Crew of the Queen Anne's Revenge

"Five days underway, at least." "Aye! You can tell that by the smell of the sea?" "The smell of the crew."

- Jack Sparrow and Scrum

The crew of the Queen Anne's Revenge was a pirate crew that served aboard the world-renowned vessel of infamy, the Queen Anne's Revenge. A band of scoundrels and lowlifes, this crew shared one thing&mdash;a healthy touch of madness.

Originally, the Revenge's crew was led by the infamous pirate Blackbeard. During Blackbeard's time as captain, the most prominent member of the crew was his beloved daughter Angelica, who served as First Mate. The crew participated in the quest for the Fountain of Youth, during which time Blackbeard also had zombies, created by his supernatural powers, as part of the crew. After Blackbeard's death, the surviving crewmen turned to his killer, Hector Barbossa, as their new captain.

A Pirate Crew
Originally, this crew was assembled by the notorious pirate Blackbeard on the island of New Providence in 1717 where they sailed aboard two sloops, until they captured a large French frigate known as La Concorde off the coast of Martinique. Taking the ship as a prize, Blackbeard had La Concorde renamed as the Queen Anne's Revenge. For the next year and a half, the pirates captured and plundered around forty vessels in the Caribbean. They even attacked the port of Charleston, an act which made them a terror in the eyes of the colonies in the New World. On May 1718, the Queen Anne's Revenge ran aground on a sandbar while entering Beaufort Inlet, and was abandoned. Blackbeard marooned some of his crewmen on a small island nearby, while the rest continued to serve Blackbeard aboard the sloop Adventure until the battle of Ocracoke Inlet, during which most of Blackbeard's crew were either killed or captured by the British Royal Navy. Blackbeard, having survived the battle, returned to the wreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge, where he had her repaired to serve as his flagship once again.

Undead Crews
Some time after he repaired the Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard dabbled into the Black Arts, during which point he gained supernatural powers. He would create an army of the undead to serve in his crew under his command. Enslaved by Blackbeard's dark magic, they served their master without question.

Jumbee Crew


"Let those dim-witted Pirates have Blackbeard's sword, for I hold his jumbee minions and the deadly Queen Anne's Revenge in my thrall. No Pirate ship is safe when the Queen Anne's Revenge stalks the seas, giving no quarter to those that cross my lady's vicious path."

- Excerpt from Jolly Roger's War Journal

Blackbeard soon created a crew of jumbees to serve aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge. These malevolent supernatural beings were well-known throughout the Caribbean. Blackbeard made LaSchafe, his loyal jumbee first mate, in charge of the Revenge. But, during the War of Jolly Roger, the undead pirate Jolly Roger managed to take control of LaSchafe and his soulless crew. Controled by Jolly Roger's voodoo powers, and always thirsty for battle and fresh victims, LaSchafe and his men started to attack many pirate ships in the Caribbean. For many months, the Queen Anne's Revenge sailed around wild islands like Isla Cangrejos, Isla Perdida, and Isla Tormenta, attacking ships of the Brethren Court. But, through unknown circumstances, Blackbeard managed to retake the Revenge.

Zombie Crew
"He's been zombie-fied; Blackbeard's doing. All the officers are that way, keeps them compliant." "And perpetually ill-tempered."

- Scrum and Jack Sparrow

At some point in time, Blackbeard began to include zombies his loyal officers aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge. Once mere men, Blackbeard used the fiery power of the Queen Anne's Revenge to morph them into his fearless minions. Perpetually ill-tempered and devoid of personal free will, these zombies unquestioningly comply with Blackbeard's commands. One of them, the Quartermaster, was given the ability to see things before they happen. Through unknown circumstances, that Blackbeard would be reunited with his beloved daughter, Angelica. Taking her aboard the Revenge, they endured many a voyage together, where Blackbeard soon trusted Angelica enough to make her his second in command, giving her the rank of First Mate. She would have equal command over Blackbeard's zombie crew.

Quest for the Fountain of Youth
Blackbeard would soon learn of a prophecy, foreseen by the Quartermaster, which revealed Blackbeard's death in the hands of a one-legged man. This prompted Blackbeard's need to find the fabled Fountain of Youth, which was discovered by conquistador Juan Ponce de León in 1523. With the help of Angelica, who was able to learn of the Profane Ritual, which was needed for the Fountain of Youth to work, Blackbeard began his search for the Fountain. His quest would last for the next several years, all the way through the end of the War Against Piracy. Over the course of these years, Blackbeard encountered the Black Pearl, captained by Hector Barbossa. During one of Blackbeard's raids on a remote island in the Caribbean, the crew of the Queen Anne's Revenge captured a young missionary named Philip Swift in the process. Before Blackbeard had a chance to kill Philip, Angelica stopped him, as she didn't want him to kill a man of God and believing that he may be a key to Blackbeard's redemption. And so Blackbeard had the missionary tied to the Revenge's mast.

A Motley Crew
"I hear you be recruiting a crew." "Aye. That is, Jack Sparrow be puttin' together a modest venture."

- Jack Sparrow and Scrum



Several years after the War Against Piracy, Blackbeard had to find Jack Sparrow, a pirate rumored to have been to the Fountain of Youth. Blackbeard sent Angelica to find Jack and force him aboard the Revenge. Angelica was able to find Jack by impersonating him in London at the pub called the Captain's Daughter, where she was able to capture him. During this time, with the help of Scrum, Angelica recruited a number of sailors and pirates who volunteered having been promised a modest venture sailing under Jack Sparrow. Though shortly before Derrick was "sailing with Sparrow", the crew were seen laughing at the real Jack Sparrow, who was seeking out the impostor until the Royal Guard arrived.

About five days later, Jack Sparrow would wake up aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, where he was forced to work with the rest of the crewmen. As the Revenge sailed gloriously over the ocean, Jack would befriend Scrum, who told him of everything he needed to know, including the zombie officers, Philip Swift, and their first mate: Angelica. Realizing his predicament, Jack confronted Angelica in the belowdecks of the Revenge. Angelica tried to convince Jack to go along with it because of Blackbeard's need to find the Fountain because of the Quartermaster's prophecy of Blackbeard's death at the hands of a one-legged man.

Mutiny on the Revenge
"The topic, gentlemen...is mutiny. Mutiny most foul." "Aye. I signed up to sail under Jack Sparrow, not some pretender." "And a lady at that." "And mention was failed to made of this uncanny crew." "Make my toes curl, they do."

- Jack Sparrow, Salaman, Ezekiel, Cook, and Purser

Although trapped aboard a ship led by zombies and sailing to a place of certain death, Jack Sparrow continued to work with his fellow crewmen aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge. As he was lashing the topsail, Jack began to spread the word for a meeting, which passed on from Salaman to other crewmen, particularly Ezekiel, the Cook, and Garheng, who gave word to Jack himself. With the message having come full circle, Jack met with the rest of the crew as the Queen Anne's Revenge sailed just as night was coming down upon the sea. Sitting together in the gun deck, Jack and the other crewmen began to discuss the topic of mutiny. During the meeting, the crew claimed that Blackbeard stayed in his cabin and that none of them have seen him before. After further inquiries, Jack revealed to the crewmen that they were deceived by not being informed of their destination: the Fountain of Youth. The men were shocked by this revelation and knew that death was certain, unless they took the ship. After Scrum and Jack gave the order to take the ship, the crewmen prepared for their attack.

As Jack's crew began their attack aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, Jack Sparrow went into Angelica's cabin, where Jack would warn Angelica that he was taking the ship before locking her door. The mutiny went on intensely as the human crew fought against the zombie crew. Shortly after Jack and Salaman rescued Philip Swift from the Revenge's mast, all the zombie officers and Angelica, who joined the fight, were defeated by Jack's crew of mutineers in which Jack claimed that the ship was theirs. However, the doors behind Jack opened as Blackbeard himself walked out, bringing fear as he used his sword to tangle the mutineers with the rigging of the Queen Anne's Revenge. After a brief confrontation between Blackbeard and Philip, Blackbeard ordered the Cook, who was said to have stood watch that night, to be sent on a longboat. The crew watched as Blackbeard, despite the pleas of Angelica and Philip, had Greek fire unleashed upon the Cook.

After the Cook's punishment, Jack Sparrow was brought into Blackbeard's cabin, where Blackbeard told Jack that he must reach the Fountain of Youth before the Quartermaster's prophecy of his death comes true. Although Jack tried to warn Blackbeard of Angelica, claiming that she wasn't his daughter, Blackbeard used a voodoo doll, which he modeled after Jack, to force Jack into agreeing to help him find the Fountain.

Mermaid Hunt
"We're doomed. They be drawn to man-made light." "Sharks?" "Worse than sharks, boy. There'll be mermaids upon us within the hour, you mark my words! And we're the bait!"

- Ezekiel and Cabin Boy

The Queen Anne's Revenge soon arrived to the mysterious Whitecap Bay to find and capture a mermaid, as one of the items required for the Profane Ritual was a mermaid's tear. A landing party of Blackbeard's crew quickly rowed to shore, where they deployed fishing nets in the shallow water. Blackbeard led some of his crewmen as they made their way to the top of the abandoned lighthouse, where Salaman was able to get it in working condition. By the time the whale oil-fired beacon was lit up, several longboats filled with Blackbeard's crewmen were sent out into the bay where they served as the bait. One of the longboats consisted of human crewmen, particularly Scrum, Philip Swift, Ezekiel, Cabin Boy, and Derrick led by the zombie Gunner. After Ezekiel told the crew of what mermaids would do to them, Gunner pointed his pistol at Scrum, forcing him to start singing to attract the mermaids. As the longboats drifted in the quiet bay, Scrum and the other human pirates began singing the sea shanty My Jolly Sailor Bold.

After a while, when only Scrum was singing, a mermaid named Tamara appeared at the edge of the longboat. She seduced Scrum with her beauty while singing Scrum's song, during which more mermaids started to appear to the crewmen. Tamara then attempted to lure Scrum into the water, but failed after revealing her true form. The mermaid hunt turned into a full-blown mermaid attack, in which the crew suffered casualties, including Derrick and Purser. Blackbeard was able to use his sword to control the Queen Anne's Revenge and unleashed Greek fire on the mermaids, forcing them to head for shore, where Blackbeard's men set up the nets for the mermaid trap. However, the trap turned into a manslaughter as crewmen after crewmen were taken by mermaids. Jack managed to scare away the mermaids by blowing up the bay's lighthouse.

Shortly after the battle, Blackbeard's crew managed to capture a live mermaid with the help of Philip. The Quartermaster had a net on her as Blackbeard himself looked upon their prize and congratulated Philip on his catch. As Jack meets up with the crew, Blackbeard ordered the crew to return to the ship, where they would continue their quest.

Journey to the Fountain
"We go on. Due north, to the Fountain."

- Quartermaster to the crew

As the Queen Anne's Revenge was anchored on a protected cove of the island, where Blackbeard's crew made their way over the rocky shore with a blindfolded Jack Sparrow, who Blackbeard didn't want knowing the whereabouts of the Revenge. The rest of Blackbeard's landing party consisted of his human crew including Scrum, Philip, Salaman, Ezekiel, Garheng, and the Cabin Boy, while the zombies carried the captured mermaid in a glass coffin, half-filled with water. Blackbeard took off Jack's blindfold so he could lead the crew through the island to the Santiago, the lost ship of Ponce de León, which was where they would find the Silver Chalices of Cartagena, another item needed for the Profane Ritual. And so with the help of his compass, Jack led the crew in their search, making their way through the thick jungle growth and a murky river.

The crew would soon come towards a broken bridge at the edge of a chasm with a vast drop down to a rocky river. After much argument on who was to make the jump and retrieve the Chalices, including a brief moment to where Blackbeard threatened to kill Angelica, Jack himself made the jump. The rest of the crew looked down to see Jack having survived the miraculous jump, landing into the river. The Quartermaster ordered the crew to continue north, which Jack said was the direction towards the Fountain in about a day's march. It was at this time that Blackbeard gave Jack's compass, which he took from Jack earlier, to Angelica.

The crew forged ahead in their quest, with the zombies carrying the glass coffin until it breaks, releasing the captured mermaid who then transforms to human form as her tail turned into a pair of human legs. Blackbeard, Angelica, and the rest of the pirates stared as Philip stripped off his shirt and draped it over the mermaid to cover her. Seeing that they couldn't waste more time, Blackbeard ordered the mermaid to walk. But as she couldn't stand up, Philip volunteered to carry her through the journey. After resting near a fig tree, Blackbeard ordered his men to bring the mermaid, referring to her as "the creature". Philip, believing she deserved to be respected, demanded she'd be called "Syrena".

After arriving to the Jungle Pools, where mermaids were previously harvested of their tears, Blackbeard tried to force Syrena to cry, but she would not yield. And so, upon learning that Syrena and Philip fancy each other, Blackbeard decided to use Philip by having the Quartermaster kill Philip in front of Syrena. However, Syrena still didn't cry, so Blackbeard ordered the crew to tie her like the other deceased mermaids and had Philip's body dragged into a nearby ravine. After Philip woke up with a dart on his chest, he ran to free Syrena, who smiled with tears in her eyes. It was at that moment that Blackbeard's crew appeared to retrieved Syrena's tear. The Quartermaster restrained Philip as the other crewmen grabbed Syrena, while Scrum used a vial to retrieve Syrena's tear of joy before handing the vial to Angelica and Blackbeard. Though Philip told Blackbeard to let her go, as she wasn't needed anymore, Blackbeard ordered Syrena to be left to die with the other mermaids.

Finding the Fountain
"Jack, have you ever, in fact, seen with your own eyes, the Fountain of Youth?" "I'm sorry, could you repeat the question, please?"

- Angelica and Jack Sparrow



The next day, while holding Jack's compass, Angelica led Blackbeard's crew as she made her way through the jungle until they met with Jack Sparrow. Jack presented the Chalices, which tied onto a wild boar held on a leash by Jack's loyal first mate, Joshamee Gibbs. However, Jack wasn't willing to hand them over without a few conditions: no harm was to be brought to Angelica, the return of his compass, and the freedom of Gibbs. Blackbeard impatiently considered it done and received the Chalices from Gibbs. Jack gave his compass to Gibbs as he continued on with Blackbeard's crew towards the Fountain of Youth. After Jack found the cave entrance to the Fountain, the Quartermaster led the rest of the crew as they climbed down a steep incline to the cavern. Going much deeper inside, the Quartermaster waved his torch across a wall&mdash;a dead end.

Upon seeing the seemingly end of their quest, Jack staged an unsuccessful attempt to gain entrance into the Fountain by hitting the two Chalices against one another, while the crew exchanged confused looks. It was then affirmed that Jack had never seen the Fountain as Blackbeard and Angelica assumed, and so Blackbeard ordered the Quartermaster to kill Jack. After attempts were made to kill Jack by firing pistols at him, which Jack survived by ricocheting the shots with the Chalices, Jack was able to read the words inscribed on the Chalices: "Aqua de Vida". Water then gradually rose up along the walls, collecting into a pool above their heads. Jack then climbed onto Scrum's shoulders, and used his sword to poke the pool until he was sucked into a misty environment, where he then found himself at the Fountain of Youth. Jack continued towards the Fountain, followed by Angelica, Blackbeard and the rest of the crew arrived. As Jack reached to touch the water, Blackbeard immediately stopped him, stating that he'd be the first to drink from it. However, Angelica turned to see unwanted visitors appearing out of the mist, and Blackbeard knew exactly who it was: Hector Barbossa, the one-legged man destined to kill him.

Barbossa, a privateer in King George II's court, stepped forward with his British crew to challenge Blackbeard in a duel. Vowing that he would have one last fight, Blackbeard ordered his crew to fight Barbossa's men. After a brief interruption from Jack Sparrow, who questioned the crews fighting each other when the quarrel was only between Barbossa and Blackbeard, the battle between the two crews inevitably ensued with the two captains engaged in a duel. While Philip Swift was able to escape to help free Syrena at the Jungle Pools, Jack and Angelica fought for the Chalices. Both human and zombie crewmen fought fiercely against the British, until a Spanish crew led by the Spaniard arrived to the Fountain. Forcibly taking the Chalices from Angelica and stomping on them, the Spaniard ordered his men to destroy the Fountain.

Joining Barbossa
"I claim Blackbeard's ship and crew, and this sword...payment for me missing limb."

- Hector Barbossa

As the Spanish began destroying the Fountain of Youth, Blacbkeard confronted the Spaniard, until Blackbeard himself was fatally wounded, stabbed by Barbossa with his poisoned sword. Angelica tried to help her father, but, despite Jack's attempt to warn her, cuts her hand, poisoning herself as well. Barbossa picked up Blackbeard's sword and claimed it along with Blackbeard's ship and crew as his own. Members of Blackbeard's crew made their choice, join him. They left with Barbossa as their old captain was certainly facing death, while the Spanish continued destroying the Fountain of Youth. After Blackbeard's death at the Fountain, all the zombie officers died along with him.

Voyage to Tortuga
"All hands! Ply to windward! Get cracking, ye bloomin' cockroaches! [laughs] The Crown served me well. But now, by the Gods of sea and sky! Make way for Tortuga!"

- Hector Barbossa



Backed by what is left of the pirate crew, including Ezekiel, Salaman, Garheng, Scrum, and the Cabin Boy, former privateer Barbossa made his way towards the bay where lied the Queen Anne's Revenge. Barbossa then proclaimed that the Revenge was now his. Having changed into his pirate regalia, Barbossa took the helm of the Revenge as they sailed through the Caribbean Sea. He would later be given his old hat by the Cabin Boy, who had found it belowdecks. After putting on his hat, Barbossa pulled out his new sword. As his crew looked on in wonder, Barbossa pointed his sword towards the bow, making the Queen Anne's Revenge to go full sail. Taking out and ripping apart his Letters of Marque, Barbossa took full command as captain as the Queen Anne's Revenge sailed for Tortuga. The crew's further fate is unknown.

Everyday life
"Look, Sparrow, as long as my sailors get their money, they are willing to put up with any number of peculiarities."

- Angelica to Jack Sparrow

The crew members aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge originally served under Blackbeard. Not many serve under the infamous pirate and live to tell the tale. Only the toughest&mdash;or the luckiest&mdash;survived long enough to earn his respect. As part of a crew made up of zombies, this human contingent shared one thing&mdash;a healthy touch of madness. Greed and desire inspired dark deeds from this elite band of lowlifes.

During Blackbeard's time as captain, the Revenge's crew consisted of undead beings, most notably Jumbees and zombie officers. Unfeeling and untiring, the zombie crew would perform Blackbeard's cruel deeds and grisly tasks that living beings would refuse to do. Their uncompromising allegiance to Blackbeard makes them a formidable adversary for any sailor. By the time Hector Barbossa took his place as the new captain of the Queen Anne's Revenge, after Blackbeard's death, zombies were no longer part of the crew.

There was a great fear amongst the crew of their original captain, Blackbeard, who would "kill a man every now and then", most notably after the mutiny that took place aboard his ship. Despite this, all crew members tried to do his bidding, even though it meant certain death at the hands of mermaids. This fear was put aside after Barbossa had the Queen Anne's Revenge sail for Tortuga.

Behind the scenes

 * In the real-world history, Blackbeard's crew was defeated and captured by members of the British Royal Navy at the Battle of Ocracoke Inlet in 1718. They were all hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia shortly after. Only two of his original crewmen were spared, one of Blackbeard's most trusted officers named Israel Hands, and Samuel Odel, who was forced to join the pirate crew. Blackbeard also never had a zombie crew, or any undead crew whatsoever.
 * The crew of the Queen Anne's Revenge, under Blackbeard's command, appeared in Tim Powers' novel On Stranger Tides, the basis for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean Online
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
 * LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game