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- "Pride of the King's navy you are."
- ―Jack Sparrow
The Royal Marines, also known as Redcoats, were British soldiers who were part of the British Royal Navy. As their name indicates, they were trained for combat operations at both sea and land. The East India Trading Company employed many of these soldiers for the sake of protecting their goods.
History[]
Two Marines attack Jack Sparrow
The Royal Marines are a part of the Royal Navy, (although they're a seperate entity and not sailors as such) and not members of the British Army as the uniform would suggest. Marines were attached to the crew of almost every British Royal Navy ship. Many of the garrisons of fortresses in the Caribbean also consisted of Royal Marines.
Most Royal Navy ships carried a company of Royal Marines aboard; They were used by the Admiralty to rig ships before they were placed in commission and supported the navy sailors with gunfire during battles and could man the cannons. Royal Marines formed the core of boarding and landing teams and served as a kind of police force aboard the ship to enforce discipline and prevent mutinies. The Marines serve under Royal Navy officers, but would typically be commanded by a Marine officer. There were no Marine officers in Fort Charles or aboard the HMS Dauntless.
Will Turner and Jack Sparrow surrounded by Marines.
A large number of Marines were stationed at Fort Charles, under the command of Commodore James Norrington, where they manned the Fort's cannons, guarded the prison and maintained order throughout Port Royal.[1]
A group of these soldiers followed Commodore Norrington and Lieutenant Gillette to the Port Royal harbor to rescue Governor Weatherby Swann's daughter, Elizabeth. However, once they came to the harbor, they ran into notorious pirate Jack Sparrow. However, through threatening Elizabeth, Sparrow was able to escape. The Marines searched the streets of Port Royal until they finally found the pirate knocked out in John Brown's smithy and took him into custody.[1]
The Marines later helped defend Port Royal when it was attacked by the Black Pearl as well as Hector Barbossa's pirate crew.[1]
A considerable number of Marines were stationed onboard the HMS Dauntless, where they participated in the search for Governor Swann's missing daughter, Elizabeth, who was kidnapped during the pirate raid the previous night. They later fought in a battle against Barbossa's cursed crew. The Marines suffered heavy casualties but managed to arrest the pirates after their curse was lifted.[1]
- "Lower your weapons... For goodness' sake, put them down!"
- ―Weatherby Swann to Royal Marines
After the battle, they returned to Port Royal and resumed their normal duties. A large group of Marines were present guarding the fort when Jack Sparrow's hanging was taking place. Will Turner freed Jack from the gallows and managed to knock out several Marines who attempted to stop them. Eventually, they surrounded the duo with muskets pointed but were later forced to lower them when Elizabeth Swann came to Will's aid. At James Norrington's order, the Marines allowed Jack to escape to the Black Pearl.[1]
A large contingent of Royal Marines was under Lord Cutler Beckett's command during the War Against Piracy.[2]
Equipment[]
- "Now you shall see what painful steel a British soldier is made of!"
- ―Red Coat
As the fighting force of the British Navy, the standard weapons of the marines were muskets, often outfitted with bayonets. They were trained to fire in volley formation. Marines also made use of cutlasses during boarding actions. Higher-ranked marines carried pole-arms such as spontoons and halberds, though these were generally more symbols of authority than weapons.
Uniform[]
A Royal Marine.
Royal Marines wore distinctive red coats from which they earned their nickname of "redcoats". The facings of the coat were white, as were the waistcoat and breeches worn beneath it, and their boots were covered with black gaiters. The marines also wore a tricorne hat trimmed with white, and a black stock was fastened around the neck. Two leather belts ran from each shoulder across the chest; from the left hip hung a bayonet scabbard, and from the right a cartridge box that held powder and shot for their muskets.
The marines who served in the East India Trading Company sported red coats until Lord Cutler Beckett obtained the Heart of Davy Jones during the War Against Piracy. The EITC marines would later wear blue and red colored Company-styled uniforms. These Marines were known as Blue Coats, due to the colors of the clothing they wore.
James Sterling fights with two Marines.
Notable Marines[]
- Mullroy
- Murtogg
- Stevens
- Carruthers
- Sentry
- British redcoat
- Royal Marines Officer
- Large guard
- Jail Guard
Behind the scenes[]
- Marines were first identified in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
- Historically, the unit was named Royal Marines by King George III in 1802 at the instigation of Admiral John Jervis. During the golden age of piracy the soldiers were known simply as Marines.
- In the 2006 The Curse of the Black Pearl novelization, the man who says "That's got to be the best pirate I've ever seen." after the theft of the Interceptor is an unnamed Marine, rather than Theodore Groves. However, it is possible that they're the same character, due to Groves having been unnamed at the time of the original film's release.
- In the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 version of the At World's End video game, a group of British Marines are stationed aboard the Flying Dutchman and Elizabeth Swann has to fight them to escape the ship.
- The soldiers aboard the Essex are identified as marines in the Dead Men Tell No Tales novelization.[3] However, in the film they wear the same uniforms as the soldiers stationed in Saint Martin, who are identified as Royal Guards in the same novelization.[4]
Appearances[]
- Jack Sparrow: The Tale of Billy Turner and Other Stories
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned
- Legends of the Brethren Court: The Turning Tide
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (First appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
- Smoke on the Water
- The Capture of Jack Sparrow!
- Enter... the Scarecrow!
- The Black Heart of the Pearl
- The Escape of Pintel and Ragetti!
- Pirates of the Caribbean Online
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Gods and Ghosts M (Non-canonical appearance)
