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Hello! Sorry for any mistakes make, I'm not quite sure if there's a better place to ask this but I need some confirmation to already confirmed knowledge and information to fill in the gaps.
I'm making a pirate animation, a small series and wanted to get things right (mostly) in terms of ship specifics and environment. It's a small, jolly pirate crew of 6 on the Bahamas around the time period of 1670s-1720s, in search of the legendary '8th sea'! Time and place aren't super set in stone. We just know we want pirates, tropical, and vibrant colors.
Starting out, we wanted a galleon; but then realized that was way too big for a crew of 6, so are thinking between a Cog or Sloop/Sloop of War; even then, we're still unsure of the sizing and realism. But we eventually settled with the concept that its a small ship modified (and overcrowded with modifications) to technically fit the requirements to be a Galleon so that the captain can brag about owning one.
We know we want the final ship to have around 5 canons, (all top deck,) captain's quarter's, 2 or 3 masts, crow's nest, figurehead, and about 3 sections on top deck. Here is a reference image of the original I drew. https://imgur.com/6xLScgy
Onto the question(s)!
(Please don't feel pressured to answer all of them! Even one answer helps a ton. *** are the super important ones!)
-What requirements does a ship (1600's) have to meet in order to be considered a Galleon?***
-What kinds of ships (1600's) could be manned by a crew of 6, though still seen as impressive?***
-Did pirates call themselves pirates?
-Where did the association of pirates owning parrots come from?
-Do the ropes that raise/lower and turn a mast/sail have technical names?
-I've also been on the hunt for a list of flora/fauna***, common disease/problems (to residence and sailors alike,) religion, myths, weapons, and currency that were present/documented around mid to late 1600 in the Bahamas.
Thanks so much for the help!!
I'll continue to do research of my own, but a lot of these questions that I found the answer to had flaky answers at best, or none at all. I know I didn't give too much narrative about the actual story, (because I'm about a year in and afraid and a bit overprotective of my work!) but I also really appreciate extra information, (even if I didn't ask!) ideas, and tips. (Not the money kind.) So if you're big on the subject, feel free to blast everything you know; literally anything about these topics that you know will help me a lot. Happy sailing!
Hi there - we're happy to approve your question related to your game, and we are happy for people to answer. However, we should warn you that many flairs have become reluctant to answer questions for game developers and other creators, based on past experience: some creators have a tendency to try to pump historians for trivia while ignoring the bigger points they were making, while others have a tendency to argue with historians when the historical reality does not line up with what's needed for a particular part of the game. Please respect the answers of people who have generously given you their time, even if it's not always what you want to hear.
Additionally, as amazing as our flair panel is, we should also point out that /r/AskHistorians is not a professional historical consultation service. If you're asking a question here because you need vital research for a future commercial product such as a game, you may be better off engaging a historical consultant at a fair hourly rate to answer these questions for you. We don't know what the going rate for consultancy work would be in your locality, but it may be worth looking into that if you have in-depth or highly plot-reliant questions for this project. Some /r/AskHistorians flairs could be receptive to working as a consultant in this way. However, if you wish for a flair here to do this work for you, you will need to organize this with them yourselves.