The Black Pearl is the fastest ship in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and it's all thanks to a deal between Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones.

The Black Pearl is the fastest ship in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and it's all thanks to a deal between Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones. Much like its captain(s), there's more to the famous pirate ship than meets the eye at first glance. Years before it gained its all too recognizable black hull and sails, the Black Pearl was known as the Wicked Wench, a former merchant ship used by the pirate Captain Morgan and his crew. As depicted via flashback in the fifth film in the series, Dead Men Tell No Tales, a young Jack was made the ship's captain by a dying Morgan in the middle of abattle with the Silent Mary and its Captain/leader of the Spanish Royal Navy, Armando Salazar.

After using his wit and craftiness to lead the Wicked Wench to victory against Salazar, Jack eventually wound up working for not only the East India Trading Company, but aman who would go on to become one of his most dangerous enemies, Cutler Beckett (as coveredin A. C. Crispin's 2011 novel, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom). Suffice it to say, the pair's relationship quickly went south and, before long, Beckett had personally branded Jack with a "P" for "Pirate" before then ordering his ship to fire upon and sink the Wicked Wench, as punishment for Jack's defiant behavior.

Related: Pirates of the Caribbean: All 5 Ships Captained By Jack Sparrow

Unable to stop the ship from sinking, Jack thusly spoke the magical incantation necessary to summon Davy Jones, the condemnedCaptain of the Flying Dutchman and supernatural ruler of the Seven Seas. The pair then struck a bargain: in return for Jack's soul and one hundred years of servitude aboard the Flying Dutchman, Jones agreed to save the Wicked Wench and allow Jack to act as itscaptain for the next thirteen years. As part of their agreement, Jones also made the ship the fastest vessel on the Seven Seas (one that's even capable of outrunning the Flying Dutchman, as was confirmed duringthe third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, At World's End).

Upon making his deal with Jones, Jack then repainted the Wicked Wench black and added several black sails (to better match its charred appearance from all the damage it took) before re-dubbing it the Black Pearl. However, as far as those who are unaware of either the ship's history and/or Jack's deal with Davy Jones are concerned, the ship's speed can be attributed to its many sails, as opposed to its supernatural qualities.

Of course, as anyone who's seen the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy knows, Jones agreeing to make the Black Pearl the fastest ship in the world came back to haunt himwhen the time came for him to collect on Jack's debt. To be fair, things didn't work out for Jack as he'd planned either. Two years into his reign as the vessel's captain, Jack hired a new crew to go hunting for the legendaryChest of Corts (located on the islandIsla de Muerta), only for his treacherous First Mate Hector Barboass to lead a mutiny against him, leave him for dead on a remote island, and set off to claim the treasure for himself. The rest of the story, as they say, is (pirate) history.

NEXT: Every Pirates of the Caribbean Movie in Chronological Order

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Sandy Schaefer is Screen Rant's Movie Reviews Editor and an Associate News Editor.

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Pirates of the Caribbean: Why The Black Pearl Is Really The Fastest Ship - Screen Rant