17th-18th century
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Smallsword
A light, thrusting sword that evolved from the rapier, favored by well-to-do 18th-century gentlemen and some pirate captains who affected a genteel appearance. It was faster and less cumbersome than earlier rapiers, though still less practical than a cutlass in a shipboard melee. Bartholomew Roberts, noted for dressing richly, was recorded carrying a sword of…
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Basket-Hilted Broadsword
A straight or slightly curved double-edged sword with an enclosed basket hilt protecting the hand, popular among Scottish and English sailors and privateersmen. The protective hilt made it well suited to the close, unpredictable combat of boarding actions. It was a direct ancestor of the naval cutlass.
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Hanger
A short, single-edged sword with a slightly curved blade, worn by sailors and officers and considered the direct predecessor of the naval cutlass. Its compact size suited the confined spaces belowdecks and on a crowded deck. By the mid-18th century it had largely evolved into the dedicated naval cutlass pattern.
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Firangi
An Indian sword combining a native Indian hilt with an imported or locally forged European-style blade, popular among Maratha warriors and naval forces including those of Kanhoji Angre. The hybrid design paired European blade steel with an Indian basket or disc hilt suited to local fighting styles. It illustrates the cross-cultural exchange of arms common…
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Flintlock Pistol
A single-shot handgun ignited by a flint striking a steel frizzen, the standard sidearm of Golden Age pirates. Because it required a lengthy reload, many pirates carried several at once; Blackbeard was famously described as going into battle festooned with pistols across his chest. It could be used at close range before switching to a…
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Brace of Pistols
A matched pair, or in some cases several pairs, of flintlock pistols carried simultaneously to compensate for their single-shot, slow-reloading nature. Blackbeard reportedly wore as many as six pistols in a sash or bandolier across his chest during boarding actions. Carrying multiple loaded pistols let a fighter deliver several shots before resorting to a blade.
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Musketoon
A shortened, large-bore version of the musket, easier to handle in a ship’s tight spaces than a full-length musket while still offering more range than a pistol. Naval boarding parties and mounted troops both used musketoons for their compact handiness. It bridged the gap between the pistol and the full musket in shipboard combat.
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Fusil / Fowling Piece
A lighter smoothbore firearm originally designed for hunting birds, adopted by sailors and buccaneers as an accurate, if lighter-charged, alternative to heavier military muskets. Its lighter weight made it easier to carry and reload aboard ship. Its accuracy at range made it useful for marksmen picking off an approaching enemy’s officers and helmsmen.
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Grenado
An early hand grenade consisting of a hollow iron, glass, or wood ball filled with gunpowder and fitted with a fuse, lit and thrown onto an enemy’s deck moments before boarding. Its explosion could kill or maim at close range and, more importantly, demoralize a merchant crew into surrender. Grenados were unreliable and dangerous to…
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Powder Keg Bomb
A small keg or container packed with gunpowder and a fuse, used as an improvised explosive device to breach a door, hatch, or hull section during a boarding or raid. Its larger charge than a hand grenado made it useful for destructive rather than purely anti-personnel purposes. Privateers conducting shore raids sometimes used powder charges…