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Pirates by Bruce Bushman

Pirates strike their colors and raise the white flag of surrender.

"Strike yer colors, ya bloomin' cockroachers! By thunder, we'll see ya to Davy Jones! They needs persuasion, mates... Fire at will!"
Pirate Captain[src] (pre-2006 revamp)

Striking the colors was a universal indicator of surrender. Once a ship's flag was lowered, it was considered a violation of international standards to continue to engage the surrendered ship in warfare.

History[]

"Mr. Greene, please strike our colors. Lively, now! And hoist a white flag, if we have one."
Jack Sparrow to Robert Greene[src]

When the pirate galleon, Wicked Wench, attacked the Spanish fort of Puerto Dorado, the Pirate Captain yelled at the Spanish garrison to strike their colors. However, the Spanish soldiers promptly replied by firing at his ship, refusing to surrender. During the auction of the town wenches, the Auctioneer told the redheaded wench to strike her colors, because there was no need to expose her superstructure.[1]

CotBPBarbossaBloominCockroaches

As the Black Pearl and the Interceptor battle, Hector Barbossa yells at the Interceptor crew to "strike their colors" or to surrender.

When the East India Trading Company brig, the Fair Wind, encountered the pirate frigate, the Venganza, in the Caribbean Sea, the ship's first mate Jack Sparrow recognized the pirate vessel and convinced his captain, Nathaniel Bainbridge, to surrender the ship without fighting. The Fair Wind hoisted the white flag, but when Bainbridge realized the pirate captain was a woman, the infamous Doña Pirata, he drew his sword and attacked her.[2] Years later, during the battle between the Black Pearl and the Interceptor, the Pearl's captain, Hector Barbossa, yelled at the other ship's crew to strike their colors. However, they continued to resist, which eventually resulted in the destruction of the ship.[3]

Behind the scenes[]

"Strike the colors! Lower the flag!"
Eric Brand[src] (2013 screenplay draft)

Appearances[]

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Notes and references[]

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