| Existing comment:
Pirates tended to be from the lowest social class and had few familial ties. A pirate's life, though tough, was far less onerous than service on a merchant or naval ship. Most who adopted a pirate's life had previous experience on the sea, either as sailors aboard a merchant vessel, service in the navy, or as privateers (government-sanctioned pirates). The profession was not one filled with "landlubbers," since sea robbers "entertain'd so contemptible a Notion of Landmen." Those who chose -- or in some instances were coerced into -- the pirate lifestyle quickly became familiar with the rigors of a life at sea, the hardships of isolation, and a single-sex work community. |