Jolly Roger Raises the Black Flag
It could have been the Pirates of the Caribbean and their billion dollar movie empire, or maybe what got you started was the magical Kingdom’s ride bearing the same name? Regardless of what got you first thinking about seafaring Pirates the one thing that can be held true is that when seen the Jolly Roger raises the black flag means something wicked is on the horizon and coming your way.
It doesn’t end well.
From the days of the most skullduggery and life threatening pirates of the day from Blackbeard King Of pirates to Blackbeard, Ching Shih, Sir Francis Drake, Black Sam Bellamy, Bartholomew Roberts, Captain Kidd and both Anne Bonny and Mary Read to name a few these blood thirsty pirates were legendary.
While the US Navy doesn’t hoist the black pirate flag on its bows it does enter the waters of the sea hell-bent on sending its enemy to Davey Jones’ locker whenever the need arises. The US Navy knows how to fight above and below the oceans of the world and whether they fly the Jolly Roger or not their naval power reigns supreme.
10 Little Known Facts About Pirates
1. Blackbeard was the most feared pirate of all. Blackbeard (AKA Edward Teach) was known as the most terrifying pirate in the world. Before capturing a ship he would weave hemp into his beard and light it on fire—an intimidation tactic that made him look demonic. Yikes! That would scare us, too.
2. The skull and crossbones flag at the top of a pirate ship is called a Jolly Roger. Although the origin of the name “Jolly Roger” has been lost, one theory stems from the use of red flags. Centuries ago, a red flag was commonly used during naval warfare to signal that no mercy would be given, and anyone captured would be killed immediately. Called a Joli Rouge (“pretty red”) by the French, theorists claim this was then translated into English as Jolly Roger. Another theory suggests Jolly Roger derived from “Old Roger”, a term for the Devil. Oh these pirates, they’re so mysterious!
3. Not every pirate ship used a Jolly Roger flag. Pirates from The Bahamas had their flags specially made by a sail-maker’s widow who took payment in brandy, while Blackbeard had his own black flag featuring a skeleton with horns. The skeleton held an hourglass in one hand, and in the other he carried a spear pointing to a heart dripping with three drops of blood.
4. There were women pirates, too. Being a pirate wasn’t just for men. Famous female pirates include Mary Read, Anne Bonny, Grace O’Malley, and Ching Shih.
5. Grog was the pirate’s drink. Grog—a mixture of rum, water, lemon juice, and sugar—was the drink of choice for pirates. (Hmmm, wonder if that’s where the idea for our rum punch came from?)
6. Captain Woodes Rogers chased the pirates out of The Bahamas. Captain Woodes Rogers, a former privateer, went on to become the governor of The Bahamas, and in the process, helped drive all the pirates off the Islands.
7. Pirates did have eye patches. It’s been said that one of the reasons pirates wore eye patches was to help keep one eye adjusted to night vision for seeing below deck.
8. They didn’t really make people walk the plank. Although walking the plank is common in contemporary pirate lore, most pirates just killed people straightaway. When they did torture their prisoners, it was usually through keelhauling (dragging a tied sailor in the water from the back of the ship), marooning a person on a deserted island or remote sandbar, or lashings with a leather whip.
9. Pirates didn’t always bury their treasure. Some pirates didn’t bury their treasure right away because they wanted their share of the loot beforehand. And a pirate’s treasure didn’t always include gold or silver; most of it was food, lumber, cloth, and animal hides.
10. Each pirate ship had its own set of rules and code. Almost every pirate ship had their own set of guidelines that all pirates had to agree to. This included how the loot would be divided, who had what chores, and what was expected of everyone. Believe it or not, one of the most common rules was no fighting onboard. If two pirates had a disagreement they’d have to wait, and fight on land.
So why not a Jolly Roger coin, belt buckle, bottle opener and more!
Without question some of the most popular Jolly Roger designs from Navy Crow have been featured on everything from US Navy challenge coins, to belt buckles and more.
The famous skull with crossed bones and knife in its boney mouth has been an icon with the US Navy for decades. The skull, crossed bones, knife and porthole that is often displayed on a variety of products exclusively offered at Navy Crow have been used by active duty US Navy sailors all over the fleet and throughout their commands for decades. They have been produced on Goat Locker coins, FCPOA coins and more and have produced some of the most successful fundraisers ever seen at each location.
