"We are an unimaginative lot when it comes to naming things." The title of this article is conjectural. |
- "Save yourselves!"
- ―The sailor
This man was a sailor who served in the British Royal Navy. He most notably served aboard the HMS Providence under the command of Captain Hector Barbossa during the quest for the Fountain of Youth. However, as the Providence sailed to the "mermaid waters" known as Whitecap Bay, the sailor dived over the railing into the water and started swimming to a far-off island on the horizon.
Biography[]
Not much is known about this man's life, except that he became a sailor in service of King George II and the British Royal Navy. In 1750, the man was among many sailors and officers enlisted as a member of the crew of the HMS Providence, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Theodore Groves, Lieutenant Gillette, and privateer Captain Hector Barbossa as they sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in a quest to find the Fountain of Youth before The Spaniard's crew. As the Providence was slashing through the waves on a course for the Spanish Main, rumors spread among Barbossa's disgruntled crew as to their destination: the "mermaid waters" known as Whitecap Bay. After Barbossa and Joshamee Gibbs talk about the mermaids, murmurs of fear spread through the assembled members of the crew, causing Groves to command the men to find their courage. But for the sailor, the thought of coming face-to-face with a deadly mermaid was simply too much to bear. The sailor then turned, shouting "Save yourselves!" to the Providence crew, sprinted to the side of the ship, dived over the railing and into the water. Although Groves and the Providence crew yelled the "man overboard" alarm, Barbossa regarded the sailor as a deserter.[1] As the Providence continued its voyage, the deserting sailor started swimming to a far-off island on the horizon.[2] His further fate is unknown.
Behind the scenes[]
- The Providence Sailor was portrayed by an uncredited Taylor Young in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
- In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay for On Stranger Tides, the sailor has no spoken line as he races for the railing, dives over and swims hard toward the dim outline of a distant island. After Hector Barbossa addressed the Providence crew to boost their resolve, Joshamee Gibbs watches the sailor swim away and says, "And may God have mercy on our souls."[3] The scene as described in its entirety was retained in the film's junior novelization.[2]
Appearances[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization) (First appearance)
Notes and references[]
v • d • eCrew of the HMS Providence | |
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