Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship

by Robert Kurson

Cannons were not accurate in the 1680s, especially at distances of more than a few hundred yards. Most often, they didn’t need to be; warring ships of the age commonly battered each other from point-blank range, which might be as close as fifty feet. Sometimes, they didn’t fire until they saw the buckles on the enemy’s shoes. And that was not just an expression. Shooting cannons at a distance was especially difficult. Gunpowder was inconsistent in both quality and quantity from shot to shot, which affected the speed at which the ball left the muzzle, and therefore the gunner’s ability to fire with precision. Cannonballs were made about a quarter-inch smaller than the diameter of the bore, to assure that they didn’t jam during discharge and blow up the gun. That meant the ball bounced off the sides of the bore while being fired, and flew out at some small angle—not a severe one, but often enough to make it hook or slice like a golf ball, and almost impossible to put on a bull’s-eye.