Captain Caaaartoon's Pirate Ship Quiz

The rigging is that big system of ropes, lines, and wooden supports that you see on the ship. The sailors that work for the pirate captain will use the rigging to raise and lower the sails, turn the sails to get the wind, and help steer the ship across the seas. Those sailors had to often climb very high up into the rigging to work during storms or battles.

This could be dangerous for them because imagine climbing while the ship is rocking back and forth! Without the rigging, the sails would not work and the pirate ship could not travel right.

The Jolly Roger flag is the famous pirate flag you see flying at the top of the ship. It is, like this one, usually black with a while skull and crossbones. Some pirates, however, used their own design. But Captain Caaaartoon likes the original one! When other ships saw the Jolly Roger coming their way, they knew pirates might attack them and steal what they are carrying. Pirates hoped the flag would scare them so bad they would surrender without a big fight.

The wheel on a pirate ship is used to help steer the ship over the oceans and you can see it in the picture in front of the captain. When Captain Caaaartoon turns the wheel, it moves the rudder at the back of the ship. This changes the ship's direction.

It seems like it could be easy, but steering the ship is hard work, especially during a storm. Using the ship's wheel is one of the more important parts of the captain's job.

The lifeboat is the little boat you see on the side of the ship. It is carried there for emergencies and for short trips. Captain Caaaartoon and his crew would use the lifeboat to go ashore, carry supplies, or escape if the ship is sinking. Oars are used to row the boat instead of sails and the boat can move easily through shallow water.

It may look little, but it's an important part for safety reasons!

The sails on Captain Caaaartoon's ship are the big pieces of cloth you see. They are made of strong cloth that can catch the wind and help move the big ship across the water. Pirates raise and lower the sails with ropes. They turn the sails to catch the wind in the best way. Different sails can help the ship go faster or travel in different directions. Without sails, pirate ships would have to rely on the sailors to row, which would be much slower (and very hard work).

The anchor is the big metal object you see hanging on the front of the ship. It's a big hook attached to a thick chain or rope. Captain Caaaartoon will drop the anchor into the water when he wants the ship to stay in one place. It keeps the ship from drifting away with the waves or the wind.

The anchor dug into the bottom of the ocean bed and held the ship steady. This was important near islands, ports, or hidden coves.

You can see the cannons poking out the sides of the ship in the picture. In this image, there are 4 on the side facing you. The cannon is one of the most powerful weapons on Captain Caaaartoon's ship. Pirates used cannons to fire heavy cannonballs at enemy ships during a battle. Those cannonballs could hurt sails, break wooden walls, or even scare the people on the opposing ship. Cannons were very loud and poured out smoke and fire when they were fired.

The treasure chest is the box you see at the back of Captain Caaaartoon's ship. It's made of wood and used by pirates to store valuables such as gold coins, silver, jewels, maps, and many other treasures. Many of these chests had heavy metal locks to help protect the treasure hidden inside.

In many stories, pirates buried this chest on an island until they could come back to get it. Getting a full treasure chest is one of the ultimate goals of a pirate's job.

The map is the pice of paper next to Captain Caaaartoon. It is an important tool to the captain because it helped him travel across the ocean. It also, hopefully, helped him find islands, ports, and treasures. Pirate maps often showed coatlines, dangerous rocky places, and good routes through the seas.

In stories, these maps sometimes had a big "X" on it that marked the spot where a treasure was hidden. Without maps, pirates could easily get lost while sailing around the globe.

The crow's nest is the platform you see at the top of the ship. And it's not for crows. It's located high up on the mast of the ship where a sailor stood to look out over the water. From the crow's nest, they could spot enemy ships, islands, storms, or hidden rocks long before the people down on the ship could see them.

The sailor up there usually used a telescope and would shout down any kind of warning or discovery. It was pretty high up there, so that job could be fun but could be dangerous during rough water.