THE PIRATE CODE OF CONDUCT
THE LONGEST LIST OF THE LONGEST STUFF AT THE LONGEST DOMAIN NAME AT LONG LAST

What is the pirate code of conduct?

Though people often think that pirates were unruly creatures that paid no attention to any rules of any kind and allowed no one to place boundaries on them, there was a certain code of conduct that they were expected to follow while they were part of a crew. While some pirates had privileges such as exceptions to these rules due to their own mastered skills, the crew was generally unsympathetic to those who were punished for breaching the code of conduct.

There were rules to decide how the bounty that they captured would be divided among those on deck. The captain would always receive the most, usually one and a half shares. The Master, Carpenter, Boatswain, and Gunner then received the most after the Captain, usually one and a quarter shares and the rest would be divided evenly between the rest of the crew.

Because the pirates were very loyal among themselves, they had certain codes that pertained to keeping that loyalty. If any pirate were to be found as keeping secrets from the rest of their shipmates, they would generally be abandoned somewhere at sea. Sometimes they were given small things to help them live but a lot of times they were given nothing.

By the same token, pirates were quite trusting of the men that they sailed with. Because of this, if any man was found to be stealing from anybody else on the ship, he would be shot or he would also be abandoned somewhere at sea.

Piracy was often a very dangerous career and sometimes sicknesses such as scurvy would infect a pirate or they would lose a limb either doing routine chores on the ship or by engaging in battle. If a joint was lost, the pirate would be awarded four hundred pieces of eight. If a limb was lost, the pirate would be awarded eight hundred pieces of eight.

Fighting amongst shipmates was strictly forbidden. If any crew member were to hit another crew member, they would receive forty lashes on the bare back.

The crew members were mainly men as female pirates were practically unheard of. At times the male pirates would become lonely and wish for some female company. Because no females were allowed on ships, pirates sometimes would try to sneak on a female dressed in disguise as a man. This was a serious offence and the punishment was death.

Being a pirate was also a very serious business and a huge commitment. A pirate could not leave the ship and crew any time that he chose to. Instead, he had to wait until he had made 1,100 pounds before being able to do so.

 

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