Dauntless (Pirates of the Caribbean)
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| Name: | HMS Dauntless |
|---|---|
| Captained By | James Norrington |
| Weapons: | 100 guns |
| Port of registry: | Port Royal |
| Length on deck: | 165 feet |
The Dauntless is a fictional ship in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Other than the Interceptor and the Black Pearl it is the only other ship of note in the film.
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[edit] Fictional history
[edit] Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Although it is not known for speed, the Royal Navy's HMS Dauntless is considered the power in the Caribbean. Indeed, just its name instills fear among pirates.
It is first seen bringing the new governor, Weatherby Swann and his daughter, Elizabeth Swann to Port Royal. Known sailors on board at the time were Joshamee Gibbs and then-Lieutenant James Norrington. Coming upon a wrecked vessel, young Will Turner is found among the floating debris, the only survivor of a pirate attack. He is put under Elizabeth's care for the remainder of the journey. It was while on board the Dauntless that Elizabeth first glimpsed the Black Pearl as it vanished into the mist.
Eight years later, the Black Pearl slips past the Dauntless during the night and attacks Port Royal in search of an ancient Aztec coin. The Dauntless appears unresponsive during the battle, possibly because it was caught off guard or the crew feared causing further damage to Port Royal.
The Black Pearl escapes with the captive Elizabeth. Dissatisfied with Commodore Norrington's rescue plan, Will strikes a deal with the pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, to save her. In a brilliant ruse, Sparrow successfully commandeers the Interceptor by pretending to hijack the Dauntless. When the Interceptor pulls alongside Dauntless, Norrington and his men rush the ship to apprehend the perpetrators. Meanwhile, Jack and Will swing over to the now unmanned Interceptor and sail off, leaving Norrington's disabled command ship stranded in the harbor.
The Dauntless searches for the Interceptor but has no luck finding it or the Black Pearl until a huge smoke plume is spotted arising from a deserted island. Sparrow and Elizabeth, marooned there by Barbossa, are rescued. Elizabeth persuades Governor Swann and Commodore Norrington to go to Isla de Muerta to find the Black Pearl and save Will. With Sparrow's help, the Dauntless heads to the mysterious uncharted island.
Norrington and his men wait offshore in longboats while Jack enters the cave to negotiate with Barbossa. In a ploy to win Barbossa's trust, Jack offers him the Dauntless as the foundation for creating his own fleet. Barbossa agrees and sends his crew to attack the ship. Jack expects them to be ambushed by Norrington's men as they row out to the Dauntless. Instead, the undead pirates walk underwater and infiltrate the ship from below. When he realizes it is under attack, Norrington and his men rush back to fight the pirates. Through the actions of Will, Jack, and Elizabeth in the cave, the curse is lifted and the now-mortal pirates are defeated and Barbossa is defeated.
[edit] Appearance in Dead Man's Chest
The Dauntless does not play any role in Dead Man's Chest. In a conversation between Gibbs and Norrington, it is suggested that it was sunk in a hurricane while Norrington was chasing Sparrow.
[edit] Armament
It can be very clearly seen in many parts of the film that the Dauntless has three complete gun decks, but just exactly how many cannons it had is not certain. Most real three-deckers had at least 90 guns or so, and many had more than 100. In order to qualify as a first-rate ship, 100 guns are required and the director Gore Verbinski, referred to the Dauntless as a 100 gun ship in the DVD bonus features. Along with the main canons, the Dauntless had two large carronades on the forecastle that can fire to the side or the front, that Norington refers to as the "Long Nines". It also has two carronades on the poop deck (the high deck with the stering wheel), but these can only be seen toward the end of the opening scene.
[edit] Filming
Of the three ships featured in Curse of the Black Pearl, only the Interceptor was an actual functional sailing vessel; the Dauntless was a steel barge with wooden structures built on top to resemble a real ship. The Black Pearl was a soundstage set. In the second and third movies, a floating replica was built, but it was not an authentic sailing ship.
[edit] External links
Pirates of the Carribean presskit, accessed Dec 9, 2006 Pirates of the Caribbean page at the-bahama-islands.com, accessed Dec 9, 2006
