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Message: <blockquote data-quote="aramis erak" data-source="post: 8189738" data-attributes="member: 6779310">Historically, very few fully commissioned ships had crews go rogue. Many privateers, however, did go rogue.Privateers are more than just "licensed pirates" — their licenses require turning over the hulls, and often, most of the cargo, for a fraction of market value.Privateers generally were restricted to targeting civilian shipping flagged to one nation only. Some were authorized to take on military shipping, as well, but that was far too risky for most.Most of the actual commissioned ships had home ports to return to, and most sailors had families to return to in said home port. It's not unheard of for a ship's crew to have a few guys take a small craft and head for neutral turf while the ship was heading for home. I can't think of any that went full pirate due to the war ending; a few were cases of an abusive captain triggering a mutiny, and then the mutineers turning pirate, until they could find a safe port and buyer for the ship.As noted by JD, most pirates are the same kind of guys who would be doing crime ashore. Even the modern Ethiopian pirates are not average joes, but are the kind of guys who would be fleecing elementary kids for lunch money if the elementary kids had any lunch money to be fleeced of.  They're the segment willing to use violence to solve problems not even thinking that other ways could exist. If their neighbors had money for drugs, they're likely the ones who'd be running the distribution and kidnapping chemists to make the drugs.Most privateers were men of dubious rep, often former navy, hiring crews that were looking for violence. Many tried to use the same (brutal) techniques as on the Navy's ships, but without the leverage of family and friends at home. A number pushed too far, and a mutiny took them out. Others got voted off the ship. Others forgot that they had restrictions on targets.  A handful played both sides until they got caught.</blockquote>

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