为什么风帆时代的海盗有大舰巨炮甚至有舰队可以跟国家抗衡，而现在的海盗都是散兵游勇？ 第1页

黄金时代的海盗没有电影里这般神勇，而当代的海盗也绝对没有想象中这么不堪。

即便是在黄金年代，海盗也不太可能和舰队主力舰作战——而且还需要时时刻刻避免挑衅海军。核心是：有组织的海盗船早晚会需要回到港口补充淡水和食物，而这样就意味着他们要么想办法在各个强权手中拿到许可证，要么就必须另寻他途。前者带有强烈的国家色彩：比如法国，英国，奥斯曼，荷兰和美国的海盗的活跃度往往会在战争年代猛增（比如，西班牙王位继承战争时），而在和平年代又变得小心。无论名字是私掠者，海盗还是“合法商人”，以国家为后盾的广义海盗往往需要至少和一个国家或者国家集团的舰队交好。

后者要更加复杂一点，非国家层面的海盗社会有时候是逃奴组成的自治城市（比如西非和加勒比地区的“Maroon”），有时候干脆是海盗举家在船只上生活（远东）。这样的海盗或者水匪往往可以无视一切国家间的战和，也更加难以清除。但是反过来，这样的海盗几乎不可能获得哪怕稍大的战舰。

总而言之，“海盗对抗国家”是不成立的。一方面，哪怕是黄金年代（17-18世纪），也不会有任何海盗有能力和正规舰队作战，拍脑袋和1艘哪怕74炮主力舰在开阔海域较量。另一方面，海盗和国家强制机器之间的战斗往往不是海盗寻战的，军舰往往缺少有价值的物资，有水兵把守，而且最关键的是，袭击军舰会引发强烈反弹和报复——海盗和水兵的战斗往往是军舰主动寻战导致的。

用一个简单的例子来解释海盗的地位究竟有多么卑微：基德船长被处决时的罪状包括他拒绝为路过的海军舰艇提供水手！而基德本人对他最后的掠袭行动有教科书般的辩驳：

And that about the First Day of February following, upon the same Coast, under French Colours with a Designe to decoy, met with a Bengall Merchantman belonging to Surrat of the burthen of 4 or 500 Tuns, 10 guns, and he commanded the Master on board, and a Frenchman, Inhabitant of Suratt and belonging to the French Factory there, and Gunner of said Ship, came on board as Master, and when he came on board the Narrator caused the English Colours to be hoisted, and the said Master was surprized and said, You are all English; and asking, Which was the Captain, whom when he saw, said, Here is a good Prize, and delivered him the French Pass.[9] And that with the said two Prizes sailed for the Port of St. Maries, in Madagascar; and sailing thither the said Gally was so leaky that they feared she would have sunk every hour, and it required eight men, every two Glasses[10] to keep her free, and was forced to woold[11] her round with Cables to keep her together, and with much ado carried her into the said Port of St. Maries, where they arrived about the First Day of April 1698, and about the 6th day of May the lesser Prize was haled into the Careening Island or Key, the other not being arrived, and ransacked and sunk by the mutinous men, who threatened the Narrator and the men that would not join with them, to burn and sink the other, that they might not go home and tell the news.
And that when he arrived in the said Port there was a Pyrate Ship, called the Moca Frigat,[12] at an Anchor, Robert Culliford Commander thereof ···

他的礼仪不输给任何宫廷里的绅士。他的辩驳技巧不输给任何律师。可以看到他强调自己袭击的是挂着法国旗的舰艇（可能是编的）。然后第二段开头还可以看到他管其他人叫“pyrate”（海盗），显然一副“我是良民”的景象，把自己当成民兵看待。

至于当代海盗，在船只有雷达，能够获得海盗袭击区的提前预警的情况下，没有人真的会坐上一条舢板出海“等待”航船抵达。当代海盗能够准确地袭击商船，“商业手续完善地”索要赎金的原因只能是他们有完善的信息网和产业链——船只，水手和RPG只是其中微不足道的一个小小的环节而已。

当代海盗推荐阅读：

总的来说，海盗是一个被“妖魔化”同时“浪漫化”的职业和人群。

国家为后盾的海盗实际上是军队的另一种体现：

而当代挥舞着单兵武器的海盗也绝没有那么掉价：