OTK
Legendary Ships
Here we will record what we have discovered in the Archive regarding the most legendary Pirate Ships of the Golden Age of Piracy. Each of these ships with be honoured in some form or another as we progress with The Order of the Kraken from near obscurity to domination of the new world.
Will you captain the next Black Pearl or will it be the Queen Anne’s Revenge?
Queen Anne’s Revenge
We have uncovered from the Archive that the notorious English pirate Blackbeard seized a French-owned slave ship called the Concorde in 1717 and turned it into his flagship vessel and renaming the her the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
She was renowned, given her speed, to have the ability to both with ease chase down her prey or evade capture from the onslaught of the would be pirate hunters. She was rumoured to have had at least 40 cannons aboard, and combined with her speed, made the Queen Anne’s Revenge one of the most formidable and feared ships of her time.
Legend has it that Blackbeard himself scuttled the ship when finally outmatched rather than let her fall into the hands of another.
Black Pearl
The exact details on this legendary ship are vague to say the least and not much help from the Archive. From the recounting of the myths, the Black Pearl appeared to be a grand ship recognisable by her intimidating black hull and sails and known to be untouchable for her speed, thanks to the large amount of sails she used.
She was originally known as the Wicked Wench until as the legend goes, she was burned and sunk before being resurrected from the sea floor by Davy Jones himself and renamed the Black Pearl. Rumoured to have been faster than the Flying Dutchman and only weighed down by the so called “curse of the Black Pearl” but seeing as you lot are not really the superstitious kind we will write this last part off to fits of fancy!
The Whydah
It appears that this ship was originally launched as a slave ship, the Whydah which was in one of her voyages overtaken and captured by pirates commanded by “Black Sam” Bellamy.
According to the records, the Whydah then went on to become one of the most successful treasure hunting ships of the Golden Age but unfortunately during her last voyage, after yet another success run, it was said that her crew were too drunk to complete the voyage and she ran aground destined for Davy Jones’ Locker.
A most fearsome ship in her prime boasting 28 cannons and in the hands of a skilled crew reaped riches upon riches. The treasure collected by Bellamy’s crew from more than 50 ships was only partly recovered once the wreck was finally discovered….
The Ranger
he Ranger may not have been the most formidable ship but she was steeped in history, covered in infamy and fortune! The Archive has shown that The Ranger was a 30-gun brig captained by the pirates Benjamin Hornigold and Charles Vane and also at one time or another had aboard Blackbeard and his protégées and acquaintances, including other future notorious pirates such as Black Sam Bellamy and Stede Bonnetthe-families all from the Golden Age of Piracy.
The Ranger finally found herself under the command of one of the most feared pirates of the Golden Age, Calico Jack, where she gained her legendary status as a ship to be feared by all who came across her.
The Revenge
From our Archive we have opined that the Revenge was a sloop class ship armed initially with 10 guns and then upgraded to 12 and a 70-man crew.
The Revenge, not known for her firepower, but for the knack for slipping into and out of ports on her smuggling trips that most didn’t even know she was ever there.
Captained by Stede Bonnet, the-families notorious pirate and close associate of Blackbeard, the Revenge and the Queen Anne’s Revenge plagued the high seas during the Golden Age and no fat merchant ship appeared to be safe from this pair.
