As well as other important pirate related info that will help you create a more realistic and interesting role play.
I have observed many pirate RPs and such and will I looked over them I realized that barely anyone was using the correct terminology. Well, I was planning on joining one so I decided that maybe it would be best to learn some terms. So I looked up Ship Terms and found this site,
http://www.jobxchange.com/shipterms.htm. Thing is... this has modern ship terms mixed in, so I selected some of the important ones. Some terms are left off; because they are so simple I really shouldn't get into them. But here are a few that could help make you ship related RPs more realistic
Ship Terms
Above Board
Cabins above the waterline.
Aft
Near, toward, or rear of the vessel.
Alleyway
Any passageway on the vessel.
Beam
Cabins above the waterline.
Below
Lower decks.
Bearing
Ship's compass direction.
Berth
Dock or pier.
Bilge
Lowest part of the ship's hull.
Boat
Carried on the ship such as the lifeboat.
Bow
Forward or front part of ship.
Bridge
Navigation and command center of the vessel.
Bulkhead
Upright partition (walls) used to divide various sections of the ship into rooms.
Bunkering
Re-fueling the vessel.
Cabin
Officer and/or crew quarters (see also Stateroom).
Cardinal Points
North, South, East, West.
Cargo
Ship supplies.
Coaming
Raised partition at base of doorways to keep water from entering.
Colors
National flag or ensignia flown from mast or sternpost.
Course
Direction the ship is heading.
Crew Mess
Dining facilities for non-officer crew members.
Deck
Floor.
Deck Department
Responsible for the overall operation and navigation of the vessel. See also Deck Dept.
Disembark/Deba
rk
Leave the vessel.
Dock
The structure such as a pier in which the vessel ties up when in port.
Draft
Measurement in feet from waterline to lowest point of ship's keel.
Dry Dock
Vessel is completed removed from the water to institute repairs to the keel.
Embarkation/Embark
To go aboard the vessel.
Fantail
Rear or aft overhang of vessel.
Fathom
Measurement of distance equal to 6 feet.
Fender
Cushion between side of vessel and dock.
Fore and Aft
Front and back of the vessel, refers to the entire vessel.
Forward
Toward the bow of the vessel.
Free Port
A port free of customs duty and most customs regulations.
Galley
Vessel's kitchen.
Gangway
Platform or ramp for embarkation and disembarkation to a dock or tender used for convenience and security
Head
Toilet facilities.
Helm
Vessel's steering wheel.
Hold
Interior lower compartments of the vessel where cargo is stored.
Keel
The bottom portion of the vessel submerged in water.
Knot
One nautical mile per hour (6,080.2 ft) as compared to land mile of 5,280 ft.
League
A measure of distance approximately 3.45 nautical miles.
Manifest
A list of invoice of passengers, crew and cargo
Mess
Dining room facilities and kitchen for crew separate from the passenger dining room and kitchen (see also Officer's Mess).
Muster
To assemble passengers and/or crew.
Pooped
Hit by a wave over the stern.
Port
To the left, facing forward of the bow.
Port-of-Call
Country, island or territory the vessel visits.
Roll
Sway of the ship from side to side.
Stem
Extreme bow of the vessel.
Stern
Rear of the vessel.
Tender
Small vessel used to transport passengers and/or crew or supplies to and from shore when ship is at anchor. Most large ships carry their own tenders, which are maintained as lifeboats in case of an emergency.
Topside
Upper decks.
Under Way
Anchor is up, lines are let go and ready to move.
Wake
Agitated water left by the propellers of a passing ship.
Wardroom
Officer's recreation area.
Weigh Anchor
To raise anchor in preparation for departure.
Wet Dock
Repairs made without removing the vessel from the water.
Windward
Facing into or the direction towards the wind.
More terms gathered by Iippo in terms So... Uhm... look at it. Anyway, away from terms and off to historical and navigational data!
Pirate code!
Pirates had a code. Yep. If you are RPing a pirate, it is best to be familiar with it. The following info was taken from this site, http://www.hickory.k12.nc.us/NVW/Taylorci/codeconduct.htm
1. Everyone shall obey orders.
2. Booty will be shared out as follows: 1 share to every ordinary seaman; 1 1/2 shares to the captain; 1 1/4 shares to the master carpenter, boatswain and gunner.
3. Anyone keeping secret of attempting to desert will be marooned. He may take only a flask of gunpowder, a bottle of water, a gun and some shot.
4. The punishment for hitting a man is 40 lashes on the bare back.
5. Anyone being lazy or failing to clean his weapons will lose his share of booty.
6. Everyone may vote on all important decisions.
7. Everyone may have a share of captured drink and fresh food.
8. Anyone found stealing form another member of crew will have his ears and nose slit open and be set ashore.
9. Gambling with cards and money is forbidden.
10. The penalty for bringing a woman aboard in disguise is death.
11. No one may leave the crew until each man has made 1,100 pounds.
12. The compensation of losing a limb is 800 silver dollars.
Sea Measurements
I was thinking how embarrassing it would be in RPs if people kept yelling "I see them a league off to the east!" without them knowing what a league is.... so here are some measurements.
Fathom
Measurement of distance equal to 6 feet.
Nautical mile
6,080.2 ft as compared to land mile of 5,280 ft.
League
A measure of distance approximately 3.45 nautical miles.
Read this entire site. It is brief yet HIGHLY informative!
http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/index.html
It's all info behind Pirates of The Caribbean, and it is wonderfully infromative and interesting. If you don't have a pirate rp but your a history buff or just a plain old pirate fan this site is perfect for you.
Here are a few interesting section on this site
famous pirates
http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/pirate-fame.html
speed of sea travel
http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/pirate-sea_travel.html
pirate weapons
http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/pirate-weapons.html
Pirate ships
http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/pirate-ships.html
pirate flags
http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/pirate-flags.html
Money that Pirates would steal
http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/pirate-money.html
And now for some Navy stuff...the (British) navy. Gotta love 'em.. unless you're a pirate.. AR!
Naval Flags
http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/british-naval-flags.html
Naval ranks (pirates should read this too, ar!)
http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/british-navy-ranks.html
War ships
http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/british-man-of-war.html
CANNONS! Pirates should also read this ar!
http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/british-firepower.html
MORE TERMS! I dare someone to memorize them all including the ones up top and most of the ones on [iippo]'s page, terms. I probably will when I get the chance for rping purposes... heh Thinkin' of starting my own pirate rp now, heh.
http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/british-nautical-glossary.html
This will show you what people of the pirate time period actually wore. As stated in the site above, the costumes in POTC are not all that accurate. This site tells you what WAS accurate for the time you want your rp in, but if you want it to be more loose and fantasy like that don't worry (I know I wont...).
Stumble!