The Flying Dutchman (Pirates of the Caribbean)

The Flying Dutchman is a fictional ghost ship commanded by Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and in the upcoming 2007 film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Its name and origin is taken from the old sea legend of the Flying Dutchman. However there are significant differences between the ship of legend and the one seen in the film.

It is unknown how Davy Jones acquired such an unusual ship; it can go underwater or sail with the winds. Despite its speed, it cannot catch all ships, including the 'nigh uncatchable' Black Pearl, which Gibbs said had the edge with a following wind (the Dutchman is faster with a headwind). Onboard it has an even-more deadly weapon than the usual cannon turrets and the triple cannons in the bow. A giant hammer summons the mighty leviathan monster, the Kraken. In fact, the Flying Dutchman seems to be the only ship immune to the Kraken's rage.

Dead Man's Chest

Captain Jack Sparrow attempts to avoid paying his debt to Davy Jones by offering him Will Turner instead. Jack tells Will that a wrecked ship on a reef is the ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman, and that is where he'll find the key to Davy Jones' Dead Man's Chest. As Turner investigates the wreck, the real Flying Dutchman suddenly surfaces from beneath the waves. Will is captured by Jones' crew who seemingly appear from nowhere. Davy Jones boards the ship and offers the dying survivors an opportunity to swear an oath to serve aboard his ship for 100 years or be condemned to the depths. Fearing death, most accept, but one man refuses and is killed. Because Will is neither dead nor dying, Jones takes him captive. Jones tells Sparrow he will not accept Will alone in exchange for Jack's soul. To settle their debt, he demands 100 souls within three days. Otherwise, Jack must surrender or face the Kraken. Jack attempts to take Will back, but Jones keeps him as a "good faith" payment and demands another 99 souls.

Will is reunited with his father, "Bootstrap Bill" Turner on the Flying Dutchman. The harsh life aboard the ship is revealed as the crew is often whipped by the bo'sun, Jimmylegs. Will himself faces a flogging but is spared from a more severe beating from the bosun by his father, who is then forced to whip his own son. Bootstrap later tells him that the bosun, "prides himself on cleaving flesh from bone with every strike," and that his actions (flogging his own son) were done out of compassion.

Bootstrap helps Will find the key to Davy Jones' chest and escape the Flying Dutchman in a longboat. Will is rescued by a merchant vessel, but Davy Jones summons the Kraken to destroy it. Will survives and stows away in the bow of the Dutchman. Jones sets course for Isla Cruces where the Dead Man's Chest is buried. The Dutchman landing party recovers the chest (although it is empty) but fail to capture Jack Sparrow. Jones pursues the Black Pearl, but it outruns the Dutchman. Vengeful, Jones again summons the Kraken which nearly destroys the vessel. All hands but Jack abandon ship, and the Kraken pulls the Black Pearl and Jack under the sea. Davy Jones declares Jack's debt settled, but when he looks inside the Dead Man's Chest, it is empty. Jones curses Jack Sparrow, but it is Lord Cutler Beckett who now possesses it. With It, he rules Davy Jones and the seas.

Presumably Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman will return in Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End to pursue Will, Elizabeth and their new captain Barbossa as they sail to World's End to rescue Jack.

Life Aboard

The ship is more organic plant matter than timber and sail, perhaps reflecting its strong relationship to the sea. The crew also reflect this, and the longer anyone serves their life-debt aboard the Dutchman, the more physically attached to the ship they become, eventually losing their humanity to the sea. One crew member, Wyvern, has become so transformed that he is literally part of the ship's hull. Bootstrap Bill also shows signs of this phenomenon, as his flesh is encrusted with sea life. It is unknown if this is why Davy Jones is part-human and part-sea creature; having been at sea for so long may have caused him to transform from a human into the monster he is. Whether or not this can be reversed or if sailors revert to their human form once their debt is fulfilled is unknown. It's also unknown what happens to sailors after their debt is settled. Some were dead when Jones recruited them, but others, like Bootstrap, were still alive. They may also die when their service is completed, although Bootstrap is DoomEd to serve an eternity after a gambit to save his son.

It is believed that Davy Jones has sailed on the Flying Dutchman for centuries. The crew rarely steps on land, and Davy Jones can do so only once every decade. Nearly all of the crew's servitude is spent toiling on board the ship. For amusement, they play a game called Liar's Dice, in which they gamble years of service. Davy Jones regularly plays a massive pipe organ. For some reason, he plays a certain tune more often than others: the same tune that plays on his music locket.

Armaments

Like all other ships, the Flying Dutchman is armed with port and starboard cannons. On the bow, however, she is armed with dual tri-barrelled cannons (one on port and the other on starboard). These fire individually but quickly rotate to fire again in the style of a Gatling gun. The empty barrel can then be rearmed for its next turn. Having both on the bow, the Flying Dutchman can open fire at incoming ships without having to turn to port or starboard. When not in use, the cannons are concealed behind two doors carved in the shape of an angry demon's maw.

The Flying Dutchman also has a massive hammer to summon the mighty Kraken, a powerful beast that crushes and drags ships to their doom. The Kraken can also be summoned by the Black Mark. Any member of Davy Jones' crew can deliver the mark to a victim, but only Jones can remove it. When a man bears the mark, the Kraken seeks to destroy him and his possessions. The Kraken attacked an unknown ship only because the crew found Jack's hat floating in the water. Often, the survivors of these attacks are offered a choice of prolonged life of servitude to Davy Jones or death.

The Dutchman can submerge under the sea, which may explain why the crew are part sea creatures. The Dutchman may also spend most of her time underwater, as she is rarely seen by other ships except when they are attacked. In one scene, Jones shouts to his crew "Down!", indicating he wants the crew to take the ship underwater. As the ship descends the depths, two of Jones's tentacles can be seen holding his hat on, while his crew continues to work, unhampered by the lack of air.