I saw an article about keelhauling and realized I don't know much about pirates (those on the sea, not the internet) beyond what I've seen in movies. Tell me your most interesting pirate facts. Mythical or historical.
When a pirate crew captured a merchant or government vessel, it was common for the crew of the captured vessel to not give a care and even join the pirates, seeing the pirate life as preferable. For this reason, pirates did not automatically eliminate their captured people, as the threat of resistance in some form was unlikely.