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Commodore

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Commodore James Norrington was once the commander of the British Naval Fleet in Port Royal, Jamaica.

Commodore James Norrington was once the commander of the British Naval Fleet in Port Royal, Jamaica.

"Captain Norrington's promotion ceremony."
"I knew it."
"Commodore Norrington, as he's about to become."
―Weatherby Swann and Elizabeth Swann[src]

Commodore, also referred to as Commander or Commodore of the Fleet, was a rank in the British Royal Navy, French Royal Navy and Spanish Royal Navy, used to indicate an officer of higher status than that of a Captain, but less than that of a flag officer or Rear-Admiral. The appointment of Commodore in the British Navy first began at some point in the mid-17th Century.

History[]

By the Age of Piracy, the rank of commodore was introduced to the officers of the British Royal Navy, having first been used no later than young Jack Sparrow's quest for the Sword of Cortés.[1]

Tall, dark and handsome, James Norrington was the epitome of the dashing soldier in his role as an officer of the British Navy.[2] As captain of the HMS Interceptor, Norrington had chased and captured some of the Caribbean's most fearsome pirates. Because of this loyal service, Norrington was promoted from Captain to Commodore of the Fleet, an advance that brings Norrington some satisfaction.[3][4] A formal promotion ceremony to mark the occasion was held at Fort Charles in Port Royal, Jamaica.[5][6] However, after letting Jack Sparrow go free, and subsequently failing to capture him and his ship, the Black Pearl, Norrington was disgraced and he resigned his commission. A British naval officer wearing the uniform of a commodore was present at the interrupted wedding of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann.[7]

Pirates often refer to those in charge/owners of two or more ships as "Commodore." Shortly before the battle of the Isla de Muerta, Jack Sparrow offered to command the Black Pearl under "Commodore" Barbossa's colours. Barbossa demanded 50% of Jack's plunder, but the former accepted 25% and really big hat.[6]

Behind the scenes[]

The title "Commodore" for the commander of the British Royal Navy fleet first appeared in the junior novelization of the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.[5][6] It was identified as "commander of the British Naval Fleet" in the film's production notes,[2] as well as "Commodore of the Fleet" in the 2006-2007 reference books Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide and The Complete Visual Guide.[3][4]

In the 2006 German The Curse of the Black Pearl novelization by Wolfgang and Rebecca Hohlbein, throughout the rest of the book following the promotion ceremony, James Norrington is interchangeably called both commodore[8] and admiral.[9]

In the video game Pirates of the Caribbean Online, there is a weapon called Commodore's Cutlass.[10] Commodore is one of the ranks a player can earn in the gaming app Pirates of the Caribbean: Master of the Seas.[11]

The legitimate rank of Commodore during the 18th century was very uncommon. Commodore usually referred to a captain given command of more than one ship at a time for a certain ammount of time or a certain mission. From 1690 on, the English Admiralty would give the title of Commodore to the senior Captain of a small squadron, or a Commander in Chief of a small station, when no flag officer was present and therefore involved extra responsibilities. It was considered as a temporary rank which once the circumstances had passed meant reversion to Captain and officers retained their seniority position in the Captain’s list.[citation needed]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

External links[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pirates of the Carribean presskit, accessed Dec 9, 2006
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide, pp. 22-23: "Norrington"
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, pp. 24-25: "Norrington"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003 junior novelization)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  7. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
  8. ↑ Fluch der Karibik - Der Roman zum ersten Kinofilm, p. 49
  9. ↑ Fluch der Karibik - Der Roman zum ersten Kinofilm, p. 33
  10. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean Online
  11. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Master of the Seas
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