Black Pearl

"Wherever we want to go, we 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. But what a ship is...what the Black Pearl really is...is freedom."

- Jack Sparrow

The Black Pearl was 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 failing to rescue the Wench, 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. This prompted Jack to paint the Wench black and rename her the Black Pearl. In exchange for thirteen years of 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.

However, even death was not the end for Jack Sparrow. 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 chose it 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. The Pearl emerged victorious, after apparently sinking the Dutchman. It then bracketed the Endeavour, along with a newly-risen Dutchman under the command of Will Turner, and destroyed it utterly.

After the battle, the Pearl was once again stolen by Barbossa, who wanted to use it in a quest for the Fountain of Youth. The Pearl later ran afoul of the Queen Anne's Revenge, captained by the notorious pirate Blackbeard. Using his voodoo powers, Blackbeard captured the Pearl.

The Wicked Wench
"I have another ship. It’s one I actually own. It’s an older ship. The shipwrights have told me that converting her hold to haul slaves would be expensive, and rather time-consuming, so I bought her for hauling other cargos. She’s called the Wicked Wench. Would you like to sail her for me, Captain Sparrow?" "Yes, I would, sir. I’d be pleased to do that."

- Cutler Beckett and Jack Sparrow

It is unknown when the Wicked Wench was built, but she was already an old ship when she was bought by Cutler Beckett, the Director of West African Affairs for the East India Trading Company. She was docked in Calabar, when the Fair Wind, a brig of the EITC, docked in the port. When the First Mate of the Fair Wind, Jack Sparrow, gave to Beckett his report about how he saved the ship and the most of its cargo from falling into the hands of the pirates, Beckett was so impressed that he offered him to become the captain of the Marlin, a slave ship of the Company. Sparrow refused to transport slaves, but as Beckett saw that Sparrow is worthy to be a captain, he gave him command of the Wicked Wench.

Jack Sparrow became very attached to the ship, seeing her as less of a vessel and more a symbol of the freedom he so desired. But when Jack refused to give Beckett the exact location of the lost island of Kerma, and the Shining City of Zerzura with its treasure-filled labyrinth, Beckett ordered Sparrow to travel to the island of Antigua and pick up a shipment and return with it to Port Royal. The shipment turned out to be a boatload of slaves to New Avalon in the Bahamas for Viscount Penwallow, Beckett's immediate supervisor and patron. Jack initially agreed to do so, succumbing to pressure Beckett placed on him and the fact he had no idea what the shipment actually was. He traveled to Antigua, but after embarking with the cargo of slaves, Jack rebelled. He set the slaves free on the illusion-hidden island of Kerma. Seeing these turn of events, Beckett sent ships and men to track the Wench down. Jack was later caught, imprisoned, and eventually branded with a "P" for "pirate". "She's just a ship. Made of wood, and canvas. You're going to destroy your own property? Just to get back at me?" "She's not just a ship to you, Jack. And yes. That's precisely what I am going to do."

- Jack Sparrow and Cutler Beckett

Beckett wanted to hit Jack where it hurts the most, so he set the Wicked Wench on fire as his men held Jack by, and made him watch his beloved ship burn. Jack was able to escape from the guards and tried to save the Wench from the flames, but instead was hit by a falling beam of the Wench's burning cabin. Jack found himself in a dream-like state, and, realising he was dying, summoned Davy Jones and made a deal with the squid-faced captain. Jack would spend one hundred years in service to Jones aboard the Flying Dutchman if he raise the Wicked Wench from the depths and give Jack command of the vessel for thirteen years. Jones kept to his word, and raised the ship from the depths for Jack. Due to her charred appearance, Jack re-christened her the Black Pearl, and 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). Jack eventually installed the oars.

The Black Pearl
"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?"

- Fort Charles prisoner and Jack Sparrow, talking about the Black Pearl.

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. The new Captain Barbossa had the Pearl set sail to Isla de Muerta, and to the treasure within.

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



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 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
"I know those guns...it's the Pearl."

- Jack Sparrow



Will Turner and the crew of the Pearl ultimately crossed paths again 8 years later, following the Pearl's attack on Port Royal. Two of the cursed crewmen, Pintel and Ragetti, captured Turner's love Elizabeth Swann, who had the final cursed coin in her possession at this point. Because of this, as well as Elizabeth's introduction as "Elizabeth Turner", Barbossa believed that she was the child of Bootstrap Bill who could help lift their curse. And so, Elizabeth was "welcomed" aboard the Pearl for the journey. A few days later, the cursed crew brought her to Isla de Muerta, where Barbossa began the ritual to lift the curse. It failed, and so the crew realized that Elizabeth wasn't the person they needed.

Later, after Elizabeth escaped with the medallion, the Pearl pursued and engaged in battle with the HMS Interceptor, which ended in the ship's destruction. After the battle, the crew had Will Turner captive 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 Commodore Norrington and his soldiers of 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 would rescue them, and of course the ship and her crew did.

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!"

- Davy Jones and Jack Sparrow

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, Jack wasn't intending to surrender his soul to Jones, so he embarked on a quest to find the Dead Man's Chest and 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 the Pelegostos, cannibal natives of the island. While they attempted to escape, Pintel and Ragetti tried to salvage 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. "Jack Sparrow...our debt is settled." "The captain goes down with his ship."

- Davy Jones and Palifico



However, Elizabeth Swann realized that they were all in danger as long as Jack remained with Will, herself and the other crewmen of the Pearl. And so, Elizabeth tricked Jack, by kissing him, to the point where she would be able to shackle him to the ship's mast. Then, she left him to his grim fate as the rest of the crew escaped the area on the last of the Pearl's longboats. Although Jack managed to free himself from the ship's mast, he had no time to escape the doomed Pearl, as the Kraken arrived simultaneously of his escape. Instead, Jack pulled out his sword and bravely faced 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 standing on the Pearl's 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 the resurrected Hector Barbossa. His crew was bolstered by Tai Huang and his men, who pledged their allegiance to Sparrow. The Pearl sailed through the seemingly endless doldrums of the Locker, encountering Weatherby Swann and many other dead people in boats along the way. Jack later deciphered the cryptic clues of Sao Feng's navigational charts, and devised a plan to return the Pearl back to the land of the living. He and the rest of 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 stock up on fresh water. Jack and Barbossa led the party on land, while Will Turner stayed 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 and Barbossa were free to command the Pearl once more and made for Shipwreck Island. Journeying to the island, and through the Devil's Throat, the Black Pearl arrived to Shipwreck Cove, where Jack and Barbossa would meet with the other 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. After the parley with their opponents, the Brethren prepared for battle. Onboard, Barbossa and the Pearl's crewmen released Calypso 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. As the maelstrom formed, Barbossa took the helm and took command as he steered the Pearl into the whirlpool to battle.

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 Will Turner were married by Barbossa. By the end of the battle, Davy Jones was killed, and Will Turner replaced him as captain of the Dutchman. Jack turned to give his orders to the crew, while Barbossa took the helm of the Black Pearl for their next move. Both the Pearl and the Dutchman 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, Ragetti 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.

Blackbeard's attack
"You weren't there that night." "When the Pearl was lost?" "Taken, not lost."

- Hector Barbossa and Jack Sparrow

One night, while sailing through the coast of Hispaniola, the Black Pearl was suddenly attacked by the Queen Anne's Revenge, a ship of the notorious pirate Edward Teach "Blackbeard". The Pearl was peppered by cannonfire from the Revenge. The sea beneath the Pearl began to roil while the Pearl itself was pitching and yawing to where the ship itself couldn't be maneuvered. Witnessing all of this tempted Barbossa to give the order to "Abandon ship". But it was too late, as Blackbeard used his sword to turn the Black Pearl against the crew.

Every plank, rail and spar aboard the Pearl began to creak a hellish noise as the rigging came to life. Barbossa's men were tangled by the ropes, unable to fight as they were wrapped around like snakes. One of the ropes wrapped around Barbossa's right leg. Not wanting his fate changed, Barbossa used his sword to cut off his own leg. Barbossa was able to escape the rest of the attack, but with the knowledge that his own ship was in Blackbeard's possession. After the battle, Blackbeard shrunk the Pearl and put it into a glass bottle, with Cotton's parrot and Jack the monkey, inside of it.

Recovery
"The Black Pearl in a bottle? Why is the Black Pearl in a bottle?"

- Jack Sparrow to Angelica



The Pearl was placed in a cabinet filled with ships in a bottle. At the time Jack Sparrow was aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, he was shown the cabinet, as well as the Pearl itself, by Angelica as an offering. Joshamee Gibbs would later gain access to the Revenge to take the Pearl and all the other bottles in a sack, with the help of Jack's compass. Gibbs would later meet with Jack and discussed if there were any ideas of how to get the Pearl out. It is unknown if the Pearl was ever back to its full size.

"So the Pearl. Any idea on how to get her out?" "We shall need a crossbow, an hourglass, three goats, one of us must learn to play the trumpet, whilst the other one goes like this [waves his fingers]." "I know a man with a goat." "Good, I can go like this [waves his fingers]."

- Joshamee Gibbs and Jack Sparrow

Design and appearance
"Granted it tends to list to port and has been, on occasion, known 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 from 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.

Behind the scenes

 * Many Black Pearls were used throughout the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
 * In The Curse of the Black Pearl, the Pearl was basically a set on a barge. Another one was built on the sound-stage set to achieve better control over fog machines.
 * For Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, a more sea-worthy Black Pearl was built around the ship Sunset by Rick Heinrichs's production team. Another version of the Pearl, mounted on a gimbal, was built for filming the Maelstrom battle in At World's End.
 * In On Stranger Tides, a ship-in-a-bottle version of the Black Pearl was meticulously built under the supervision of U.S. property master Kirk Corwin, and was later animated by Charles Gibson's visual effects department for maximum effect. With the Black Pearl being a ship in a bottle, the Sunset was redesigned as the Queen Anne's Revenge for On Stranger Tides.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * The Black Pearl is one of the locations that can be visited in the Port Royal world of Kingdom Hearts II.
 * In the first screenplay draft of The Curse of the Black Pearl, the Black Pearl was a schooner.
 * 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.
 * A frigate called the Black Pearl appears in the Pirates of the Caribbean video game but this ship isn't Jack Sparrow's Black Pearl. This ship was destroyed in 1631 by Nathaniel Hawk and Danielle Greene.
 * 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 bear 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: What, this? Tis ventilating. To clear out the stench of the previous occupant."
 * A pirate ship remarkably similar to the Black Pearl appears in the trailer for the video game Port Royale 3.

Non-canon appearances

 * The Buccaneer's Heart!
 * Kingdom Hearts II
 * LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game