# How did ancient-day pirates move loot from victim ships to their own ship? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 3, 2025, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455 "2025-07-03T18:39:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/21 "2025-07-03T19:34:23Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Ships’ crews in general often consisted of the dregs of society who couldn’t find any other sort of work. Go out on a drunken bender, wake up the next morning on a new ship without being sure how you got there. That happened in a lot of movies, but I don’t think it’s correct. The [press gangs](https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/yourcountry/overview/pressgangs-/) were only supposed to recruit people with prior seafaring experience. Being a sailor was a skilled profession. Would you know how to splice the mainbrace? A youth could join a ship as an apprentice and learn. An older person would be less welcome, unless they already had a useful skill such as surgeon or carpenter. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/22 "2025-07-03T19:48:41Z")
There were ranks of landsmen, ordinary seamen, and able seamen depending on experience and skills. Landsmen would have little to no experience at sea and might be someone who was desperate for a job, given the choice of prison or going to sea, or running away from something. There was always need for people whose only skill was pulling on a rope. With time, on-the-job training, and skill one could move up the ranks and get better pay and higher share of prize-money. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2025, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/23 "2025-07-03T23:39:38Z")
The could lower and raise small boats, no? Lower a boat, then lower loot into the boat, row the boat to the other ship, raise the loot, repeat. I’d also imaging they could jury rig all manner of booms with blocks and tackle off the ship’s spars. How close to each other could 2 sailing ships safely remain in calm seas? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/24 "2025-07-04T00:32:31Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > How close to each other could 2 sailing ships safely remain in calm seas? Close enough that the pirates could swarm over into the ship they were attacking. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/25 "2025-07-04T02:51:05Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Ships of that time had means to move heavy items on and off the ship using primitive cranes (the aforementioned davits) and manpower. Fairly straightforward to improvise a using the yards if necesssry. Remember that they needed to be able to load very heavy items (guns, spars, water kegs) onto and off of the ship as well as move them around while on the ship. Anchors need to be weighed, masts and yards set up and taken down while at sea. Gold in a neat little chest would be no problem at all. I did that on my sailing trip, when we were loading it before leaving port. Rig up two blocks and tackles; one on the end of a yardarm that is over the pier, the other on a cable stay directly over the hatch into the cargo hold. Attach the cargo to both hooks. Haul on the outboard line to lift the cargo straight up; haul on the inboard line just enough to keep it taught. The haul on the inboard line while paying out the outboard line. The load will shift from one line to the other while the cargo moves over the center of the ship. Then pay out the inboard line and lower the cargo straight down into the hold. It’s impressive what you can do with human power and right tools, and people who know how to rig it all up and keep the crew organized. > [@chela](#): > > How did they weigh anchor, by using a capstan which also raised the yards and lifted cargo Ike big guns. Davits too. Captain Aubrey told me so. Windlass for the anchor; capstan for everything else. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/26 "2025-07-07T21:02:46Z")
I’m wondering what the value was of the actual ship they captured, as compared with its cargo? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/27 "2025-07-07T21:44:00Z")
It depends on the ship and the cargo. The Portuguese carrack was famous for being able to carry a cargo of East Indian pepper worth 6 times the cost of the ship, outfitting, provisioning, and payroll combined. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/28 "2025-07-07T21:58:06Z")
Then again, pepper is an extremely high value-per-weight cargo, and even there, 1/7 of the total isn’t anything to sneeze at. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/29 "2025-07-07T22:18:56Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > It depends on the ship and the cargo. The Portuguese carrack was famous for being able to carry a cargo of East Indian pepper worth 6 times the cost of the ship, outfitting, provisioning, and payroll combined. I imagine that each of the Spanish treasure fleet ships also had multiple amounts of the ship’s value in their hold. Capturing one of those would have been difficult, since the Spanish sent along galleons to protect the treasure fleet. More of them were lost to storms than to pirates. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/30 "2025-07-07T22:30:09Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Because that’s bad for business. Both because people who expect to all be killed fight back harder, and because it means less ships will show up to be robbed. A living crew that’s allowed to sail away on their ship can potentially be robbed again the next time they show up. Right. Not to mention- ships sailed with insurance. So, if the crew and officers were not to be harmed, then why fight back? Remember pirate ships were not frigates, by and large or even Brigs- they were small sloops, and a merchant ship had guns- a few guns could dismast a raider. They loaded the cargo just like the merchant ship got in on board, with booms and nets and manpower. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Rig up two blocks and tackles; one on the end of a yardarm that is over the pier, the other on a cable stay directly over the hatch into the cargo hold. Attach the cargo to both hooks. Right. And the important thing to note is that the Captain only got two shares- every other crewman got one share (Quartermasters, gunners, etc might get 1.5 shares or even 2). So a ship with 100 crew, gets say 100000 pieces of eight. Captain gets 2000, the rest get slightly less than 1000, which is quickly spent on rum, women and fast living. So, other that undersea wrecks, there is no such thing as buried pirate treasure. All these breathless accounts of how that loot would be “worth $10 million in today’s dollars” are bogus- that money was spent, not buringed. (Yes, I know one Captain did bury a modest sum in the hopes he could barter it to escape the hangman) > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > That happened in a lot of movies, but I don’t think it’s correct. It happened once in a while, when the press gang got desperate. But most of the “landsmen” were brought from the 'assizes"- i.e poachers, debtors, and other minor criminals. The Royal Navy, hard as it was, did feed you and prisons of the time were horrible. > [@dtilque](#): > > I imagine that each of the Spanish treasure fleet ships also had multiple amounts of the ship’s value in their hold. Capturing one of those would have been difficult, since the Spanish sent along galleons to protect the treasure fleet. More of them were lost to storms than to pirates. Mostly privateers who could have actual warships. The Golden Hind with 22 guns was by no means a ship of the line, but very maneuverable. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/31 "2025-07-07T23:33:35Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > It’s impressive what you can do with human power and right tools, and people who know how to rig it all up and keep the crew organized. That reminds me that a couple of times, I (or my employer) have had to hire professional riggers to move extremely expensive, delicate items on land and it’s amazing what they can do. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/32 "2025-07-08T00:20:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Then again, pepper is an extremely high value-per-weight cargo, and even there, 1/7 of the total isn’t anything to sneeze at. ISWYDT ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/33 "2025-07-08T00:46:13Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Why wouldn’t they just throw the other crew overboard and take the ship? > [@Velocity](#): > > Presumably, quarter = they would let them live. Probably strand/maroon them alive on the nearest shore and let them figure out how to call for a ride home. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/34 "2025-07-08T03:15:27Z")
I think there is this weird idea that all pirates held to a universal code. You might run across a crew under the influence of a “gentleman pirate” captain who treats his prisoners with dignity and makes promises he intends to keep. But it’s just as likely your ship is boarded by a gang of desperate psychopaths and rapists who will make short work of the crew and passengers before fighting among themselves for the spoils. Honor among pirates was no more reliable than that among other thieves; meaning not at all. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/35 "2025-07-08T07:37:44Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I think there is this weird idea that all pirates held to a universal code. The issue is that piracy is ancient and worldwide, so how they act varies wildly according to place and time. There was no unified code because they were never _unified._ There were fleets of pirates that had a “[code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_Yi_Sao#Legacy)”; on the other hand there were also fleets of pirates that raided entire coastlines for loot and slaves until they were depopulated. That said, the “gang of desperate psychopaths and rapists” style of pirate tended to be short-lived. Not that the longer lived pirates were necessarily _merciful,_ but they were typically more rational and professional than that. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/36 "2025-07-08T12:12:21Z")
There were also a lot of pirates who liked to pretend that they weren’t pirates, usually by virtue of sponsorship from some nation or another. Having some sort of “code” would help for them. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455/37 "2025-07-08T12:32:30Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I think there is this weird idea that all pirates held to a universal code. It’s more what you’d call “guidelines” than actual rules. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-day-pirates-move-loot-from-victim-ships-to-their-own-ship/1020455.md?page=1)