A pirate ship is a type of

amusement ride Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

based on

pirate ships Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

, consisting of an open, seated

gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, ...

(usually in the style of a

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

ship) which swings back and forth, subjecting the rider to various levels of

angular momentum In physics, angular momentum (rarely, moment of momentum or rotational momentum) is the rotational analog of linear momentum. It is an important physical quantity because it is a conserved quantity—the total angular momentum of a closed syst ...

. A variant where the riders must pull on ropes to swing the ride is known as a

swing boat A swing boat, colloquially known as a "shuggy boat" in Northern England, is a fairground ride in which pairs of riders pull ropes to swing back and forth. A similar ride called a pirate ship swings in a similar motion but without the rider pullin ...

. The first known predecessor of the ride was invented by Charles Albert Marshall of Tulsa, Oklahoma between 1893 and 1897. This ride was originally called "The Ocean Wave". The Ocean Wave was first used in the Marshall Bros Circus in 1897. The circus was run by Charles and his brothers Mike, Will, Ed, friends, and family.

Height requirements

Height requirements for this type of ride vary from park to park. For example,

Hersheypark Hersheypark (known as Hershey Park until 1970) is a family theme park located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, about east of Harrisburg, and west of Philadelphia. The park was founded in 1906 by Milton S. Hershey as a leisure park for the employees of ...

, which has a Huss Pirate Boat, has a height requirement of or more to ride, while at LaRonde, which also has a Huss Pirate Boat, riders must be or taller. Huss recommends that the lowest a height requirement should be is , but parks can make it higher if they choose to.

Pirate ship rides

There are a number of Swinging Ship-type rides, and multiple manufacturers. * Chance Rides' original version is known as the ''Sea Dragon'' which are permanent or two trailer portable models. The later version is known as "Pharaoh's Fury" and could be permanent or transported on one 53-foot trailer. * Fabbri's version is known as the ''Pirate Ship'', and can hold 40 passengers. * HUSS' version is known as the ''Pirate Boat'', and can hold up to 54 passengers in 9 rows. * Intamin version is called ''Bounty''. *Mulligan's version is known as the ''Sea Ray''. *SBF Visa's version is known as ''Pirate'' and can accommodate 32 passengers. *SDC makes a version called the ''Pirate Ship''. * Zamperla's version is known as the ''Galleon'', and has four sizes available, which can hold 33, 42, 54 or 84 passengers. * Zierer's version is known as the ''Viking Ship'' and can accommodate 40 passengers. *Metallbau Emmeln's version is known as the ''Schiffsschaukeln'' and can accommodate 24/40 passengers. *Helmut Hauser *DAL Amusements *Staudenmeyer & Weidmann's version was most iconic from

Wicksteed Park Wicksteed Park is a Grade II listed park in Kettering, Northamptonshire, England, which includes an amusement park within its grounds. The park is located in the south-east of Kettering, on the western edge of Barton Seagrave village. The par ...

's double pirate ship.

Variants

* The

Looping Starship The Looping Starship is an amusement ride manufactured by Intamin of Switzerland. The ride is a swinging ship that can spin a complete 360-degree revolution. The ride has been modified with custom theming to resemble a number of different vehi ...

, manufactured by Intamin is similar to a pirate ship, except that goes upside down. This gives the rider a feel of zero gravity for a moment as it swings back down while making 360° loops. * Manufactured by

Anton Schwarzkopf Anton Schwarzkopf (8 July 1924 – 30 July 2001) was a German engineer who founded Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH, a German manufacturer of roller coasters and other amusement rides that were sold to amusement parks and travelling funfairs ...

, the Shuttle Boat is a pirate ship ride which instead of swinging back and forth rides on a half pipe track. This idea would later be adopted by Zamperla and turned into the Rockin' Tug, featuring a ship that rotates about its own axis also. * Some traveling fairs in Europe have pirate ships in which the riders can choose to stand up in cages located at the ends of the ships. These do not go upside down, but do swing to a horizontal position. The names listed are given by the manufacturers, and individual parks may change the name of the ride itself. Many parks use a Viking Ship theme for their ride. Smaller versions of the ride are often called "Swingboats".

Appearances

* Anchor's Away:

Enchanted Kingdom Enchanted Kingdom (abbreviated as EK), is a theme park in the Philippines. It is located in Santa Rosa, Laguna. It has a land area of . The park is managed and operated by Enchanted Kingdom Inc. Enchanted Kingdom is a member of the Internationa ...

* Barco Pirata: Pola Park * Bateau Pirate:

La Ronde La Ronde may refer to: Geography * La Ronde, Charente-Maritime, a commune in the Charente-Maritime ''département'', France * La Ronde River, on the Caribbean island of Dominica *La Ronde (amusement park), Montreal, Quebec, Canada * A La Ronde, an ...

* Bateau pirate:

Le Pal Le Pal is a French animal theme park that combines two activities: an amusement park and a zoo in the municipality area of Saint-Pourçain-sur-Besbre, in the Allier, France. Created in 1973, the site became a theme park in 1981. It offers more tha ...

* Berserker

Kings Dominion Kings Dominion is an amusement park located in Doswell, Virginia, north of Richmond and south of Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park opened to the public on May 3, 1975, and features more than 60 rides, shows and att ...

* The Battering Ram:

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Busch Gardens Williamsburg (formerly known as Busch Gardens Europe and Busch Gardens: The Old Country) is a amusement park located in Williamsburg, Virginia, James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Located approximately ...

* Bluebeard's Bounty:

Kentucky Kingdom Kentucky Kingdom, formerly known as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, is an amusement park in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The park includes a collection of amusement rides and the Hurricane Bay water park. Kentucky Kingdom is located at the ...

* The Blade: Alton Towers *

Blue Barnacle Blue Barnacle is a Metallbau Emmeln swinging pirate ship which opened in April 2021 at Chessington World of Adventures in southwest London, England as a replacement for the now defunct Black Buccaneer. The ride forms part of the Shipwreck Coas ...

: Chessington World of Adventures * The Bounty:

Drayton Manor Drayton Manor, one of Britain's lost houses, was a British stately home at Drayton Bassett, since its formation in the District of Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. In modern administrative areas, it was first put into Tamworth Poor Law Unio ...

* Bounty:

Heide Park Heide Park Resort, commonly known as Heide Park, is a theme park in Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany. With an overall area of over 850,000 m2 (210 acres), it is the largest amusement park in Northern Germany and among the largest in the country. ...

* Buccaneer: Six Flags Great Adventure,

Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain, formerly known and colloquially referred to as simply Magic Mountain, is a amusement park located in Valencia, California, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It opened on May 29, 1971, as a development of the Newh ...

* Caribbean Boat: Walygator Parc * Conquistador:

Six Flags Over Texas Six Flags Over Texas is a 212-acre (86 ha) amusement park, in Arlington, Texas, east of Fort Worth and west of Dallas. It is the first amusement park in the Six Flags chain, and features themed areas and attractions. The park opened on August 5, ...

Lotte World Lotte World is a major recreation complex in Seoul, South Korea. It consists of the world's largest indoor theme park, an outdoor amusement park called "Magic Island", an artificial island inside a lake linked by monorail, shopping malls, a lu ...

* Crazy Galleon:

Ocean Park Hong Kong Ocean Park Hong Kong, commonly known as Ocean Park, is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park situated in Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan in the Southern District of Hong Kong. It is the second largest t ...

* Drageskibet:

Djurs Sommerland Djurs Sommerland ( en, Djurs Summer Land) is an amusement park located in Djursland, Denmark, just north of the village of Nimtofte, 23 kilometers west of Grenaa, and 36 kilometers east of Randers. The park opened in 1981, and it has progressiv ...

* Dragon Swing:

Knott's Berry Farm Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park located in Buena Park, California, owned and operated by Cedar Fair. In 2015, it was the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America and averages approximately 4 million visitors per year. It features 40 ...

* Flying Cutlass:

Lightwater Valley Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park is a theme park in North Stainley, North Yorkshire, England. The park was once home to Europe's longest roller coaster, The Ultimate. Lightwater Valley was founded by Robert Staveley in 1969, and is now ...

* Flying Galleon:

Galaxyland Galaxyland Powered by Hasbro formerly just Galaxyland, and previously known as Fantasyland, is an indoor amusement park. Located in the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the second largest mall in North America, it is home to the ...

* Galion Pirate: Nigloland * Galleon:

Knoebels Knoebels Amusement Resort () is a family-owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove, and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, it is America's largest free-admission park. The park has more than 60 rides including three wooden ...

*Galleon:

Adventureland (Iowa) Adventureland Resort (often referred to as Adventureland for short) is a theme park in Altoona, Iowa (just northeast of Des Moines). It is marketed as featuring over 100 rides, shows and attractions. History Construction of Adventureland Pa ...

*Galleon:

Alabama Splash Adventure Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure (previously known as VisionLand, Alabama Adventure, Splash Adventure and Alabama Splash Adventure) is a water park and amusement park in Bessemer, Alabama. It is owned by Koch Family Parks, which consists of ...

*Ghostly Galleon: Adventure Wonderland *

Halve Maen ''Halve Maen'' (; en, Half Moon) was a Dutch East India Company '' vlieboot'' (similar to a carrack) that sailed into what is now New York Harbor in September 1609. She was commissioned by the VOC Chamber of Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic to ...

Efteling Efteling () is a fantasy-themed amusement park in Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands. The attractions reflect elements from ancient myths and legends, fairy tales, fables, and folklore. The park was opened on May 31, 1952. It evolved from a nature p ...

* High Seas:

Six Flags America Six Flags America is a theme park located in the Woodmore CDP of Prince George's County, Maryland,

* The Hook:

Lihpao Land Lihpao Resort () is a theme park located in Houli District, Taichung, Taiwan. It currently has two roller coasters, including Gravity Max, the world's first coaster to feature a true 90-degree drop and the world's first tilt coaster. Besides G ...

* Jolly Rocker:

Legoland Windsor Legoland Windsor Resort (), styled and also known as Legoland Windsor, is a theme park and resort in Windsor, Berkshire in England, themed around the Lego brand. The park opened on 17 March 1996 and is currently operated by Merlin Entertainment ...

* Journey to Zanzibar:

Columbus Zoo The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located near Powell in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio, United States, north of the city of Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir on the Sciot ...

* Kontiki:

PortAventura Park PortAventura Park is a theme park located in the PortAventura World Resort, 85 km southwest of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in the municipalities of Salou and Vila-seca, on the Costa Daurada. The park opened on 1 May 1995 under the manageme ...

* Mayflower:

Holiday World & Splashin' Safari Holiday World & Splashin' Safari (known as Santa Claus Land prior to 1984) is a combination theme park and water park located near Interstate 64 and U.S. 231 in Santa Claus, Indiana, United States. The theme park is divided into four sections ...

* Mr Monkey's Banana Ride:

Thorpe Park Thorpe Park Resort, commonly known as Thorpe Park, is an amusement park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England, southwest of Central London. It is operated by Merlin Entertai ...

* Navío Barbarroja: Isla Mágica * Ocean Motion:

Calaway Park Calaway Park is an amusement park and campground in Springbank, Alberta, Canada. The park occupies approximately of land, although the amusement park only occupies of it. The park is western Canada's largest amusement park, and is situated a ...

* Ocean Motion: Cedar Point * Pharaoh's Fury:

Casino Pier Casino Pier is an amusement park situated on a pier, in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The pier opened in 1932 and formerly extended approximately into the Atlantic Ocean from the narrow strip of the Barnegat Peninsula, including approximately s ...

, DelGrosso's Amusement Park, Kemah Boardwalk,

Wild Adventures Wild Adventures (known previously as Liberty Farms) is a zoological theme park in Clyattville, Georgia, which is located south of Valdosta, Georgia, United States. It is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment and has been managed by Jon Vig ...

, Keansburg Amusement Park ( Keansburg, New Jersey), Old Town Kissimmee * Pirata:

Canobie Lake Park Canobie Lake Park is an amusement park in Salem, New Hampshire, located about north of Boston. It was founded as a trolley park on the shore of Canobie Lake in 1902. Three local families currently run the park, which draws visitors from thro ...

* Pirate:

Darien Lake Six Flags Darien Lake is a 1,200-acre (4.86 km2) amusement park and resort located in Corfu, New York, off of Interstate 90 between Buffalo and Rochester. Six Flags Darien Lake features a theme park, water park, campground and lodging. It ...

Lake Winnepesaukah Lake Winnepesaukah, commonly known as Lake Winnie, is an amusement park located in Rossville, Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Carl and Minette Dixon opened the park to over 5,000 guests on June 1, 1925. They named it after the Nat ...

, Playland (Vancouver B.C.),

* Pirate:

Kennywood Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh. The park opened on May 30, 1899, as a trolley park attraction at the end of the Mellon family's Monongahela Street Railway. It was purchased in 1 ...

* Pirate Ship: Adventureland (New York),

Lake Compounce Lake Compounce is an amusement park located in Bristol and Southington, Connecticut. Opened in 1846, it is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States. It spans , which includes a beach and a water park called Crocodile ...

, Nicolândia Center Park, Rainbow's End, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk,

Wonderland Park (Texas) Wonderland Park is an amusement park located in Thompson Memorial Park, Amarillo, Texas, United States. Park history The park was founded in 1951 by Paul and Alathea Roads. In 1969, several new rides were added that appealed to people of all ...

, Bottons Pleasure Beach,

Skegness Skegness ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire, England. On the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, the town is east of Lincoln and north-east of Boston. With a population of 19,579 as of 2011, ...

, Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach * Piratenboot:

Bellewaerde Bellewaerde is a theme park in the West Flemish countryside at Zonnebeke near Ypres, Belgium (it is physically located just inside the Ypres municipality boundary). It was established in 1954, on the grounds of the World War I Battle of Bellewa ...

* Piratta: Tibidabo Amusement Park * Prairie Schooner: Frontier City * RipTide (formerly Sea Dragon):

Morey's Piers Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks is a classic seaside amusement park located on The Wildwoods' boardwalk in Wildwood and North Wildwood, New Jersey. The park has been family owned and operated since 1969 and is currently run by 2nd gen ...

* Rum Runner:

Magic Springs and Crystal Falls Magic Springs Theme and Water Park, known as Magic Springs, is an amusement park and water park located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, about from Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock. A single price admission includes all day use of the rides and att ...

* Sand Pirates: Adventuredome * Sea Dragon:

Clementon Park Clementon Park and Splash World is a mid-sized combination theme park and water park in Clementon, Camden County, New Jersey, United States. Also known as Clementon Lake Park, it is one of the world's oldest operating amusement parks and is one o ...

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is an American amusement and water park located between Allentown and Emmaus, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The park features 64 rides, including six roller coasters, other ad ...

, Funland (

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Rehoboth Beach ( ) is a city on the Atlantic Ocean along the Delaware Beaches in eastern Sussex County, Delaware. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the population was 1,327, reflecting a decline of 161 (11.2%) from the 1,488 counted in the 2000 ce ...

Michigan's Adventure Michigan's Adventure is a amusement park in Muskegon County, Michigan, about halfway between Muskegon and Whitehall. It is the largest amusement park in the state and has been owned and operated by Cedar Fair since 2001. As of 2022, Michigan' ...

Santa's Village AZoosment Park Santa's Village Amusement & Water Park (formerly known and colloquially referred to this day as simply Santa's Village) is a theme park in East Dundee, Illinois. It was originally built by Glenn Holland, who also built two other Santa's Village ...

Waldameer Park Waldameer & Water World is an amusement park and water park in Erie, Pennsylvania located at the base of Presque Isle. Waldameer is the fourth oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania, the tenth oldest in the nation, and one of only thirteen trol ...

Worlds of Fun Worlds of Fun is an entertainment complex with more than 235 acres located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is the largest amusement park and water park in the Midwest. Founded by American businessmen Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman, the park opened in ...

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier is a pleasure pier in Galveston, Texas, United States. Opened in the summer of 2012, it has 1 roller coaster, 15 rides, carnival games and souvenir shops. History The new Galveston Island Historic Pleasur ...

Pacific Park Pacific Park is an oceanfront amusement park located in Santa Monica, California. The park, located on the Santa Monica Pier, looks directly out on the Pacific Ocean, in the direction of Catalina Island. It is the only amusement park directly l ...

, Castles N' Coasters,

Elitch Gardens Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood in northwest Denver, Colorado, United States, at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the m ...

Indiana Beach Indiana Beach is an amusement park located on Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana. The resort was developed by the Spackman family, who owned it from 1926 to 2008. The park was then sold to Morgan RV LLC, Apex Parks Group, LLC, and now is owned a ...

, Niagara Amusement Park & Splash World * Sea Swell:

Lost Island Theme Park Lost Island Theme Park is a theme park in Waterloo, Iowa. The park includes five themed lands, which feature numerous attractions; including three roller coasters. Lost Island Theme Park is owned by the Bertch family, who operate the Lost Island ...

* Smiles Per Galleon: Adventure Island * The Swinging Viking: Motiongate Dubai * Tidal Wave:

Lagoon Amusement Park Lagoon is a privately owned amusement park in Farmington, Utah, United States, located about 18 miles north of Salt Lake City. It has ten roller coasters, five of which are unique; '' Colossus the Fire Dragon'', the last Schwarzkopf Double Loop ...

* Viikinkilaiva:

Linnanmäki Linnanmäki ( sv, Borgbacken, colloquially ''Lintsi'', ) is an amusement park in Helsinki, Finland. It was opened on 27 May 1950 and is owned by the non-profit Children's Day Foundation (, ), which operates the park in order to raise funds for ...

* Viikinkilaiva: Särkänniemi * Viking: Star City * Viking Fury:

Kings Island Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park first opened in 1972 by the Taft Broadcasting Company. It was part of a larger effort to move and expa ...

* Viking's Rage:

Canada's Wonderland Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting Company and the Great-West Life As ...

* Vindjammer:

Europa-Park Europa-Park is the largest theme park in Germany, and the second most popular theme park in Europe, after Disneyland Paris. Europa-Park is located in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, Rust, south-western Germany, between Freiburg im Breisgau and Strasbo ...

Former appearances

* "Buccaneer":

Geauga Lake Geauga Lake was an amusement park in Bainbridge Township and Aurora, Ohio. It was established in 1887, in what had been a local recreation area adjacent to a lake of the same name. The first amusement ride was added in 1889, and the park's fi ...

* "Canoa Krakatoa": Six Flags México * "The Galleon": Camelot Theme Park * "Galleon":

and Bowcraft Amusement Park * "The Ocean Wave":

Olentangy Park Olentangy Park was a trolley park, a type of amusement park, in Clintonville, Columbus, Ohio, operating from 1880 to 1937. Location Olentangy Park was located in what is now the southwest corner of Clintonville. The park boundaries on its west ...

"Boy Injured at Buckeye Outing." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' 19 July 1909. Pg. 2. * "Pirate":

Alabama Adventure Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure (previously known as VisionLand, Alabama Adventure, Splash Adventure and Alabama Splash Adventure) is a water park and amusement park in Bessemer, Alabama. It is owned by Koch Family Parks, which consists of ...

* "Pirate Ship": Astroland, Sea World The Great Escape * "Sea Dragon":

(closed because the mast broke off the ride), Ghost Town in the Sky in Maggie Valley, NC and

, DelGrosso's Amusement Park * "Sea Ray": Martin's Fantasy Island * "Sturmschiff": Holiday Park * "The Galleon": Kiddieland Amusement Park * "Bounty's Revenge": Adventure World in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

* Black Buccaneer: Chessington World Of Adventures

References

External links

Chance MorganFabbri GroupIntaminSDC RidesZamperlaHUSSDouble Pirate Ship Ride by Kallenkoop
{{Amusement rides Pendulum rides Pirates in popular culture