Pirate swords and weapons

Freddy · 22nd December 2007, 08:31 PM

I'm not really into guns, but sometimes one finds something interesting so I buy it

(just can't help it).
I liked the pistol Matt displayed and I want to add this one to the arsenal of pirates.

It's a blunderbuss I bought some time ago. According to the former owner, it came from North Africa, although anywhere along the Westcoast of Africa could also be correct.

It's about 48 cm long and has a bore of 4,5 cm !

This type of weapon was used aboard ships to repel boarders and mutineers.

It's crudely made and resembles a bit Matt's pistol.

fernando · 22nd December 2007, 08:48 PM

Hi Freddy
Is the action working ?
Is 48 cms. the total length ?
Fernando

Freddy · 23rd December 2007, 04:26 PM

Yes, the total length is 48 cm. Quite a compact piece.

It's possible to pull the hammer back and from time to time it reacts when you pull the trigger. Unfortunately, some barbarian

put a nail in the hole where the percussion cap had to be placed to ignite the powder.

But still, it looks nice on my wall.

fernando · 23rd December 2007, 06:12 PM

It seems as piracy chronicles are traditionaly fancifull, and rather dificult to discern which were the actual devices tose guys used in action. According to Exquemelin's way of portraying his favorites, those operating in the Antilles, the main weapon was indeed a short piece, practical for boarding melee.
On the other hand Teach ( Black beard ) can be seen portraied in "speciality books" with various pistols ( three according to chronists ) and a full sized sword ... and two burning priming cords pending from his hat

William Kidd is a figure that still sustains lots of mystic as, just the other day, certain researchers went back to the files to try and determine that Kidd's condemnation was a judicial error

.
All this and much more comes in an interesting book about Piracy and Corso from all times, published in 1997 ( ISBN 972-759-044-6 ).
A pitty that the weapons used are the least contemplated part.

fernando · 23rd December 2007, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freddy

But still, it looks nice on my wall.

You already answered my next question

I wouldn't mind fixing that problem of the nail stuck in the fire hole

.

Jim McDougall · 24th December 2007, 11:06 PM

Fernando, thank you for the great posts of these illustrations! These are great for point of reference as we look at how artists and illustrators perceived the weapons carried by the pirates, and we wonder how accurate or fanciful these renderings are.
I think poor Captain Kidd really got a bad rap!
All the best,
Jim

kronckew · 25th December 2007, 06:21 AM

as mentioned by jim in post no. 1 there is more than just the caribbean,
the indonesian/malayan/phillipines were (and still are) famous for their
piratical endeavours.

the sea dyaks (iban) were amoungst those feared eastern pirates, and their parangs were ideal for close encounters of the maritime kind, they were especially fond of making sure their clients stayed with them for a long time, but tended to make them a bit more portable by just taking the heads back as guests. limited the conversation a bit.

my sea dyak parang of Langgai Tinggang type (looks late 20c)

19" blade, 1/4" at grip, distal tapered to point, 2 brass 'dot' blade inserts near tip and 1 in the krowit. crudely carved wood grip & scabbard with fancy rattanwork...

i suspect my klewang with the fur covered (90% of fur is gone) leather scabbard & brass guard & grip (leather wound) was also of piratical origin.

19.5" blade, 3/8" at grip (1/4" at 1" from grip) distal taper to 1/8" at tip, concaved blade spine to halfway, then spine is grooved either side to the tip, single fuller runs the full length. blade tip appears to have been shortened.

Jim McDougall · 25th December 2007, 07:10 PM

Thank you for posting these Kronckew! The sea Dyaks were definitely one of the groups from those regions I was referring to. The parang (I believe often termed also 'mandau') is not surprisingly included in some references I have seen showing groupings of a variety of 'pirate' weapons. I am not sure of the range of the Sea Dyaks beyond thier home regions, but I would not be surprised if some of them joined other pirate crews on individual basis. These parangs might have been adopted by crewmen of ships that visited these regions as well, which seems a plausible speculation.

The 'klewang' you show is also very interesting, especially the wrapped grip and mount components which appear of Japanese katana style. It seems that in discussions some time ago concerning Japanese influences on the weapons in SE Asia, it was noted that many groups of river pirates in the rivers deep inland in SE Asia were comprised of many Japanese. I vaguely recall even a katana type sword captioned as from India, though I had serious reservations on complete acceptance of that attribution.
The hilt on this example with the upward and downward quillons on the guard of course also reflects Chinese sidearms including those attributed to Chinese river pirates. Those groups were still extremely active well into the 20th century and a great movie that included that topic was "The Sand Pebbles" with Steve McQueen. I do not recall specifically details such as weapons from the movie, but thought the subject worthy of note.

All best regards,
Jim

23rd December 2007, 06:12 PM	#4
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	It seems as piracy chronicles are traditionaly fancifull, and rather dificult to discern which were the actual devices tose guys used in action. According to Exquemelin's way of portraying his favorites, those operating in the Antilles, the main weapon was indeed a short piece, practical for boarding melee. On the other hand Teach ( Black beard ) can be seen portraied in "speciality books" with various pistols ( three according to chronists ) and a full sized sword ... and two burning priming cords pending from his hat William Kidd is a figure that still sustains lots of mystic as, just the other day, certain researchers went back to the files to try and determine that Kidd's condemnation was a judicial error . All this and much more comes in an interesting book about Piracy and Corso from all times, published in 1997 ( ISBN 972-759-044-6 ). A pitty that the weapons used are the least contemplated part. Attached Images

25th December 2007, 06:21 AM	#7
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,215	as mentioned by jim in post no. 1 there is more than just the caribbean, the indonesian/malayan/phillipines were (and still are) famous for their piratical endeavours. the sea dyaks (iban) were amoungst those feared eastern pirates, and their parangs were ideal for close encounters of the maritime kind, they were especially fond of making sure their clients stayed with them for a long time, but tended to make them a bit more portable by just taking the heads back as guests. limited the conversation a bit. my sea dyak parang of Langgai Tinggang type (looks late 20c) 19" blade, 1/4" at grip, distal tapered to point, 2 brass 'dot' blade inserts near tip and 1 in the krowit. crudely carved wood grip & scabbard with fancy rattanwork... i suspect my klewang with the fur covered (90% of fur is gone) leather scabbard & brass guard & grip (leather wound) was also of piratical origin. 19.5" blade, 3/8" at grip (1/4" at 1" from grip) distal taper to 1/8" at tip, concaved blade spine to halfway, then spine is grooved either side to the tip, single fuller runs the full length. blade tip appears to have been shortened. Last edited by kronckew; 25th December 2007 at 06:46 AM.

22nd December 2007, 08:31 PM	#1
Freddy Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sint-Amandsberg (near Ghent, Belgium) Posts: 830	I'm not really into guns, but sometimes one finds something interesting so I buy it (just can't help it). I liked the pistol Matt displayed and I want to add this one to the arsenal of pirates. It's a blunderbuss I bought some time ago. According to the former owner, it came from North Africa, although anywhere along the Westcoast of Africa could also be correct. It's about 48 cm long and has a bore of 4,5 cm ! This type of weapon was used aboard ships to repel boarders and mutineers. It's crudely made and resembles a bit Matt's pistol.

22nd December 2007, 08:48 PM	#2
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	Hi Freddy Is the action working ? Is 48 cms. the total length ? Fernando

23rd December 2007, 04:26 PM	#3
Freddy Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sint-Amandsberg (near Ghent, Belgium) Posts: 830	Yes, the total length is 48 cm. Quite a compact piece. It's possible to pull the hammer back and from time to time it reacts when you pull the trigger. Unfortunately, some barbarian put a nail in the hole where the percussion cap had to be placed to ignite the powder. But still, it looks nice on my wall.

24th December 2007, 11:06 PM	#6
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,193	Fernando, thank you for the great posts of these illustrations! These are great for point of reference as we look at how artists and illustrators perceived the weapons carried by the pirates, and we wonder how accurate or fanciful these renderings are. I think poor Captain Kidd really got a bad rap! All the best, Jim

25th December 2007, 07:10 PM	#8
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,193	Thank you for posting these Kronckew! The sea Dyaks were definitely one of the groups from those regions I was referring to. The parang (I believe often termed also 'mandau') is not surprisingly included in some references I have seen showing groupings of a variety of 'pirate' weapons. I am not sure of the range of the Sea Dyaks beyond thier home regions, but I would not be surprised if some of them joined other pirate crews on individual basis. These parangs might have been adopted by crewmen of ships that visited these regions as well, which seems a plausible speculation. The 'klewang' you show is also very interesting, especially the wrapped grip and mount components which appear of Japanese katana style. It seems that in discussions some time ago concerning Japanese influences on the weapons in SE Asia, it was noted that many groups of river pirates in the rivers deep inland in SE Asia were comprised of many Japanese. I vaguely recall even a katana type sword captioned as from India, though I had serious reservations on complete acceptance of that attribution. The hilt on this example with the upward and downward quillons on the guard of course also reflects Chinese sidearms including those attributed to Chinese river pirates. Those groups were still extremely active well into the 20th century and a great movie that included that topic was "The Sand Pebbles" with Steve McQueen. I do not recall specifically details such as weapons from the movie, but thought the subject worthy of note. All best regards, Jim