It is difficult to imagine a pirate without a ship with Jolly Roger on black sails, because the "activity" of the pirates takes place afloat, and for its successful implementation you need a reliable and maneuverable vessel. As for privateers, they were originally intended for pirate activities, but were issued to hired privateers only for a certain period.
The history of privateering
Privateering originated at the very beginning of the XVIII century, during the war between Austria and France over the Spanish Empire. Then many pirate ships and privateers were built, for which pirates were hired. Privateering can be called "legal" piracy - in fact privateers were engaged in the same thing as the pirates, only instead of looted profits, they received payment from employers for the work done. Most of the privateers after the end of the work could not resist the temptation and became free pirates, the power of easy money and the illegal ways to get it were already familiar to them. Moreover, the privateer is a ship ready for robbery.
Meaning of the word “privateer”
Basically, those ships that were captured by them and suitable for accommodating the crew of the crew, storing stocks and being fast-moving became pirate ships. Unsuitable simply drowned in the sea or sold. If the ship was military and high-speed, it lingered in the hands of a pirate for a long time. Privateer is a private seagoing vessel designed for piracy with predetermined tasks on the part of a hired organization. Most preferred were brigantines and sloops, and large three-masted ships were used less frequently, but had a number of advantages. They were considered the most navigable, they could accommodate a large team with solid weapons and ammunition.
The most famous privateers in history
The famous pirate captain Edward Teach, known by the nickname Blackbeard, sailed on the three-masted ship "Queen Anne's Revenge" - this is a privateer that was originally a merchant ship, but was remade for the needs of a pirate crew. It was considered a fifth-rank ship containing up to 40 guns.
"Weed" under the command of Sam Bellam, the famous pirate of the Golden Age of robbery. The Wida was considered a maneuverable and high-speed ship, in which daring pirates transported a lot of gold mining.
The famous Scot William Kidd, who became famous thanks to the high-profile case of pirate robberies, sailed under the flag of his beloved ship called "Adventure". This is a privateer who was armed with 34 guns and accommodated up to 160 crew members, his goal was to destroy other ships.