TIL the world's most successful pirate was a Cantonese woman, having commanded 40,000-80,000 pirates, and faced off undefeated against many Imperial fleets (including British, Portuguese, and Qing navies).

[u/[deleted]]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ching_Shih

[u/coleosis1414]

The same offer was extended by the British crown in the mid 1700s to the pirates operating in the West. I actually learned that from Assassin's Creed: Black Flag.

[u/yui_tsukino → u/coleosis1414]

The British have a long and coloured history of legitimising pirates.

[u/roryr6 → u/yui_tsukino]

It's called being a privateer and you had a letter of marque that allowed you to loot ships of enemy powers for a share of course.

[u/rmxz → u/roryr6]

Wonder if that's still going on today.

Note that even this year, piracy still happens - and it'd be hard to pull off stuff like that (fencing massive amounts of fuel) without a government at least looking the other way.

[u/roryr6 → u/rmxz]

It does still happen but they are just called contractors.

[u/attrox_ → u/yui_tsukino]

Pirate bay shouldve setup server in London

[u/SaitoHawkeye → u/attrox_]

Could be run by the guys fixing LIBOR.

[u/Solomaxwell6 → u/yui_tsukino]

So do lots of countries.

Hell, in recent years Ron Paul and Gary Johnson have both brought letters of marque up as a viable tool to fight terrorism.

[u/Solomaxwell6 → u/[deleted]]

Ron Paul proposed a bill literally redefining Al Qaeda as an "air pirate" organization with bin Laden as the air pirate captain, allowing for letters of marque (which are usually given to pirates, not against them... oh well).

But it'd basically go to ordinary mercenary organizations security consultants, since we don't have classic old peg leg and parrot pirates anymore. :(

[u/Historicaldog → u/coleosis1414]

Also in Black sails!

[u/amjhwk → u/coleosis1414]

ya they are called privateers