Boatswain

This article is about the title. You may be looking for the pirate known as Bo'sun.

The Bo'sun who served under Captains Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa.

"Bosun! Summon the Kraken!"

―Davy Jones

A boatswain, bo'sun or bosun, was the ship's officer with responsibility over the rigging, anchors, and other similar equipment. They were sometimes also the third or fourth mate. A boatswain or bo'sun was a qualified member and the most senior rate of the ship's deck department, responsible for the components of a ship's hull and supervised the other crew members on deck. Additional duties vary depending upon ship, crew, and circumstances.

History

A boatswain, bos'n and bosun, was the ship's officer with responsibility over the rigging, anchors, and other similar equipment. On a pirate vessel, the boatswain was also responsible for maintaining and hoisting the ship's colours. All flags retained from enemy vessels or other countries would be turned over to the boatswain for storage.

Around 1630, Malcom Hatcher was the boatswain aboard the Victory.

Billy Turner was a boatswain aboard the Fleur de la Mort, under Captain Laura Smith. An African pirate known only as Bo'sun served under Captain Jack Sparrow and his first mate Hector Barbossa aboard the Black Pearl, later serving under Captain Barbossa following the mutiny against Jack. Jimmy Legs, as Davy Jones' bosun aboard the Flying Dutchman, was a hard taskmaster who enjoyed demanding the impossible as he ordered the crew to work. Punishments were his specialty, as he prided himself on cleaving flesh from bone with every swing of his cat-of-nine-tails.

Notable boatswains

• Billy Turner (Fleur de la Mort)
• Malcom Hatcher (Victory)
• Bo'sun (Black Pearl)
• Hendry Cutts (Black Pearl)
• Jimmy Legs (Flying Dutchman)
• Maccus (Flying Dutchman)
• Maddox (Monarch)

Behind the scenes

• Boatswain first appears through Malcolm Hatcher in the 2003 video game Pirates of the Caribbean. Bo'sun first appears through a character with the same name in the 2003 junior novelization for the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
• In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay for At World's End, during Jack Sparrow's "Multiple Jacks" hallucination in Davy Jones' Locker, one Jack is identified as the boatswain of Sparrow's imaginary crew.
• In the At World's End video game, Maccus was called "Bosun" by Davy Jones. However, this may be incorrect as Jimmy Legs was said to be the Bosun under Jones in Dead Man's Chest.
• Bo'sun is one the ranks a player can earn in Pirates of the Caribbean: Master of the Seas.

Appearances

• Pirates of the Caribbean (2003 video game) (First appearance) (First identified as boatswain)
• Jack Sparrow: Poseidon's Peak
• Six Sea Shanties: Strangers Bearing Gifts
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003 junior novelization) (First identified as bo'sun)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2006 junior novelization)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (junior novelization)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)

Source

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide (First identified as bosun)
• The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook

External links

• Boatswain on Wikipedia