History of the Pirate Flag
Vložit
- čas přidán 17. 07. 2024
- A brief overview of the origin and modern usage of the pirate flag.
More War Movie Content: / johnnyjohnsonesq
Request a review: johnnyjohnsonreviews@gmail.com
Other Movies Featured:
Pirates of the Caribbean Series
Monty Python The Meaning of Life
Porco Rosso
Pirates of Tortuga
Yellowbeard
One Piece
Skull and Bones (Video Game)
Peter Pan
The Final Countdown
#pirates #piratesofthecaribbean #seaofthieves
Contrary to the movie depiction many pirates in the Caribbean used galleys rather than sailing ships, as a galley worked well when there was no wind for their prey to escape. Captain Kidd for instance used a galley.
They were crafty that way! The Barbary corsairs also made an art of it. The French used prisoners as oarsmen in their Mediterranean Navy. (Hmmm, _Pirates_ _of_ _the_ _Mediterranean_ would be a decent angle for new movies!)
Sloops were also popular. Their shallow draught let them lose larger pursuers by using shallows and reefs and in a dead calm they could be kedged easily or even rowed.
@@mbryson2899 As corsairs were as much slavers as pirates I have a feeling that may not go down as well.
@@bigblue6917 Certainly not if they were white slaves taken by governments.
In the US Navy there is only 1 ship authorized to fly a pirate flag, The USS Kidd. It was named after a US admiral but people couldn't help but associate it with the pirate and privateer "Captain Kidd".
During WWII the ship with that name was known to extort a ransom of ice cream when returning downed pilots to their post.
Captain Kidd was commander of USS ARIZONA and was killed in action during the Pearl Harbor attack. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the attack. He is from Cleveland, OH. The city has a nice historical marker about him near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
I see the Kidd go by sometimes, real neat ship, has the Jolly Roger above the hatch on the 5 inch gun too
I was on USS Midway CV-41 for the evacuation of Saigon, April 1975. On the way to Guam to offload all the evacuee planes and helos, Radio Hanoi called us pirates for stealing their war booty, and the Captain flew the Jolly Roger. I used to put "High Seas Pirate" on resumes and got at least one interview because of it.
Of course, this is ancient history, that evacuation was pretty chaotic, and I've told the story often enough that I'm no longer sure of the details. I doubt there's any official record of it.
And where they gonna get the ice cream?
@@fakhrianuar it's a really long story but the short version is that during prohibition ice cream filled the social role of alcohol for those not willing to break the law. So the US got really into ice cream. So much so that it was basically essential food for the military. The Navy had multiple ships dedicated to making ice cream and could make 500 gallons per day while at sea. So an aircraft carrier fleet would almost certainly have a significant amount of ice cream to "thank" the USS Kidd for returning their lost pilots.
“Aaarrrr-right I’m Johnny” got a nice chuckle out of me. Thanks.
Kinda fitting that the Royal Navy submarine service is still running jolly rogers (or variation) of it for successful deployments. The jolly rogers that were flown by HMS Conqueror was pretty chilling because of that submarine fell deeds during the Falkland war.
+lanie mon. The British clearly aren’t squeamish of using symbols of piracy and looting on their warships.
Serving Queen ( now King...) and country....as John Cleese said in Fawlty Towers...they started it....
What are fell deeds?
Ive often thought that the pirate flag or " jolly roger" originated from a Memento Mori...."Memento mori is an artistic or symbolic trope acting as a reminder of the inevitability of death. The concept has its roots in the philosophers of classical antiquity and Christianity, and appeared in funerary art and architecture from the medieval period onwards. The most common motif is a skull, often accompanied by one or more bones."
So the cross is a memento mori?
I'm not that knowledgeable about Christian history...
That's true, but it isn't contradictory with the video, it's both a symbol of intimidation but also a nihilistic symbol that pirates didn't fear death. Skulls, crossbones and hour glasses are all symbols of death that can be found on regular graves in old cemeteries. So now it seems that some guy from 1750 has a 'pirate flag' on his grave, but it is the other way around.. 😄
@@whoelsebutmeofcoursei No, kinda the opposite actually.
The biggest pirate fleet in the world was operated by the US Continental Congress to finance the 'revolution' circa 1776. The stars and stripes would have been appropriate as a battle standard. The later battles between the US navy and the Barbary pirates could perhaps be viewed as a commercial dispute...
Nicely done, short and sweet. 😊
My favorite movie is _Swashbucker_ with Robert Shaw, Peter Boyle, Genevieve Bujold, Jeff Bridges, and a young (and skinny!) James Earl Jones. I saw it in the theater when I was a kid, it left a hell of an impression.
The book _On_ _Stranger_ _Tides_ by Tim Powers is a great tale. It's a shame nothing but the name was used in the movie.
Quite fitting for a Corsair to have a pirate flag. But it can also be a contraction for Corps Air as the USMC also use them.
Nice catch
A mention should be given to the Fletcher class destroyer USS Kidd, whose crew noticed the ship's namesake shared a name with a captain from the Golden Age of Piracy and got permission both to adorn the funnel with an image of the captain, and also fly a MASSIVE jolly roger, often dwarfing the ships American flag.
Nice one Johnny, who doesn't love a pirate story. You picked some of the best movies featuring these flags BUT there are so many more available to view. My own mad sense of humour pick of your bunch is 'Yellowbeard', somewhere between 'Monty Python' and 'Ripping Yarns', curiously both from the same stable of writers and comedians. Well done.
Yellowbeard is a brilliant and rarely seen movie outside of the UK sadly.
selection of footage for this one is just sublime.
One small unit in the us military that still unofficially uses the Jolly Roger's is my USCG unit. We use Blackbeards flag in training to represent an opposition boat. Even in the Chiefs mess there is Blackbeards flag flying. Hey when you're a puddle pirate you've earned the right. Why I'm making an authentic style one from correct period materials for display and flying.
Very cool!
Whenever we crossed the equator or international date line or the "X", we would have our initiations with King Neptune and would fly the Jolly Roger .
My grandpa served on the USS Kidd DD-661, apparently she was allowed to fly a Jolly Roger because of the ships affiliation with Captain Kidd, even though that’s not at all who she was named after.
She?
@@StormcloakGuard in America ships are referred to as female
@@occasionalscuba2179 In all english, in fact. One of the very few gendered nouns.
Basically most ships in history in any nations called a "she" with the exception of few like Bismarck ship called a "he"
Hey Johnny I just wanted to make sure you know that I immensely appreciate the wide variance of topics and events with which you choose to make content on. It's quite refreshing and I continue to genuinely look forward to your future releases. Right good they is. 👍🏻
Thanks George really appreciate the kind words. This was a fun one for me. 🙏
Also some good movie recommendations for your channel
1) The Lost Strait ( Iran-Iraq war)
2)Dien Ben Phu (first Indo China war)
3) Broj 55 ( Yugoslav wars)
4) Cyborg : Heroes Never Die (Donbass war)
5)John Rambo (Myanmar civil war )
Dien bien phu was such an underrated foreign war movie.
@@phuquoc3012 Mrs C,s da served in the Chindits from the forgotten 14th Army around Indo China at the end of Ww2, thought very highly of the Vietnamese people's desire for independence ...that is why he and his comrades on their return to the UK promptly voted Churchill out of office...
You made me smile, Johnny.
Thanks
There’s only one US Ship aloud to fly the “Jolly Roger” USS Kidd, I wish you added in that scene where they’re trying come up with a pirate flag on their own in that show “our flag means death”
Fascinating stuff! I always click these videos so fast
Thanks Max glad you like them 🙏
Me too...
This was an awesome introduction to the history of (Hollywood) pirate flags. If this video has peaked your interest in the golden age of piracy, check out "gold and gunpowder's" channel for more pirate and age of sail shenanigan's.
the arrrrrlight i’m johnny part was the icing on the cake for this video :)
Almost a distinguishing feature...oh alright, deffo a Johnny thing...E
I loved the Jolly Roger F-14 Tomcat and F-4 Phantom
One thing I appreciated about Pirates of the Carribean and the "Hoist the colors" scene was the fact they showed/used many famous flags of historically Notorious pirate captains. Many winters ago, Time-Life put out a series of books on historical subjects, and pirates was one of them...and I never forgot the illustrations of flags, which were as inventive and unique as you suggest.
Great, now I want a cutlass.
Thanks, Johnny.
Don't we all!
Thank you Johnny, for always teaching me cool stuff!
The Pirate Flag was also use by Special Forces. I know the former British SAS Soldier, Christian Craigehead, wore the Blackbeard patch during the Nairobi incident where he save lives
“ARRRR ight I’m Johnny”
I see what you did there 😂😂😂😂👍🏾
Nice vid, Johnny. Excellent job as usual. As a side note, I run the banner of Edward Teach on my truck. Most people don't know, but he was a patriot and an aristocrat, as well as a music lover. He relinquished his consent to be governed, as so should we all.
I heavily appreciate the arr right at the end
Outstanding video and presentation.
Really enjoyed this video. Thank you.
Great video, as always
Johnny,
Those Tomcats were from VF-84 The Jolly Rogers.
I see what you did there with the “Arrrrrright I’m Johnny” at the end there 😏
AAARRRRR right .... brilliant Johnny!!! 👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
True...
Very cool video!
wow a porco rosso clip! I love it
I’m a we bit disappointed you didn’t use any footage from Black Sails or talk about the flag of Captain Jack Rackham. Rackham’s flag is closest to what is most popularly imagined as a standard pirate flag nowadays. The final scene of the show (minor spoilers)
depicts Jack unveiling this as his new flag and once again not being satisfied that this isn’t the perfect design.
In general I would recommend watching Black Sails, bit of a rocky first season, but overall one of my favourite TV shows of all time.
the totenkopf "deaths head" has a different lineage from the jolly roger but both mean basically the same thing which was to intimidate.
I think the use of the totenkopf by the SS was a callback to the symbols used by Prussian and Brunswick regiments of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Also stormtroopers from ww1
Can you do a video on the 'Sharks Mouth' motif that was often painted on US aircraft / US aircraft paint jobs in general?
I am impressed with Emmanuel's pirate flag(0:53). It is simple, stylish, and intimidating.
There was a modern us navy vessel that was allowed to fly the flag named USS Kidd
RN submariners flew a Jolly Roger on return to port after having successfully sunk a ship or ships on that patrol. Last seen on HMS Conqueror in 1982.
LOL at your “R-r-r-r-right…” 👍
Arrr I'm Johnny is fantastic.
The ‘Totenkopf’ symbol was used in the German Army long before Hitler. One of its most distinguished bearers was Field Marshal August von Mackensen, the last of the so-called ‘Black Hussars’; he served in World War I and lived until 1945, dying at 96.
Also I am waiting for RPG-7 and M-101 Howitzer video.
I do owe you the 101..
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Stand and Deliver...sorry...that is Dick Turpin aka Adam Ant...
My Favorite skull is the Punisher Skull from Iraq.
Arrr-right I’m Jonnee. 🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️
Ahoy Mate. I am the first to set my sails in the Seas of Fortune. Happy Halloween 🎃☠️🧛
lol reminds me of cgp grey's quartermaster edition video
I have Jolly rogers on my bike and T shirt.
I come for that voice
In Estonian Defense Forces the Kuperjanov Battalion, founded by Julius Kuperjanov during War of Independence in 1918 has used skull and bones on it's batch since the beginning.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Kuperjanov
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuperjanov_Infantry_Battalion
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_War_of_Independence
Thank you for sharing this with us all, very prescient these cruel days....E
I wonder if it was influenced by the Germans.
One needs a righteous flag in order for one's name to ring out. Oh, and the price of the brick's going up.
You Forget the Navy/SEALs who used the Pirate Skulls as sometimes their Patch
And special forces do this also, Tarantino in "Planet terror" (2007) has a skul on his uniform in the elevator scene.
@@rolfagten857 Oh really I never thought about it I'll go check for myself dude thanks
My pirate flag will have cats on it. Cats Are Terrifying, Everyone Knows That, 'cause They're Witches And They Got Knives In Their Feet.
AAARRR...Johnny lad....there is a replica of the Black Pearl on the beach in New Brighton promenade here on the Wirral...one time haunt of ship wreckers and neer do wells...did get namechecked albeit in Welsh in the medieval poem of sir Gawain and the green knight...E
I was hoping you'd appreciate that you old sea dog
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq aye aye....Captain
Emanuel Wynne ...cool
Many European cavalry regiments also used skull & bones flag.
It is incorrect to say “the HMS” although “the USS” is acceptable. So the example at 1:00 would have skirmished with HMS POOLE. (in naval staff writing, ship’s names are capitalised) 😘👍🏻
That's right! Lil slip up on my part 🙏
The use of the death's head in the German military predates the nazi's. It has been used by Prussian cavalry in the 1700's and was used by various units before the second world war.
World war 1 general August von Mackensen was known for having a death's head on his hat.
What no footage from Black Sails?
Black Sails is awesome. I tried to squeeze some in but I fear the copyright gods with that show.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq "I fear no man, but those copyright gods, they scare me shitless" -Johnny Johnson, probably
Skull and crossbones were also used in Russian civil war by Kornilov's Shock Regiment in White Army and by Shock troops of Czechoslovak legions. (It would be also great to have a video about them)
It’s almost like a form of heraldry.
Also the unofficial symbol of St Pauli Football Club Hamburg Germany. It represents their rebel stance throughout history, and standing up for what is right.
Pretty weird that things pirates usually do - rob, steal, extort, rape, murder - is considered "what is right".
@@einundsiebenziger5488 that's what the Germans thought in ww2
as an anime fan Roy Fokker comes to mind
Johnny Johnson could you do a history on the AK 47
Eventually I promise. Just need lots of time for that one.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq thank you that is my favorite gun
You know, personally if I were a pirate, I would probably not advertise that I was a pirate as much as I could help it. Pretending to be stuck is however a decent plan, plenty of do gooders to rob blind
Hey I'm suprise you did not use footage from muppets treasure island and planes. Planes 3rd act is with the jolly wrenches the jolly Roger's planes counterpart
I actually tried but my copy was working... It's a fun classic
I didn't know pirate flag symbols went on plains
Corsairs were as much slavers as pirates, over time taking some five million Europeans into slavery. In several cases taking entire villages into slavery, including one as far north as Iceland. When the US Marines sing about the shores of Tripoli they are referring to the fact that they went to Tripoli to finally bring an end to the corsair pirates.
Piracy was very democratic with what amounted to a written constitution some 50 years before the US got theirs. This meant that the pirate captain only had command of the ship when they went into action.
When a sailor joined a ship he would sign articles which covered such things how much he was paid. When they joined a pirate ship they would also sign articles for the same reason. Some sailors would not sign he articles so as to claim the were forced into piracy but as this became more prevalent the authorities refused to accept this and hanged them anyway. Also whereas the pirates originally accepted the sailors not signing the articles this practise was stopped as they felt these sailors were accepting all the rewards but non of the risks.
Wow
/sniffs/ ...Yellowbeard?
Huh this isn’t a Jolly Rancher
Or the jolly swagman ...in Walzing Matilda....
I've always wondered why a pirate ship would advertise that they're in the business of pillaging and plundering, wouldn't they fly a neutral or friendly flag?
Pirate flags were all different, some even in red ink (for blood) but they weren't hoisted until the ships were close enough for broadsides, about 30-50 feet apart., That is a generalisation but for some idea of how they used them start there.
There is a lot of information on this in both the Imperial War Museum and National Maritime Museum (both in London) and plenty of other source material elsewhere.
Then there are false flag operators...ask Vlad the inhaler....
Most ships would have a number of flags for pirate trickery.
Edward Kenway’s flag looks feared then any other pirate flags
This is utter gibberish
What does that sentence even mean?
you meant to write THAN
“A great lady of Maraclea was loved by a Templar, A Lord of Sidon; but she died in her youth, and on the night of her burial, this wicked lover crept to the grave, dug up her body and violated it. Then a voice from the void bade him return in nine months time for he would find a son. He obeyed the injunction and at the appointed time he opened the grave again and found a head on the leg bones of the skeleton (skull and crossbones). The same voice bade him ‘guard it well, for it would be the giver of all good things’, and so he carried it away with him. It became his protecting genius, and he was able to defeat his enemies by merely showing them the magic head. In due course, it passed to the possession of the order.”
only sick people in the levant..
down periscope uss pampanito had the flag for the film
Never heard of Yellowbeard is this a Monty Python film? I see Eric Idle with the crown and Graham Chapman as yellowbeard.
I don't think it technically is but it has a lot of the cast and the same vibe. Well worth watching.
aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhrgggggggg... "hooooy"!
Can never tell what you'll upload
Keep ,em guessing ,I say....
Noo before 4.5k views
I think one piece anime is basically represents any pirate flags
You even added one piece
I like a good mix in my videos :)
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq thanks a lot my mam
3,079
Arrrrrh have ya ever been tu sea Billy?
USS Wisconsin (BB-64); : NO QUARTERS!
Aaarrrrrrrrr Jonny, i'd wager you'd make a great pirate. 😆
The skull & crossbones has a lot older origin Johnny from the Knights Templer called the skull of Sidon that was used on many articles & their battle flags.
Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici = Poor fellow-soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon
When the Knights Templer fell in the early 1300's their skull of Sidon symbol & as well as codes would live on in the Baltic pirate then later English pirates notably my Cornish lot.
The Pirata codex is not 1 code, but many made by each crew all beginning from the knights Templers that where arguably pirates after their orders fall.
The Skull of Sidon has much older origins mind to the 17th century BC city of Sidon & the sea people brought about the bronze age collapse that are the oldest recorded pirates!
Sidon was also the capital port of the Christendom's knights in the crusade.
The skull of Sidon goes back to the Knights Templars formed in Sidon in 1119 though the symbols origin is older but is mythical rather than factual as the stable name for the skull & cross bones was ''Adams head'' with crossed bones being in eves.
This Adams head was a common Momento Mori on the tombstones of lovers far before the knights Templer though how old?
Your guess is as good as mine, johnny!
Adams head was also a common cavalry symbol since late Rome to even the German Totenkopf for some reason that is likely lost to time.
Only from the 14th Century did this ancient symbol the skull of Sidon become associated with pirates!
Then a Hazard symbol for death followed by poison but you get the idea.
If you wonder, why I know so much of this my ancestors where Cornish pirates turned privateers for the crown after pardon against the Spanish armada fighting for her majesty Elizabeth the 1st that granted that full Pardon for piracy!
If it weren't for that fine lady my ancestors would have been hung though many, were they kept being pirates, so we hunted our own!
Oh yes, the Privateers that formed under Elizabeth became the English navy in continues service to date!
Excellent info here Arni! One can really endless search up examples of the symbolic use of skulls throughout world history dating back as long as humans had skulls really. I really had to narrow things down which was difficult so I tried to pick the closet symbol relating to the typical Hollywood "skull and cross bones." Even the evolution of the black flag used by Islam was thought to have influenced the typical pirate black flag but it's sometimes impossible to know who or what truly influenced anything. Hard to say one was the first to think of using a specific color anyway right?
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq The legend of Mahdi during Umayyad caliphate.
Only reason the local Muslims don't bother me in London is I know their history & language better than many of them though they hate me!
I'm godless pragmatic stoic of sorts for a start.
i always laugh at As-salamu alaykum meaning peace be upon you as a religious salute of sorts they have.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah=
Assalamu alikum warahmatu Allah wabarakatoh
Their words never reflect their actions with hidden meaning & they only comply Islamic law to those they see as their own.
Only reason most of them don't dare offend me is I can recite most of the Quran from memory.
I also state if Allah wanted me to be Islamic, surely, he has the power to do so, or do you think your self-greater than the Greatest 1?
I have little to no patience for the Abrahamic faiths though Judaism is the best for a theological debate.
For they bother to read their holy scriptures which the Bible & Quran is just a poorly revised copy of part of the Pentateuch;)
Basically Bereshit & shemot the 1st 2 books of 5.
Mind there are other scriptures beside Pentateuch that compose Judaism.
Mind I take it all with a pinch of salt & means into the psyche of the past long gone.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq and that is before we get on to the red hand of Ulster...people love symbols...ideas and values are more my thing...
Demi-culverin match
هنا الكابتن "جاك سبارو " على الكابتن ماكرون أن يسلمني غلاف مالي معتبر في الويست أرن يونيون أو يسلم اللؤلوة البيضاء أقصد فرنسا إلى الكابتن ماري لوبان
Hitler'SS you can also called The Tottenkopp division
Not exactly. The totenkopf or "death's head" was used by all branches of the SS and not only by the totenkopf units or the SS-division Totenkopf
The original SS - short for "Schutzstaffel", Engl. = "protection squad" - was supposed to be AH's security detail. After the nazi party took power, it became a large force and main authority responsible for all "security" matters, including "policing" regular police, the guarding of concentration camps and organising the holocaust. There was also the Waffen-SS ("weapons SS"), an elite branch under the command of the Wehrmacht (regular armed forces). As WW2 began, there were Waffen-SS units formed, to give members of the regular SS an opportunity to "prove themselves in 'real' combat". The most notable one was the 3. SS Panzerdivision "Totenkopf" commanded by the general inspector of all concentration camps, Theodor Eicke. Given the members of such untis were basically state-employed, uniformed torturers and murderers, their fighting style was not really characterized by mercy or chivalry.
The Somali pirates did not use the skull and crossbones.
Because they are so illiterate that they can't even draw a skull, let alone paint one on a flag.
Yarrr
OHHHHH ARRRRR......pieces of eight....the parrot is outraged...
In the Australian military, it is universally banned by the chief of the defence force. As it is deemed too intimidating and aggressive….what a time to be alive.
I almost included that tid bit but I was too annoyed by it to want to discuss it lol
Yeah, I served for 5 years, when the rule came into effect their were mortar platoons and other units that had to get rid of their skull symbols. It was an embarrassment, I’m glad to be gone now. The ADFs morale has plummeted in the past few years
Strewth, I can't handle the strewth....
Ironic considering the footage I've seen of Australian SAS in action...
Unacceptable. Criminals.
The One Pieceeee… The One Piece is reallll!
One interesting thing about pirates was that they were much more democratic in rule among themselves. Despite what pop media tells us not all ships and crews were commandeered by single brutal man that would skewer a crewmate for one foul word or something.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governance_in_18th-century_piracy
Of course there were probably some exceptions as with everything.