Pirate Flags We Enjoy: Part II

A few more very real Jolly Rogers for your amusement:

Solent: ORIGINAL JOLLY ROGER PIRATE FLAG REVEALED. A rare 18th Century red Jolly Roger pirate flag has been uncovered and gone on display for the first time. The flag was captured in battle off the North African coast in 1780. The flag is now on show at the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Hants. SEE OUR COPY FOR THE FULL STORY. Pictured: Curator of Artifacts Richard Noyce with the original Jolly Roger Pirate Flag. Plus close-ups of the flag © The News, Portsmouth/Solent UK +44 (0) 2380 458800

Here we see the flags of Edward Teach, known more popularly as “Blackbeard”, alongside the banner of the particularly vicious pirate Edward Low. And we’ve added a quote by Blackbeard for the sake of contemplation. Teach’s flag depicts a skeletal figure spearing a bloody heart, while toasting the devil. Low’s flag, a red skeleton on a black background, became quite notorious. He first flew this flag in late July of 1723. When in a foul mood he would occasionally fly the flag with colors reversed, indicating his state-of-mind. Also pictured is an ancient Jolly Roger recovered off the coast of North Africa in 1790.

Here are a few more pirate radio flags:

A wide smattering of flags, logos and pennants. Crystal Ship Pirate Radio still hosts a site, and Free Speech Radio—while threatening to go under at every turn, still exists. At least for the moment. The pennants shown for Radio Hauraki out of New Zealand hail back to their pirate days, but RHNZ has long since become a legal entity. And of course the famous pirate radio ship Radio Caroline has been docked and legal since the mid-2000s. Also featured here is the logo for Re-loading the Pirate Radio Dial, an intriguing article from Drum and Bass Arena concerning pirate radio and its effect on the electronic music scene in the UK.

And pictured below is the Jolly Roger flown in the Radio Konton 90.5 FM studio: