Black Pearl

"Wherever we want to go, we'll go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails; that's what a ship needs&hellip;but what a ship is&hellip;what the Black Pearl really is&hellip;is freedom."

- Jack Sparrow to Elizabeth Swann

The Black Pearl is an infamous pirate galleon originally a merchant ship owned and operated by the East India Trading Company under the name Wicked Wench. Command was first given to Jack Sparrow who fulfilled many contracts on the Company's behalf. However, after Jack refused to carry out a certain task for his East India Trading Company superior Cutler Beckett, Beckett ordered the Wench set alight and sunk and her captain forever branded as a pirate. After trying and failing to drag the Wench to the surface with his bare hands, Sparrow struck a bargain with the ghostly Captain of the Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones. Jones returned the ship to Jack in near perfect condition except for the permanently charred hull which prompted Jack to rename her the Black Pearl. In exchange for thirteen years captaincy Davy Jones demanded one hundred years of service aboard the Dutchman.

Thirteen years later Jones would call in his debt, but freedom loving Jack was not yet ready to surrender himself to the Flying Dutchman. Sparrow devised a plan to escape his debt to Jones by possessing the Dead Man's Chest, this plan backfired however and Jones set the Kraken upon Jack which dragged both him and his beloved ship to the locker

Even death was not the end for Jack Sparrow however, A rescue party led by former first mate Hector Barbossa infiltrated the locker and sprung both Jack and the Black Pearl from their imprisonment. The squabbling captains then sailed the Pearl to Shipwreck Cove where newly elected Pirate King Elizabeth Swann choose the Pearl to be her flagship in the battle against the East India Trading Company. A titanic showdown ensued with the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman locked in combat around a massive maelstrom of which the Pearl emerged victorious.

The Wicked Wench
"You made a deal with him too, Jack. He raised the Pearl from the depths for you. Thirteen years, you've been her captain."

- Bootstrap Bill Turner to Jack Sparrow on Davy Jones

The Black Pearl was first christened the Wicked Wench, and served as a merchant vessel with the East India Trading Company. Jack Sparrow was employed by Cutler Beckett on a number of errands for the Company, and was given command of the Wench. Jack became very attached to the ship, seeing her as less of a vessel and more a symbol of the freedom he so desired. When Beckett ordered Jack to transport slaves from Africa to the Caribbean, Jack refused and set the slaves free, so Beckett sent men to track Sparrow and the Wench down. Jack was caught, and his ship was set aflame and sunk.

Jack was branded a pirate and incarcerated, but was able to escape from prison. He vowed to bring his ship back from the bottom of the ocean, even if he had to do it himself, and almost drowned in a futile attempt to do just that. He was saved by Davy Jones, and made a deal with him; Jack would spend one hundred years in service to Jones if he raised the Wicked Wench from the depths and gave Jack command of the vessel for thirteen years. Jones kept to his word, and returned the ship to Jack, who re-christened her the Black Pearl due to her charred appearance. He painted the ship’s hull black and gave her black sails in order to strengthen her image as a pirate ship (originally she was gold-colored and had splendid white sails). Eventually he also installed the oars then.

Mutiny
"The Black Pearl? I've heard stories.She's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years. Never leave any survivors" "No survivors? Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?"

Jack captained the Pearl for the next two years, assembling a crew of pirates who became the scourge of the Caribbean, including Hector Barbossa, who became Sparrow's First Mate. Jack learned of the location of the mysterious treasure island, Isla de Muerta, and was set to lead his crew there. However, once he told Barbossa of the island's location, the crew mutinied, and left Jack marooned on a desert island. Now-Captain Barbossa took the Pearl to Isla de Muerta, and to the treasure within.

Misfortune struck the Pearl's crew, however, as the treasure they found in the Chest of Cortés was cursed, and turned them into the living dead. Over the next decade, they attempted to reclaim all 882 pieces of Cortés' treasure they had so carelessly frittered away, in order to reverse the effects of the curse. Although The Black Pearl herself was not cursed, she appeared to have been affected by the curse; she now operated with pitch-black sails ripped in several places, yet was still known as the fastest ship in the Caribbean. Further, a shroud of thick fog seemed to follow the Pearl wherever she sailed.

The ghost ship
"You've seen a ship with black sails, that's crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out?"

- Mullroy to Murtogg

The Pearl's exploits became infamous over the next ten years, and many stories and legends arose about the ship with black sails and its crew of ghosts. On one occasion, the Pearl sunk a vessel carrying young William Turner to the Caribbean, though unbeknownst to the crew, Turner was actually carrying the final coin needed to lift the curse. By then her sails were already torn in a battle or a storm. She also suffered some small damage, including a little hole at the brig.

Attack on Port Royal
"It's the Pearl"

- Jack Sparrow

Turner and the crew of the Pearl ultimately crossed paths again 8 years later, following the Pearl's attack on Port Royal. The crew captured Turner's love Elizabeth Swann, who had the final coin in her possession at this point, and who Barbossa believed could help lift their curse. The crew brought her to Isla de Muerta, where Barbossa began the ritual to lift the curse. It failed, though the Pearl pursued and destroyed the HMS Interceptor, capturing Will Turner to restart the ritual. However, Jack Sparrow intervened, and killed Barbossa moments after the curse was lifted by the actual Turner, William. The remaining members of the crew were captured by the Royal Navy. During the chaotic battle, Jack's rag-tag crew from Tortuga led by Gibbs made off with the Black Pearl.

New adventures
"Captain Sparrow...The Black Pearl is yours"

- Anamaria to Jack Sparrow

At Tortuga, the crew recruited some new members as well as patching up the worn and ragged sails, and repairing the damage the Pearl had suffered during the battle, with the curse lifted the dense fog that had followed the ship for the past ten years dispersed. They then sailed to Port Royal to help Sparrow, who was sentenced for execution at Port Royal for his crimes against the crown, though with the help of Will Turner he managed to escape. He was soon reunited with his crew, and once more took command of the Black Pearl. He and his ship set off on a voyage of freedom.

During the following year, the Black Pearl sailed the Seven Seas and her crew fought other pirates, the undead and the Royal Navy, searched for treasures and captured merchant ships. At some point she escaped a Royal Navy ship captained by James Norrington near Tripoli by sailing into a storm. The Navy ship followed her and sunk. At some other point, the Navy managed to capture the Black Pearl, her captain, Jack Sparrow was thrown in a prison and the ship herself was kept in on a secret Navy outpost somewhere in the Caribbean while the release orders for her were guarded by a Navy soldier in Port Royal. Sparrow escaped, and with some help, he got the ship back and recruited new crew members. When Sparrow and Will turner were sentenced to death in Panama, they hoped that the Black Pearl will rescue them.

Freedom's price
"You've been captain of the Black Pearl for thirteen years. That was our agreement." "Technically, I was only captain for two years, then I was viciously mutinied upon." "Then you were a poor captain, but a captain nonetheless!"



By this time, thirteen years had passed since Davy Jones had raised the Wicked Wench from the depths, and now it was time to call in Jack's debt. However, Sparrow was not ready to surrender his soul to Jones, and embarked on a quest to find the Dead Man's Chest and thus gain control of Jones himself. With the legendary Kraken in pursuit, Jack was forced to avoid the open water, and ran the Pearl aground on Pelegosto island. There, Jack and his crew were captured by cannibals, and while they attempted to escape, the pirates Pintel and Ragetti tried to steal the Pearl. The crew arrived back at the ship in time, however, and ultimately employed the pirates onboard the Pearl.

Despite his cunning, Jack could not run from Davy Jones for long. Although he believed he had Jones' heart in his possession—and thus could exert his influence over him—he found too late that James Norrington had stolen the heart from him on Isla Cruces, where the Dead Man's Chest had been found. Now aboard the Black Pearl, Jack was forced to face the wrath of Davy Jones, manifested in the form of the Kraken. Initially, he attempted to abandon the Pearl and its crew while he raced for land, but found he could not go through with this cowardly plan, and returned to the Pearl. The ship suffered serious damage by the Kraken, and Jack, with a heavy heart, ordered his crew to abandon ship.

However, Elizabeth Swann, realizing that so long as Jack remained with the crew they were in danger, shackled Jack to the ship's mast, and left him to his fate as the crew escaped on the longboats. Jack managed to free himself, but had no time to escape the doomed Pearl. Instead, he faced down the Kraken in a display of noble heroism, and, as a true Captain, went down with his ship.

Resurrection
"So tell me, what's become of my ship?"

- Hector Barbossa

The Kraken dragged the Black Pearl down to Davy Jones' Locker, along with its captain. Both were marooned on a seemingly endless desert. While being dragged underwater, the Pearl had its deck cleaned off by the rushing waters, and during his time there, Jack may have repaired some of the damage on the Pearl, but was unable to repair it fully. However, Sparrow was forced to endure a maddening existence leading to hallucinations wherein he saw multiple personifications of his various personalities attempting to crew the Pearl.



During one of the pirate's bouts of hallucinations, a rock Jack had thrown turned into a crab. Other rocks turned into a army of crabs. This force moved the Pearl, with Jack chasing behind. The crew of the Hai Peng arrived in the Locker in time to see the Black Pearl, with Jack in the rigging, slide into the sea. Tia Dalma apparently was responsible for this turn of events.

Jack immediately resumed his captaincy, though found competition in the form of Barbossa. His crew was bolstered by Tai Huang and his men, who pledged allegiance to Sparrow. The Pearl sailed the endless doldrums of the Locker until Jack deciphered the cryptic clues of Sao Feng's navigational charts, and devised a plan to return the ship back to the land of the living. He and the crew tipped the Pearl upside down, allowing the crew to escape the Locker heralded by a green flash.

Double cross
"Beckett agreed. The Black Pearl, was to be mine! Lord Beckett's not going to give up the only ship as can out run the Dutchman, is he?"

- Sao Feng and Mercer

Following their escape from the locker, the crew of the Pearl sailed to a small island in order to to stock up on fresh water. Jack and Barbossa led the party on land, while Will Turner staid on board the ship along with Elizabeth and most of the crew. Once on the island however the Pearl was ambushed by the Empress, and command was handed over to the East India Trading Company thanks to Sao Feng's deal with Lord Beckett. However, Barbossa convinced Feng to aid the crew, and the Pearl launched an attack on the HMS Endeavour while Feng fled. Jack was free to command the Pearl once more, and made for Shipwreck Cove to join his fellow Pirate Lords.

Pirate flagship
"We will need to use the Black Pearl as a flagship to lead the attack." "Oh, will we now?"

- Elizabeth Swann and Hector Barbossa



The Brethren Court agreed to go to war, led by the newly-voted Pirate King, Elizabeth Swann, and the Black Pearl sailed out as the flagship of the pirate armada. Onboard, Calypso was released from Tia Dalma's body, showering the deck with millions of crabs before creating a massive maelstrom that served as the battlefield between the pirates and Lord Beckett's forces.

The Pearl itself fought directly, engaging the Flying Dutchman in single combat with Barbossa at the helm. Both ships circled the whirlpool while their crews swung from one to another. Fighting broke out on the deck of the Pearl, during which Elizabeth Swann and William Turner were married by Barbossa. Davy Jones was later killed, and William Turner replaced him as captain of the Dutchman. Jack turned to the helm of the Black Pearl, and both ships launched a synchronized assault on the Endeavour, which was destroyed under the combined firepower.

Second mutiny
"Love, that is a dinghy. My vessel is magnificent, and fierce, and huge-ish, and&hellip;gone! Why is it gone?"

- Jack Sparrow to Scarlett and Giselle

With the war over, Elizabeth disembarked and Jack sailed the Black Pearl to Tortuga, promising Scarlett and Giselle a ride in his ship. However, upon returning to the harbor, Jack found the Pearl gone—commandeered by Barbossa, along with everyone but Joshamee Gibbs. Pintel and other crewmen questioned Barbossa's decision to mutiny for a second time, though it was Jack who retained the upper hand when Barbossa realized he had cut the middle out of Sao Feng's navigational charts for himself. Though Barbossa had the Pearl in his possession, Jack set out in a dory to find the Fountain of Youth.

Design and appearance
"Granted, she has been known to list to port and has the tendency to frighten young women. But I promise you...you will not be disappointed"

- Jack Sparrow to Scarlett and Giselle

As the Wicked Wench she had a golden yellow hull and flew sails of pure white which, carried the colors of the East India Trading Company.

As a pirate vessel, the Black Pearl's most obvious and infamous features were her tattered black sails and soot colored hull. Aside from the obvious psychological implications of a black ship in a superstitious world, her coloring enabled the crew to effectively hide in the dark of night by dousing the lamps scattered around the deck. This ability was used by Captain Barbossa to infiltrate the harbor of Port Royal, and later by Captain Sparrow when he sent Will Turner to investigate a wrecked ship in search of the key to the Dead Man's Chest.

Aside from her striking visual features, the Pearl was believed to be extremely fast, at least by those who knew of her existence. In fact, when she sailed with the wind, she was the fastest ship in the Caribbean, indicating that her speed may be derived the large amount of canvas she carried. Under Barbossa and his cursed crew, galley-style oars, or "sweeps", were a primary method of boosting the Pearl's speed when going against the wind or pursuing very fast prey.



The rigging of the Black Pearl had three masts: the fore, the mizzen, and the main. The fore and main masts were rigged with a topsail, a course, and a topgallant while the mizzen only had a topsail and a topmast stay-sail. At the stern were the fore stay-sail and flying jib, anchored with the bowsprit, both used for steering. The capstan, used to raise and lower the main sail was found on the main deck, at the mizzen mast, which is very unusually as it was normally located at the foremast. The jolly boats, used for going ashore, were found here too. The gun deck, home to some of the ship's cannons, was also part of the main deck.

At the aft of the ship beneath the helm, was the captain's quarters. The captain's quarters were very spacious compared to the crew's quarters. The captain used their quarters to dine, hold private conversations, and navigate. It could also have been used as a surgery area or even gundeck, if needed. Above the captain's quarters was the upper deck. The wheel was found here as was the belfry. The belfry contains a bell that was rung on the hour.

The crew's quarters were near the middle of the ship. This area was filled with hammocks that the crew slept in. The crew's quarters also had a few of the ship's cannons.

The lowest part of the ship was used as storage. Among the supplies kept there were ammunition, food, and, most importantly in the eyes of the crew, rum. Dead weight was also sometimes used here in order to keep the ship balanced, During Jack Sparrow's second captaincy a small flock of (presumably stolen) sheep were also kept in the storage area.

The Black Pearl also had a brig comprised of two cells. The brig was most likely near the storage area because leaking water seemed to have been a problem here, at least during Captain Barbossa's first captaincy.

The Black Pearl was armed with 32 twelve-pound cannons: fourteen on the upper deck and eighteen on the lower gun deck. She had no cannons on the bow or stern, leaving her at a disadvantage during a pursuit. Nevertheless, her firepower is strong enough to damage a ship gravely or even sink it, and her high speed negates this handicap partially.

In the Game
The Black Pearl made an appearance in the game Pirates of the Caribbean. However, it didn't have much similarities from the ship of the film, such as having 32 pound cannons.

The Black Pearl was encountered by Nathaniel Hawk in Falaise de Fleur port. At first, Oweyn tells Hawk to deliver a certain chest to the innkeeper of Redmond colony, Charles Windem. Before even getting near the door, two pirates forced Nathaniel to give them the chest. When Nathaniel refuses, they attack him. Nathaniel finds out that he can't even seem to hurt them. The pirates call him a second chance, and Nathaniel is forced to give the chest. Upon reporting to Oweyn McDorey, Nathaniel listens to him about a story of a dreaded ship who was cursed by God. The ship was called the Black Pearl, and its crew appear to be normal men in the morning, but skeletons in the evening. Its crew are immortal and are actually undead sailors, and they pray for death for rest, but their sins can't let them rest in peace. The Black Pearl continues to hunt and sink ships, but no one can kill neither the ship nor its crew. Oweyn tells him that he bought the chest from a man living in Falaise de Fleur. The man told him that he could get rid of his old foe simply by giving it to him. Nathaniel Hawk then goes to Falaise de Fleur to find and talk to the man, Henry Peat, about the ship. Peat actually served the Black Pearl. The Black Pearl always had good loot, until one day, they found large, beautiful coins, and hardly looking at second thought, they used them. The coins had a curse which created duels among each other, and murder. Henry Peat was one of the lucky men who survived the curse. Henry Peat now lives a quiet life today, regularly attending the Eucharist, and reading his Bible.

Upon reaching the port, Nathaniel's friend, Gordon Carpenter, invites him for a drink at the local tavern. They talk about the Black Pearl. The Black Pearl is a terrible ship and some say that its captain is the devil himself. However, deep in the Incan jungle, there is an idol needed for the ability to destroy the Black Pearl. All its crew and captain fear it as normal people fear death.

Nathaniel Hawk encounters it for the last time at Khoal Roa. His ship, the Victory, battles it and uses the crystal generated by the idol to weaken it. The Victory then destroys it and brings it to the bottom.

According to the cinematic, the Black Pearl's crew still live, and still might continue hunting ships.

Behind the scenes



 * The Wicked Wench is the ship found at the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland. Disney wanted to rename the Wicked Wench on the ride to Black Pearl but were denied licensing rights.


 * Four separate Black Pearls were built for the movie trilogy. The original one, which was basically a set on a barge, was only used in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. In addition, another one was built on the sound-stage set to achieve better control over fog machines. For the second two movies, a more sea-worthy Black Pearl was built around the ship Sunset. In addition, another version, mounted on a gimbal, was build for filming the Maelstrom battle.
 * At least two real-world ships called The Black Pearl exist; a brigantine located in Olcott, New York, USA. and a boat a team called Pirates of the Caribbean used in the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race. &lt;ref&lt;/ref&gt;
 * The Black Pearl is one of the locations that can be visited in the Port Royal world of Kingdom Hearts II.
 * The Pirates of the Caribbean PocketModel game features four versions of her, three times as the Black Pearl and one time as the Wicked Wench. In all of them she is armed with 40 guns and flies Barbossa's Jolly Roger flag.
 * The Black Pearl makes an appearance in the Pirates of the Caribbean video game but it is unknown if Hector Barbossa is the captain (although Barbossa is set as the ship's default captain in the game's code). It does not attack the player unless attacked, in which case it will destroy the player. At night the Black Pearl's crew appears as skeletons. After the adventure on Khoal Roa, The Victory enters battle with it and destroys it.
 * During At World's End, the Pearl seemed to have many errors during the film. During the previous film, the Captain's quarters rear windows were broken open by the Flying Dutchman, along with the doors. At some shots during At World's End, the rear windows would bare the damage they received from the Dutchman, and sometimes they would be perfectly repaired. It is most likely that the damage was left, due to the deleted scene, Two Captains, One Ship, where Barbossa comments on the damage in the Captain's quarters, which Jack Sparrow replies to: Oh this? This is just ventilating. To clear out the stench of the previous occupant."