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"Why don't I want to be doing it?"
"Well, because...Because the HMS
Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore, waiting for you."
Hector Barbossa and Jack Sparrow[src]

The HMS Dauntless was a first-rate ship of the line serving under King George II, most notably under the command of Commodore James Norrington. As one of the British Empire's most powerful warships and the renowned pride of the Royal Navy, the Dauntless was agile and fast for a ship of her size, and the estimated 100 guns made her a heavily armed vessel and a force to be reckoned with. Paired with the HMS Interceptor, a smaller vessel but sleek and speedy, the Dauntless became the scourge of piracy in the Caribbean for years to come.

One of the strongest ships in the Royal Navy, the HMS Dauntless was used to carry Governor Weatherby Swann and his daughter Elizabeth from England to the Caribbean, though they came upon the wreckage of a merchant vessel en route and rescued the sole survivor. From there, the Dauntless served as the power of those waters as the flagship of Norrington's men stationed at Port Royal. After Elizabeth Swann was kidnapped by the cursed pirate crew of the Black Pearl, Jack Sparrow and Will Turner used the Dauntless in their plan to commandeer the Interceptor so they could sail it out to sea to save Elizabeth. The cursed pirates later staged a surprise attack on the Dauntless, in which Norrington's men defeated the pirates. While Norrington was pursuing Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl, they came across a hurricane off Tripoli. Norrington ordered the crew to pursue their quarry regardless, but the hurricane proved too powerful to navigate and the Dauntless was destroyed.

History[]

Crossing from England[]

"Bad luck to have a woman on board, too. Even a miniature one."
Joshamee Gibbs concerning Elizabeth Swann[src]
Elizabeth Swann Singing COTBP

Young Elizabeth Swann aboard the HMS Dauntless.

A first-rate ship of the line, the earliest known use of the HMS Dauntless was that it carried Governor Weatherby Swann and his daughter, Elizabeth, from England to Port Royal, Jamaica eight years prior to James Norrington's promotion to the rank of commodore. At this time, Norrington served on board as a lieutenant, with Joshamee Gibbs as one of the crew. Sailing through a ghostly fog, with her bow emerging from it with an eerie creaking and groaning, it was the Dauntless that happened upon the wreck of a merchant vessel destroyed by the Black Pearl, and its crew saved the only survivor; a young Will Turner floating on debris from the ship, who accompanied those onboard to Port Royal.[1] Caught up in the investigation of the merchant vessel's wreckage, nobody aboard the Dauntless spotted the responsible party slip away through the fog, save the young Elizabeth.

Port Royal[]

"It's a fine goal to be sure, but it seems to me that a, a ship like that makes this one here a bit superfluous, really."
"Oh, the
Dauntless is the power in these waters, true enough, but there's no ship as can match the Interceptor for speed."
Captain Jack Sparrow and Murtogg[src]

Based out of Port Royal, the HMS Dauntless became known as the power in the Caribbean over the next eight years, presumably under the command of now-Captain Norrington, and was the scourge of many a pirate organization. Even the cursed crew of the Black Pearl showed fear at the vessel's name, such was her reputation. Captain Jack Sparrow himself pointed out that with a ship like the Dauntless, the much smaller HMS Interceptor seemed rather superfluous in comparison. However, after Norrinton was promoted as Commodore, the Black Pearl launched an attack on Port Royal to secure the last of 882 Aztec coins hoarded at Isla de Muerta. The Dauntless apparently did not participate in the battle, since Commodore Norrington himself remained at Fort Charles during the siege.[1] The attack concluded with the withdrawal of the pirates, with the governor's daughter in tow. The Dauntless though fast for a ship of her class, was passed over in favor of the smaller, lighter HMS Interceptor for immediate pursuit of the pirates.

Temporarily taking the Dauntless[]

Jack and Will

Jack Sparrow and Will Turner taking the Dauntless.

"Sir, they've taken the Dauntless! Commodore! They've taken the ship! Sparrow and Turner—they've taken the Dauntless!"
Gillette to James Norrington[src]

The Dauntless remained anchored at the Port Royal harbor when not in use, and it was from here that Captain Jack Sparrow and his accomplice, Will Turner, attempted to commandeer it following the raid. The pirates boarded and took control of the vessel, forcing Lieutenant Gillette and his men into the longboats, but the two were unable to steer the ship into open water by themselves. Aboard the Dauntless, Jack turned and glanced over his shoulder to his plan was working as Commodore Norrington was dropping the sails on the HMS Interceptor and preparing for pursuit. The Commodore's men caught up in the Interceptor and boarded the Dauntless, only to find the ship deserted. Stealing the Dauntless had not been Sparrow's intention at all as he proved by brazenly commandeering the Interceptor. The brief theft of the Dauntless caused Norrington to bring the Interceptor as Jack intended, effectively making the Interceptor ready to sail, something Jack and Will could not accomplish on their own. Before Commodore Norrington and Officer Groves could pursue the pirate or even attack his own ship, the steersman discovered that the rudder chain was disabled by Jack, to ensure they were not followed.[1] This resulted in the unsteerable and drifting Dauntless crashing into Gillette's hastily evacuated longboat, and Norrington and Groves were left to observe the escape of their quarry.

Isla de Muerta[]

"Mr. Sparrow, you will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with a bearing to Isla de Muerta. You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase 'silent as the grave'. Do I make myself clear?"
"Inescapably clear.
"
James Norrington and Jack Sparrow[src]
Dauntless Rumrunners Isle cropped COTBP

The Dauntless off the coast of Rumrunner's Isle.

The rudder chain was ultimately repaired, in time for Norrington to launch a search for Elizabeth Swann, who had been captured during the Pearl's earlier attack on Port Royal. Her smoke signal was spotted by the Dauntless on a desert island, and both Swann and Sparrow—marooned along with the girl by Hector Barbossa—were brought aboard. Sparrow convinced Norrington to pursue and ambush the Black Pearl at Isla de Muerta, but the ambush soon turned against the Navy marines when Barbossa's cursed pirates infiltrated the Dauntless by walking across the seafloor directly beneath her hull and engaged its crew in combat while the governor hid in the captain's cabin. Many a British soldier and sailor perished before Norrington joined the fight, sailing through a hail of shots fired from the Dauntless's own cannons by the cursed pirates. It was only once Will Turner lifted the pirates' curse that battle turned in favour of the British. With the enemy's advantage lost, the marines recaptured their vessel and placed the surviving pirates under arrest.[1]

Pursuit of the Black Pearl[]

Cursed Crew under the HMS Dauntless

The cursed crew marching underneath the HMS Dauntless.

"Commodore! What about Sparrow?"
"Oh, I think we can afford to give him one day's head start.
"
Lieutenant Gillette and Commodore James Norrington[src]

The Dauntless returned to Port Royal to imprison the pirates and convey Jack Sparrow to his execution in Fort Charles, though the pirate again escaped Norrington's clutches. The Commodore, overwhelmed by recent events, forestalled pursuit for a day, but soon continued his chase of the new captain of the Black Pearl.[1]

Destruction[]

"I nearly had you all off Tripoli. I would have, if not for the hurricane."
"Lord, you didn't try to sail through it?
"
James Norrington and Joshamee Gibbs[src]

During one of his later pursuits, Norrington almost had caught the Black Pearl off the coast of Tripoli, until they came across a hurricane. Refusing to allow his quarry to escape, Norrington had the Dauntless steer right into the hurricane after them, but the ship quickly began to fall to the immense power of nature.[8] Norrington and most of the crew survived, but the Dauntless was torn apart by the hurricane and sank during the pursuit.[9] Because of her loss, Norrington resigned his position and went into exile in Tortuga, eventually joining the crew of the Black Pearl.

Design and appearance[]

"You order your men to row out to the Dauntless; they do what they do best. Robert's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt, there you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet. You'll take the grandest as your flagship, and who's to argue?"
Jack Sparrow to Hector Barbossa[src]

Proudly flying the Blue Ensign and the Union Jack, the HMS Dauntless was considered the greatest power in the waters around Port Royal, and the pride of the King's Navy. One of the strongest ships as a first rate ship of the line, the Dauntless carried more cannons than many other ships of war, having about 50[6]-100 guns on aboard.[7] It was equipped with 35lbs cannons, 52 on portside- and starboard-battery and each 2 at the bow and the stern, allowing her a considerable advantage in battle. The HMS Dauntless was well known by the pirates in the Caribbean, even the cursed crew of the Black Pearl, who all feared her firepower. While the Dauntless was heavily armed, and considered agile and fast, she was not swift.[6] Despite being fast for a ship of her class and size, the Dauntless was not suited to chases and this duty was usually occupied by the smaller but faster HMS Interceptor. However, not even the Dauntless was a match for the power of nature, as she met her demise in a hurricane off the coast of Tripoli.

As a ship of the King's Navy, the HMS Dauntless carried the symbols of the British monarchy. The ship's figurehead showed a lion and a unicorn, the symbols of England and Scotland, holding together the Royal coat of arms of Great Britain. Three symbols of the Royal Navy were prominently displayed on the ship, the Blue Ensign flying from the peak of the gaff, the Union Jack flying from the jackstaff at the head of the bowsprit, and the blue pennant flying from the top of the mainmast.

Behind the scenes[]

Dauntlessbarge

The floating set used to portray the HMS Dauntless.

"There you'll be, with two lovely ships on your hands, and what to do? Of course you'll decide you deserve the bigger one, and who's to argue? The Dauntless a first-rate ship-of-line, and with it, you can rule the seas."
Jack Sparrow to Hector Barbossa[src] (original screenplay)
  • For filming The Curse of the Black Pearl, the Dauntless was portrayed by a floating set build atop of barges.[4]
  • In The Curse of the Black Pearl, the Dauntless flies the Blue Ensign, a flag which was historically used by Royal Navy's Blue Squadron which patrolled the south Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. However, a model of the Dauntless with the historically accurate Red Ensign was displayed in the exhibit A Pirate's Life for Me: Disney’s Rascals, Scoundrels, Really Bad Eggs on the D23 Expo in 2017.[10]
  • The HMS Dauntless was inspired by the HMS Victory, a Royal Navy ship of the line which still exists.[11] The Victory was a famous 100-gun ship that won numerous battles during its heyday, and the pride of the British fleet. Because no such ships exist as of 2003, the company was forced to recreate portions of the vessel using models of its vintage predecessor.[4] The same ship also inspired the East India Trading Company flagship, the Endeavour.
  • In the non-canonical Disney Adventures comic book The Buccaneer's Heart!, the Cursed crew, led by Bo'sun, commandeers the Dauntless with Weatherby and Elizabeth Swann on board. Fortunately, the combined efforts of Jack Sparrow's crew and the spirits of the Buccaneer's Heart drove the pirates off, and the Dauntless was returned to Norrington.[12]

Appearances[]

Wiki
The Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki has a collection of images and media related to HMS Dauntless.

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

vdeCrew of the HMS Dauntless
Captain: Unknown captain
HMS Dauntless
Lieutenant James NorringtonJoshamee Gibbs

Captain: Commodore James Norrington
HMS Dauntless
Lieutenant GilletteTheodore GrovesMullroyMurtoggSteersmanSailorSentry

[edit]


British Royal Navy ships in Pirates of the Caribbean
Royal Navy ships
AlbionHMS AchillesHMS AdventureArabellaBattle-RoyaleBastionBeletteHMS BlazerBritish galleonBritish warshipBulwarkCenturionHMS CenturyColossusHMS CometHMS DauntlessHMS DiamondDreadnoughtEliteHMS EndeavourEn-GardeEssexFerretGoliathGreyhoundHMS HoundHMS HyenaHMS InterceptorHMS InvincibleJack Sparrow's corvetteKingfisherLawrence Norrington's shipMan O' WarMonarchHMS NewcastlePantherHMS PeregrinePerseveranceHMS PhoenixPredatorPride of LondonHMS ProvidenceHMS RavenHMS ResistanceHMS RoseHMS SuccessTally-hoHMS TrepasseyVanguardHMS VictorHMS Victory
[edit]
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