Pirate Flag Question

[jeffkantoku]

Hey, this is for all you scurrilous, scurvy-ridden scoundrels who ply the high-seas (or are privy to the secrets of Davey Jones Locker)...

What do you call the action of pulling down an enemy ship's flag, and raising your own... be it the skull and crossbones or any other? Is there a term for this action?

"Capture the Flag"???

I'm more interested in the act of flying the victorious flag on the captured ship...

I await you hearty replies, me hearties...

[ComicBent]

We struck yer colors, matey, an' raised ahr own.

[pantalone]

Yeah, if the enemy doesn't strike, you take. And then raise.

I've read many many first hand accounts from the days of wooden ships and iron men. One thing that was always kinda hard on everybody was when the colors were accidentaly knocked down.

Oh, and there was the really underhanded ruse de guerre, when you would fake striking, and then open fire...

[jeffkantoku]

Thanks be to ye fer the terminology ya briny-backed bastards!

Thanks to ye, I was able to broadside the following detailed link:

Striking the Flag/Colors (http://www.history.navy.mil/trivia/trivia03-1.htm)

[kcshc]

Captain: [Raise the colours, Mr. Xxxx!][Show 'em our colours, Mr. Xxxxx!]

Mr. Xxxxx: Aye, aye, Cap'n!

Captain: And send 'em a broadside for good measure!

BOOM!

:)

[Pen Dragon]

http://kkpro.ca/flgredpr.gif

Ahhrrrr ,lubber, th' flag's name be Jolly Roger, and don't you ferget it.

Hoist 'im high, lad, o'er the spoils. We turnin' our sails fer Port Royal ahhhrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[phoenixwriting]

*shakes head sadly*

I don't believe it... online piracy.









:D

[CarlColt]

Good grief.

Just hoist the Jolly Roger already.

c

[ComicBent]

You know, in the era when the Jolly Roger was flown, the word 'roger' was the standard word for 'screw' in the sexual sense. Samuel Pepys, in his famous diary, talks about 'rogering' his wife on the billiards table.

I have always wondered if the 'Jolly Roger' is a reference to this meaning.

[Kenn Hoekstra]

The origin of the Jolly Roger...both flag and name:
www.autopen.com/jolly.roger.shtml (http://www.autopen.com/jolly.roger.shtml)

Does not appear to be the "Shagadelic origin" you were expecting... :)

--Kenn

www.kennhoekstra.com (http://www.kennhoekstra.com)

[Augie Kestrel]

I read that it goes back to the Knights Templar, who amassed a powerful navy in the Mediterranean.

[kcshc]

I blame Captain Pugwash! :D

[brough]

check this out,

www.royal-navy.mod.uk/sta.../2306.html (http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/static/pages/2306.html)

-- Pic of HMS Turbulent returning to base from the Iraq war this spring. Traditional for subs to fly the Jolly Roger after successfully attacking enemy targets (in this case, with cruise missiles).

[whistlelock]

I heard that it was the Plague flag. huh. weird.