The Great Ships - The Pirate Ships (1997)

This program recounts the reign and the swift agile and dangerous pirate ships that were the scourge of the high seas during the golden age of piracy in the late 17th and early 18 centuries. The JOLLY ROGER with its terrifying skull and crossbones ensign struck fear in the hearts of sailors everywhere. The adventure and rebellion of the pirate life as well as these colorful mend and their ships have earned them a place in the popular imagination.System Requirements:Running Time 50 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 733961752847 Manufacturer No: AAE-75284 Product Description

THC - The Great Ships - The Pirate Ships

Awesome History Channel DVD, very interesting and quite factual, as normal for The History Channel! A must see for pirate buffs like myself! July 18, 2008

Should have been called "Great Pirates of the Golden Age".

I feel mislead, from the title I was thinking that this was going to be a "Modern Marvels"-style program about pirate ships. Instead there's maybe 15 minutes about pirate ships, pirate life and how they modified merchant ships into armed vessels. The rest of the 47 minute running time is dedicated to mini-histories of Sir Francis Drake, William "Captain" Kidd, Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart) and Edward Teach (Blackbeard) all told with weak reenactments of "pirates" snarling and pulling ropes.

Couldn't they have at least found a guy with a real beard to play Blackbeard?! LOL. March 17, 2008

Misleading description!

I was a bit let down after seeing this video. The description is NOT accurate. Henry Morgan is not once even mentioned in the video, and there is no footage of sunken ships at all! Interviewed historians do give some interesting insights, but the reenactments are rather pitiful. Blackbeard looks as though he bought his beard from the cheapest costume shop available. If he looked like that in real life, I doubt anyone would have taken him seriously! October 6, 2006

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