日志
私掠船 Privateer
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A privateer was a privately owned ship—or its captain and crew—authorized by a government during wartime to attack and capture enemy vessels. Think of it as a legal pirate, operating under a "letter of marque," a document that made their actions legitimate rather than criminal. This was a widespread practice, especially from the 16th to 19th centuries, when naval warfare and trade routes were battlegrounds for European powers.
How It Worked
A government (say, Britain, France, or Spain) issued these letters of marque to private shipowners, allowing them to target enemy merchant ships or even warships. The privateers would seize the enemy vessel, its cargo, and sometimes its crew, then bring the "prize" back to a friendly port. A prize court would adjudicate the capture, and if deemed legal, the privateers split the profits—usually after the government took a cut. The crew got shares based on rank, with the captain and investors pocketing the most.
Why Privateers Existed
Nations loved privateers because they amplified naval power without draining the treasury. Building and maintaining a formal navy was expensive—privateers were a cost-effective way to harass enemies, disrupt trade, and weaken their economies. For the privateers, it was a high-risk, high-reward gig: a single successful raid could make you rich, but failure or capture meant death, imprisonment, or financial ruin.
Privateers vs. Pirates
The line between privateers and pirates was thin but real. Pirates were outlaws, attacking anyone for personal gain, no paperwork required. Privateers had a license, stuck to wartime targets (in theory), and answered to a government. If caught by the enemy, privateers could claim prisoner-of-war status, while pirates got the noose. That said, some privateers bent the rules—raiding neutrals or keeping loot off the books—blurring the distinction.
Examples in History
- Elizabethan Era: Sir Francis Drake was England’s star privateer in the 1570s-80s. His raids on Spanish ships—like the Golden Hind haul of gold and silver—helped fund England’s war chest against Spain. The Spanish called him a pirate; Queen Elizabeth knighted him.
- American Revolution: The fledgling U.S. leaned hard on privateers—over 1,700 letters of marque were issued. Ships like the Rattlesnake hit British supply lines, capturing hundreds of vessels and bolstering the war effort when the Continental Navy was tiny.
- War of 1812: American privateers like the Prince de Neufchatel plagued British shipping again, nabbing over 500 prizes. Britain returned the favor, targeting U.S. trade.
Life Aboard
Privateer crews were a mix—sailors, ex-naval men, adventurers, even some ex-convicts looking for a payday. Ships were often fast and nimble (schooners or sloops), built for chase over firepower. Discipline was looser than a navy ship, but the promise of loot kept morale high. Combat was bloody—boardings with cutlasses and muskets—and losses were steep if luck ran dry.
Decline
Privateering faded by the mid-19th century. The 1856 Declaration of Paris, signed by major powers like Britain and France, banned it, favoring professional navies and international law over freelance warfare. Steamships and modern navies also made the old sail-and-sword model obsolete. The U.S. never signed the declaration but largely stopped issuing letters of marque after the Civil War.
Legacy
Privateers left a mark—economically, they crippled trade (Spain lost fortunes to Drake), and culturally, they fueled the romantic “pirate” mythos, minus the eyepatches. They were mercenaries of the sea, sanctioned chaos in a world where empires fought dirty.
什么是私掠船？
私掠船是指在战时由政府授权的私人船只——包括其船长和船员——用于攻击和捕获敌方船只。可以将其视为合法的海盗，他们持有“私掠许可证”（letter of marque），这份文件使他们的行动合法而非犯罪。这种做法在16世纪至19世纪尤为普遍，当时海军战争和贸易路线是欧洲列强争夺的战场。
运作方式
政府（例如英国、法国或西班牙）会向私人船主颁发私掠许可证，允许他们攻击敌方的商船甚至军舰。私掠船会夺取敌船及其货物，有时连同船员一起，然后将“战利品”带回友方港口。一个专门的法庭（赏金法庭）会裁定捕获是否合法，如果合法，私掠者会分得利润——通常在政府抽成之后。船员按等级分得份额，船长和投资者拿得最多。
为什么会有私掠船？
各国喜欢私掠船，因为它们能在不耗费国库的情况下增强海军力量。建立和维持正规海军成本高昂，而私掠船是骚扰敌人、破坏贸易、削弱其经济的低成本方式。对私掠者来说，这是一场高风险高回报的冒险：一次成功袭击就能致富，但失败或被俘可能意味着死亡、监禁或破产。
私掠船与海盗的区别
私掠船与海盗之间的界限很细微但真实存在。海盗是违法者，为个人利益攻击任何目标，无需任何许可。私掠船有执照，理论上只在战时攻击敌方目标，并向政府负责。如果被敌人抓住，私掠者可以主张战俘身份，而海盗则会被绞死。不过，有些私掠者也会越界——袭击中立船只或私吞战利品——让两者区分模糊。
历史上的例子
伊丽莎白时代： 弗朗西斯·德雷克爵士是1570-80年代英国的明星私掠者。他袭击西班牙船只——如“金鹿号”满载金银的行动——为英格兰对西班牙的战争提供了资金。西班牙称他为海盗，伊丽莎白女王封他为骑士。
美国革命： 初生的美国大量依赖私掠船，发放了超过1700份私掠许可证。像“响尾蛇号”这样的船袭击英国补给线，俘获数百艘船只，在大陆海军薄弱时支持了战争。
1812年战争： 美国私掠船如“纳沙泰尔王子号”再次重创英国航运，夺取超过500艘战利品。英国也以牙还牙，打击美国贸易。
船上生活
私掠船员成分混杂——水手、前海军人员、冒险者，甚至一些寻求发财的前罪犯。船只通常是快速灵活的类型（如双桅船或单桅船），为追击而非火力设计。纪律比海军宽松，但战利品的诱惑保持了士气。战斗很血腥——用弯刀和火枪登船作战——如果运气不好，损失惨重。
衰落
到19世纪中期，私掠船逐渐消失。1856年的《巴黎宣言》由英国、法国等大国签署，禁止私掠活动，转而支持职业海军和国际法。蒸汽船和现代海军也让老式的帆船和刀剑模式过时。美国未签署该宣言，但在内战后基本停止发放私掠许可证。
遗产
私掠船留下了印记——经济上，它们重创了贸易（西班牙因德雷克损失了巨额财富）；文化上，它们为浪漫的“海盗”神话增添了色彩，只是少了眼罩。私掠船是大海上的雇佣兵，在帝国肮脏争斗的世界中扮演了受认可的混乱角色。
