The Red Flag Fleet, a Formidable Foe

The Red Fleet, the largest plying the South China Sea, was a force to be reckoned with. Not only was the fleet larger than most navies of the day, but they were also well armed and manned.

The oceangoing junks were equipped with between twenty and thirty cannon and could carry up to four hundred men. The coastal junks usually carried anywhere from twelve to twenty five cannon and two hundred men. Imagine watching swarms of pirates coming over your bulkheads

And, although the smaller river junks may not have carried too much in the way ordinance there were dozens of these craft each carrying between twenty and thirty men. The Red Fleet was a formidable force indeed.

Under the Black Flag, David Cordingly

Ship Types Used by Pirates

Pirates usually carried out their trade by using ships they had captured on earlier raids. Some pirates might “upgrade” to the better ship after capturing a ship that was better suited for their purposes. Between the years 1710 and 1730 pirate attacks in the Caribbean and along the North American coast were made using the following types of vessels. By percentage: 55%-sloops, 45%-ships, 10%-brigs or brigantines, 5%-schooners, 3%-open boats, and 2%-snows.

Under the Black Flag, David Cordingly

Successful Pirate Captains and their Squadrons

If you are looking for characters for your skirmishes or war games that take place on the high seas, Bartholomew Richards and Black Beard are two characters that raised all kinds of havoc on the high seas during the 1700’s.

Back in 1721, Bartholomew Richards was a pirate captain reported to have taken over four hundred ships during his infamous career. Richards was a natural leader and he was not one to shy away from torture, and murder to achieve his goals.

At the height of his career he commanded a squadron of four vessels. Richards’s flagship was the Royal Fortune, a former French military ship, with forty-two guns. The other ships of his squadron were the Sea King, a thirty gun brigantine, another French ship, the Ranger, and a small sixteen gun ship.

Black Beard was another infamous pirate captain that commanded a squadron of up to four ships. Black Beards flagship was the 36 gun Major Bonnett, also contributing was a sloop with 12 guns and two other ships.

Under the Black Flag, David Cordingly

Red Flag Fleet and its Code of Conduct

Under the leadership of Mrs. Cheng a confederation of some fifty thousand pirates sailed in two hundred oceangoing junks, between six and eight hundred coastal vessels, and dozens of river junks. The pirates attacked fishing, cargo vessels, and oceangoing junks. The Red Flag Fleet operated in and dominated the coastal waters of southern China. 

The rules for conduct for the pirates of the Red Fleet were more stringent than those practiced by the pirates of the West Indies.

Offence                           Punishment

Disobeying orders           Death by beheading

Stealing                           Death by beheading

Deserting                         Loss of both ears

Concealing or                  Flogged

holding back                      

plundered goods             

If any of these offences were repeated you would be suffer death. We can assume that the poor retches would die a slow and torturous death.

Under the Black Flag, David Cordingly