Pirate Flags
People everywhere are ga-ga over the romanticized view of the rogue pirate but in reality those who participated in raiding vulnerable ships at sea rarely showed mercy. To warn of their intentions a pirate ship would raise a white flag indicating they were in chase of a potential victim.
At this point, those being chased might ‘strike his colours’ or remove the king’s flag and submit. If those being chased refused, the pirates would then raise the black and white flag; or the red flag which indicated no quarter would be given once the ship was captured. This meant that no lives would be spared.
The flags raised showing the intentions of the pirates displayed many meanings that any veteran of the sea recognized. The skull being a sign of death and a skeleton with horns meant a tortured death. The symbols varied as widely as the pirates but the meanings were all still very clear to those in danger.
Pirates such as Blackbeard, Calico Jack, and Black Bart utilized flags of their own design. The Jolly Roger, Old Roger, or Skull and Crossbones is associated most with pirates sailing in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. It is possible the name derives from the French term joli rouge which means “pretty red.”
We are not so fortunate to have a flag warning from modern day pirates that terrorize areas such as the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Samali coast, and the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The pirates of the 21st Century work with high-tech equipment such as night vision goggles, rocket launchers, and global positioning devices. The United States is estimated to lose $13 to $16 billion dollars annually on waters around the world.
The first warning ship crews typically have today are bullets flying in their direction…maybe someone can suggest to the pirates a white flag instead.