All About Ships

This guide contains all the information you need to know about every class of ship in the game. NOTE: this information comes directly from the instruction booklet from the original CD release of "Pirates!"

Introduction

This guide is meant to inform new players as to all the possibilities available to them in regards to ships that they want to sail, as well as to be a reference for all players as to basic information such as maximum number of cannon that a certain ship can use at once, or which ship is faster than another- information that is not always readily available in-game. Each section is divided by ship size as determined by the game creators. Each section has a short introduction by me and then a list of ships by relative size, again as determined by the game creators. Some ships have additional information, which is written by me as well, and then all ships will have listed the following information in order:

Ship Speed, Turning Radius, Warship/Merchant Classification, Minimum crew required to sail at full speed, Maximum crew allowed, Maximum number of cannon that can be mounted at one time, and maximum cargo space on ship.

NOTE: Sailing speed, turning radius, and max crew can all be improved through upgrades- the values in this guide reflect a non-upgraded version of every ship in the game.

I am happy to answer any questions as best I can, and if I have made a mistake, it benefits everyone reading this guide to point it out to me, so that I can fix it. Thank you for taking the time to view my guide, and please let me know if there are any other improvements you would recommend to make it more easily viewable, or more enjoyable.

Small Ships

The "small" size ships are good because they are extremely fast, maneuverable, and require very little crew members. If you wish to earn gold, and points, by trading, they can be useful in quickly getting around the map. However, many of them have very little cargo space, so you'll have to plan your route ahead of time to allow the best profit margin. Also, these ships do not carry many guns (cannons) so they don't fare well against large warships in inexperienced hands.

Indian War Canoe-
Unfortunately, the war canoe is not actually on the list provided in the original guidebook. My belief is that because Indian settlements are so few and far between, and because realistically no pirate would have tried to sail a canoe to conquer the sea, the game designers figured you wouldn't take one of these. If you're feeling brave, however, it is very easy to capture one of these ships. Simply engage them and run your ship into them. War canoes don't have a "captain" to duel, so they'll immediately surrender, but if you're in a larger ship they may very well sink on impact, so be sure to take it nice and slow in that case.

The war canoe can carry up to 8 guns, and I believe its cargo load is 15 or 20. Max crew of 50


Tartane-
This is the smallest REAL ship in the game. They are quite rare because of their small size. After the first era I don't believe they spawn at all.

Very Fast,Very Tight turn radius, Merchant class. Minimum crew-6, Max crew-50. Max guns-8. Max cargo-20

Pinnance-
Slightly larger version of the Tartane, likely the smallest European ship you'll see.

Very Fast, Very Tight turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-6. Max crew-60. Max guns-10. Max cargo-25.

Mail Runner
Larger Pinnance, and the smallest warship class. Usually only appears when delivering ultimatums, peace treaties, and pirate amnesty. If you want to really downsize while also maintaining any attacking power, the mail runner is a fine choice. However, note the small cargo space versus the relatively high crew count. If you like to max out your crew to increase your fighting strength, you may not want to stray too far from friendly cities.

Very Fast, Very Tight turn radius, Warship. Min crew- 6. Max crew-80. Max guns-12. Max cargo-30.

Sloop
The default starting ship for many eras, the sloop is a good manuverable ship with a fair amount of cargo space. In the right hands, an upgraded sloop can get you a long way.

Fast, Tight turn radius, Warship. Min crew-8. Max crew- 75. Max guns-12. Max cargo-40.

Sloop of War
As the name implies, a slightly better version of the regular sloop.

Fast, Tight turn radius, Warship. Min Crew-8. Max Crew- 100. Max guns- 16. Max cargo-50.

Royal Sloop
The largest in the Small class, the Royal Sloop is most often seen used as a pirate hunter or escort for treasure ships. They can give you trouble if you are underleveled.

Fast, Tight turn radius, Warship. Min. Crew-8. Max Crew-125. Max guns-20. Max cargo-60.


This concludes the SMALL class ships.

Medium Ships

Medium ships are great, because they're the perfect middle ground of speed, cargo space, and firing power. Most of the medium ships are Merchants, however, and therefore aren't the best for fighting. But, the ones that ARE warships are worth looking into because they're a perfect middle ground in every aspect.

The "Brig" family is first, and the only warships in the medium class. Interestingly enough, they also have oars on board, which means they can sail into the wind, as opposed to being stopped dead entirely. "Brig" family ships are the only ones, not including the War Canoe, that have this feature.

Brigantine
The first in the "Brig" family of ships, the Brigantine is not extremely common, at least on harder difficulties. It's very comparable to the Royal Sloop in terms of numbers.

Medium speed, Tight turn radius, Warship. Min crew-12. Max crew-125. Max guns-20. Max cargo-60.

Brig
The Brig is a wonderful ship. The first really big step up from the Sloop you start with, if you hold on to a brig and really learn to use it, there are few ships out there that will be able to handle you.

Medium speed, Tight turn radius, Warship. Min Crew-12. Max Crew-150. Max guns-24. Max cargo-70.

Brig of War
There is a bit of a trend here- the words "of War" denote the better version for both sloops and brigs in the game.

Medium speed, Tight turn radius, Warship. Min crew-12. Max crew-200. Max guns-32. Max cargo-70.

The rest of the medium class ships are all Merchants, which are usually poor for pirating. However, they can be good to have as a second ship for hauling cargo-especially food- since most warships, especially when at max crew and max guns, will run out of food quite quickly due to their relatively low cargo space.

The first merchants in the list are the Barques- used by everyone to transport new governors, food, and on shorter trade missions. These ships are quite easy to capture due to the low amount of guns they carry. However, they are quite useful to carry men if you want to build up an army to attack cities.

Coastal Barque

Slow, Tight turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-10. Max crew-75. Max guns-12. Max cargo- 60.

Barque

Slow, Tight turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-10. Max crew-100. Max guns-16. Max cargo-70.

Ocean Barque
Not very common, but just a larger version of the regular barque.

Slow, Tight turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-10, Max crew-125. Max guns-16. Max cargo-80.

The next three are the last of the Medium class, and are also exclusive to the Dutch. The only time you won't see one of these ships flying a Dutch flag is if you capture one and make it so. They are also the first ships that we see with a wide turn radius and very slow movement. This also makes them very easy to capture.

Fluyt

Very Slow, Wide turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-12. Max crew-50. Max guns- 8. Max cargo-80.

Large Fluyt

Very Slow, Wide turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-12. Max crew-75. Max guns-12. Max cargo-100.

West Indianman

Very Slow, Very Wide turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-12. Max crew-100. Max guns-16. Max cargo-120.

This concludes the MEDIUM class ships.

Large Ships

The final section, this will talk about all the LARGE Class ships in the game. There are a fair share of both merchants and warships here, so there's plenty to choose from for either play style!

First, the Merchantmen family. These are the smallest of the large ships, and are only used by France and England. Spain and the Dutch don't use them, since we've already seen the Dutch's special merchant ships, and the Spanish ones we'll be discussing later in this section.

Merchantman

Slow, Very Wide turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-16. Max crew-125. Max guns-16. Max cargo-100.

Large Merchantman

Slow, Very Wide turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-16. Max crew- 125. Max guns-20. Max cargo-120.

East Indianman

Slow, Very Wide turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-16. Max crew-150. Max guns-20. Max cargo-140.

Next are my favorite- the Frigates. These warships are the most powerful in the game. They are very agile so they can run down small, fast ships, and they pack more than enough punch to exchange volleys with big, lumbering galleons. Note the very large crew sizes and high number of cannon. However, be aware that the cargo space leaves much to be desired. If you plan on having a large crew, then it's best if you keep a smaller merchant class in tow to hold plenty of food and extra cannon for you. NOTE: Spain does not spawn any frigates, so if you want one, look for invasion forces from the Dutch, English, or French, or, Blackbeard has a frigate and Henry Morgan has a large frigate. Those two are the easiest way to get one of these ships without angering any countries.

Frigate

Fast, Wide turn radius, Warship. Min crew-16. Max crew-200. Max guns-32. Max cargo-80.

Large Frigate

Fast, Wide turn radius, Warship. Min crew-16. Max crew-250. Max guns-40. Max cargo-90.

Ship of the Line
The most powerful ship in the game, this ship will only spawn in harder difficulties- typically as a "New Warship." The AI will load these ships up with a lot of guns and a lot of men aboard. Your best bet for capturing one of these ships is to board it and win the duel as quickly as possible. You will have tough fight if you try to engage for very long at range. NOTE, these ships will not spawn from Spanish controlled ports!

Fast, Wide turn radius, Warship. Min crew-16. Max crew-300. Max guns-48. Max cargo- 100.

Next up, Galleons. There are galleons of war and galleons for trade, and all of them are exclusively Spanish. Additionally, the evil Spainiards that you chase after- Baron Raymondo, Marquis Montalban, and, if you romance a governor's daughter enough- Colonel Mendoza, all use galleons of differing variety. First we'll look at the War Galleon family.

Fast Galleon
The Fast Galleon is, in standing, a bit stronger than a brig- literally 10 men stronger- but weaker than a frigate, since it has less guns. A brig also has a great advantage of speed and manuverability. If I had to choose, I'd take a brig any day. That being said, Colonel Mendoza will always have a fully upgraded Fast Galleon.

Slow, Wide turn radius, Warship. Min crew-16. Max crew-160. Max guns-24. Max cargo-80.

War Galleon
The War Galleon is the first remarkable one of the family, with a good size crew capacity and good firepower. In both respects, it is comparable to the frigate. However, it can hold 10 more cargo than a frigate, which will likely be needed for food to make up for the speed while traveling. Baron Raymondo will always have a fully upgraded War Galleon.

Slow, Wide turn radius, Warship. Min crew-16. Max crew-200. Max guns-32. Max cargo-90.

Flag Galleon
The largest warship in the game, the Flag Galleon is matched with the Large Frigate in firepower, and is only beaten by the Large Frigate's superior speed. However, of the entire Spanish navy, the Flag Galleon is the most powerful ship around. Like it's smaller brother, it beats the Large Frigate in cargo space. Marquis Montalban will always have a fully upgraded Flag Galleon.

Slow, Wide turn radius, Warship. Min crew-16. Max crew-250. Max guns-40. Max cargo-100.

Last but certainly not least, the Trade Galleon family! They are exclusive merchants to Spain. They are all very slow and unmanuverable, which makes them easier targets for sloops and brigs that can run circles around them, however, notice the high number of guns they can carry. Remember that the best treasures are the most heavily guarded, and it is not uncommon to see a treasure ship running 40 guns, and still being escorted by a sloop, or a War Galleon.

Trade Galleon

Very Slow, Very Wide turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-16. Max crew-100. Max guns-20. Max cargo-120.

Royal Galleon
Relatively uncommon, simply due to their mid-range size compared to the rest of the family, and the ratio of trade galleons to others is so high.

Very Slow, Very Wide turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-16. Max crew-150. Max guns-32. Max cargo-130.

Treasure Galleon
As I stated earlier, the best treasures are the most heavily guarded. With firepower equal to a Flag Galleon, use this ship's manuverability to its disadvantage. Getting behind or in front is best, so you can avoid a rain of cannonballs.

Very Slow, Very Wide turn radius, Merchant. Min crew-16. Max crew-200. Max guns-40. Max cargo-140.

Closure

Well everyone, that's it! That is every ship in the entire game. I hope you can find at least one that you like, and that best suits your playstyle. I personally love to get a frigate or ship of the line as quickly as possible- because the rest is a breeze after that! But, if you get attached to the Brig of War that you've been upgrading, then use it! Or if you don't want to fight, but just want to see how much gold you can make by trading, then grab a merchant that suits you! And if you want the game on Very Hard mode, try and play through it using just a War Canoe!

If you're reading this, I'd like to thank you for using this guide, and I hope that it is a help to you. If you didn't make it this far and just wanted to see about that one ship you want, that's ok too; thanks to you as well! If there is any information that is incorrect in this guide, please point it out to me so that I may correct it, that way it helps everyone. Please feel free to leave feedback as it also is beneficial to everyone for me to make this guide as easy to navigate as possible. And finally, I hope you continue to enjoy this game as much as I do!

[Sir_Strazzen]

IDK if it is possible to Edit small, individual things like the number of Guns or Tonnes of Cargo, but for the " Brig of War " ; you got the Cargo rating off. You named it as 70 like the regular Brig , when it is 80 Tons just like a basic Frigate or Fast Galleon.

[The Dark Ranger]

It is a nice ship.

[Dan Murphy Jr.]

royal sloop my beloved

[The Dark Ranger]

-Continuance of post-
The St Martin to Montresat stretch is a good place to find one even on apprentice. Spend a very long time there making the life of two of the factions there hell while using the third as a base and eventually, even on apprentice, you'll see a Ship-of-The-Line appear, the sea lanes between settlements are short so you should be doing this in something fast like a sloop so you can catch it before it enters a port. I recommend a Royal Sloop so you can maybe survive a broadside if you get unlucky instead of sinking instantly, especially on the harder difficulties where your ship has lower durability.

[The Dark Ranger]

I can confirm that in the easiest difficulty the Ship-of-The-Line can appear. I've seen one a few times in my thousands of hours of gameplay as a kid on non Steam versions of the game, including the Xbox. Until recently when I downloaded a dance automation mod I'd generally play on easy so the universally despised dancing mini-game would be easier so that's probably a few thousand hours playing on apprentice difficulty. I most often saw them from France sailing to Florida Keys. That port is often so heavily attacked with most French ships getting sunk by the AI that you have the perfect location to camp to get one. The second most common location would be that tight cluster of islands in the eastern portion of the map.

[tbailey264]

Really craig? I believe you, but never had it happen for me. If it can, it's probably quite rare.

You're sure you didn't choose to rank up a few times after dividing the plunder in your file? Because that is something you are able to do

[craigsarmory]

One inaccuracy, I had a ship of the line spawn in the apprentice mode.

[tbailey264]

It's pretty mindblowing to me that I transcribed all of this information nearly 9 years ago, and it's still helping people out! Thanks to all who have shown their kind appreciation

[Varodleus]

Canoe is all a true pirate needs. There is no use of using cannons at all - there is no use in damaging our trophies. I just carry 20 food, and the rest sinks or goes for sale. I am using extra ships (not as my flagship) only to create a numerous crew to take over some cities and change their Governors.

[julblaze]

I briefly saw the original version of this game and the graphics were nowhere near as good as this version which is now quite dated. If only there could be a 2020's version ! Exactly the same game-play but the graphics would be stunning. Imagine those Spanish Beauties with today's sim standards !!!