Dutch Flute

Pirate Ship

Dutch flute was the most seen in European waters in the beginning of the 17th century. The ships were usually three-masted with first two square-rigged and lateen rigged on the mizzen-mast. With a very large capacity for its size, this ship was most common cargo carrier in that period. The other advantage that Dutch flute had over the other ships was a low expenses and big benefits. They were inexpensive to build and required a small crew. The pirates favored to attack this type of ship because it was lightly armed or even unarmed. Dutch flute's weight was around 300 ton, and they were generally 80 foot long.