"Well, well. Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"
"Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir."
"Well, I don't see your ship, Captain."
"I'm in the market, as it were."

―James Norrington and Jack Sparrow^[src]

Captain was a nautical term and the traditional title given to a person in charge of a ship at sea. Legal documents often correctly refer to these people as the ship's Master. The word came to English via French from the Latin capitaneus ("chief") which itself was derived from the Latin word caput ("head"). The analogous French title is Capitaine, it was notably used by the Pirate Lord Chevalle. The analogous Spanish title is Capitán, it was notably used by the Pirate Lord Esmeralda Maria Consuela Anna de Sevilla. The "Captain" was usually helped by the first mate, or bo'sun.

In the Royal Navy, the term 'captain' referred to the officer in command of the ship whether he was a Lieutenant, Commander or Post Captain. The actually rank of Captain was referred to as 'Post Captain' to distingush it.

Some captains, like Jack Sparrow, owned their ships, while others such as James Norrington, commanded ships for others. The captain was the one to give the order to abandon ship. Disobeying the captain could be considered mutiny.

Gallery of notable captainsEdit

Jack Sparrow (Barnacle; Grand Barnacle; Black Pearl; Jolly Mon; HMS Interceptor; Jack Sparrow's dinghy; Jack and Angelica's longboat)

Hector Barbossa (Cobra; Black Pearl; Hai Peng, HMS Providence; Queen Anne's Revenge)

Davy Jones (Flying Dutchman)

Blackbeard (Queen Anne's Revenge, Adventure)

Edward Teague (Misty Lady; Troubadour)

Jolly Roger (Harkaway)

James Norrington (HMS Dauntless, HMS Interceptor)

Cutler Beckett (HMS Endeavour)

Will Turner (Flying Dutchman)

Elizabeth Swann (Empress)

Sao Feng (Empress)

Ammand (Seref)

Chevalle (Fancy)

Sri Sumbhajee (Otter)

Mistress Ching (Ching's flagship; Ningpo; Hanyu Pinyin; Kin Tai Fong)

Jocard (Ranger)

Eduardo Villanueva (Centurion)

Bellamy (Edinburgh Trader)

Anamaria (Jolly Mon, HMS Interceptor)

Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart's ship)

Laura Smith (La Fleur de la Mort)

Left-Foot Louis (Cutlass)

Torrents (Monkeebutt)

Nathaniel Hawk (Victory)

James Sterling (Nemesis)

Walter (Magic)

Undead Capitaines (French Ghost Ships)

Undead Spanish Captains (Spanish Ghost Ships)

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Behind the scenes Edit

• Oddly enough, though he has never been captain of a ship in some of the Pirates movies, Jack Sparrow was often named "Captain Jack Sparrow" in various promotional material as well as by some of the cast and crew.^[1] This is likely taken from the character always preferring to present himself as captain.
• In a deleted scene from At World's End, titled "Two Captains, One Ship", Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa had a comical fight over the captaincy of the Black Pearl as they journeyed through the endless seas of Davy Jones' Locker. This scene was also included in the film's junior novelization.
• In Pirates of the Caribbean Online, there is a weapon called Captain's Cutlass.

AppearancesEdit

• The Price of Freedom
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
• Pirates of the Caribbean Online
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

SourcesEdit

• Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

External linksEdit

Captain on Wikipedia

Notes and referencesEdit