galleon the Santa Catalina the two vessels exchanged several broadsides.[1] In 1718, a battle engaged between the infamous pirate Edward "Blackbeard" Teach and his crew aboard the Adventure against the two sloops crewed by the British Royal Navy sailors under the command of Lieutenant Robert Maynard. When Maynard's sloops came within range, the black villain destroyed everything above decks with a broadside of grapeshot, chains, and nails. Only Maynard and his helmsman appeared standing on the dismembered sloop. Blackbeard and his crew triumphantly boarded the ship but found Maynard's entire force awaiting them. Before the broadside, Maynard had ordered his men below decks. What followed was one of the bloodiest hand-to-hand combats in the history of piracy. Bartholomew Roberts was attacked by a British man-of-war off Cape Lopez while careening his boat. His crew, too drunk to respond quickly, barely got the ship under way before she was rocked by a broadside from the man-of-war. Roberts was killed by the first volley of shots and his crew, seeing their captain was dead, surrendered to the British.[2] A full broadside was used in the battle between the Black Pearl and the Interceptor, where both ships each threw a broadside to kick off the fight. However the Interceptor tried, the Black Pearl was easily able to outgun it.[3] Broadsides were given through many other ship battles, including the Flying Dutchman, the HMS Endeavour,[4] and the Silent Mary.[5]

Behind the scenes

"Aye, there's the sound of adventure. Cannon firing. Must be a pirate force attacking the fort. Aye, there they be. A pirate galleon giving a broadside to a Spanish fort."
―Unknown[src]

Broadsides first appear in the soundtrack for Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean,[6] where the unnamed Pirate Captain of the Wicked Wench ordered his crew to give a broadside to the Spanish fort.[7] As of the 2006, Captain Barbossa gave the order.[8]

In the 2006 video game Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow, "Broadsides" was a level depicting the battle between the Interceptor and the Black Pearl.[9]

Appearances

Sources

See Also

External Links

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Climb Aboard If You Dare!: Stories From The Pirates of the Caribbean, pp. 18-21
  2. ↑ Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Story of the Robust Adventure in Disneyland and Walt Disney World, p. 13
  3. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  4. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  5. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
  6. ↑ Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Sound Track of the Fabulous Adventure
  7. ↑ Disneyland: From the Pirates of the Caribbean to the World of Tomorrow
  8. ↑ Dead Men Tell New Tales: Re-Imagineering the Attraction
  9. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow