Jolly Roger is the traditional English name for the ensign flown to identify a pirate ship preceding or during an … See more

Use of the term Jolly Roger in reference to pirate flags goes back to at least Charles Johnson's A General History of the Pyrates, published in Britain in 1724 and in fact has no connection to the given name Roger.
Johnson sp… See more

Key elements commonly found on a Jolly Roger flag typically include (some rarer than others):
• Skull and crossbones – The skull, historically called "death's head" (compare with … See more

The gallery below shows artists' interpretations of what pirate flags might have looked like, based on simple descriptions from the time.
• Emanuel Wynn's flag.
• A pirate flag used by … See more

Pirates did not fly the Jolly Roger at all times. Like other vessels, pirate ships usually stocked a variety of flags, and would normally fly a false flag or no colours until they had their prey within firing range. When the p… See more

Following the introduction of submarines in several navies circa 1900, Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson, the First Sea Lord of the British Royal Navy, stated that submarines were "underhanded, unfair, and damned un-English"… See more