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			RDF Christie's Images, London, UK/Bridgeman Art Library				Piracy in 17th century Pirates were a major problem for England in the 17th century. The large English warships were effective as a deterrent to foreign invaders, but were no match for the smaller and faster pirate ships that could nip into shore and raid merchant ships, towns, coasts and fishing vessels with impunity. Although pirates were solo operators, most of the pirate ships were privateers; licensed by the French, Dutch or Spanish government as mercenaries, to spy or raid. The arrangement was advantageous to all. The government got a private navy that it did not have to build or maintain, while the boat owners and sailors were paid for their service and captured bounty during their voyages. England needed ships that could challenge these privateers. Their streamlined and light design meant they could run down any richly laden merchantmen or escape from a heavy warship. In the 1600s, ship design, size and shape was dictated by one of three factors: cargo, speed and fighting power. The English warships were designed to withstand long battles and carry a large number of guns. But what England needed was a viable deterrent to the privateers. Privateers were opportunists and would raid easy ports and run down solitary ships. If the seas were policed enough, the argument ran, they would seek easier pickings in another country. Unfortunately, Charles I was more interested in large prestigious warships that boasted his supremacy over the seas. He spent most of his ship money, raised by heavy taxes, on these lavishly carved symbols of power rather than smaller faster vessels. Perceived misuse of the Ship Money and Charles I's failure to combat piracy became a major source of discontent among the English, and was one of the factors that led to the Civil War. Attempts were, however, made by English shipbuilders to design ships that would compete with the privateers. But with their experience steeped in warship building, the first of these, the Lion's Whelps, followed the same conventions, simply reducing the size of the vessels. These miniature warships did not have the speed or agility to challenge the pirate vessels. Unable to design a new streamlined ship, the navy sought another solution. On the capture of a number of Dunkirk privateers in the early 1640s, they resolved to copy the privateers' design. These copies formed a new type of ship within the navy, the frigates. The frigates did not have long to prove their worth because, ironically, with growing civil unrest in England, by the late 1640s the privateers had left for safer pickings elsewhere. ^ Top