Privateer

A privateer or "corsair" is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign vessels during wartime. Privateering is a way of mobilizing armed ships and crews without having to spend treasury resources or commit naval officers. They are of great benefit to a smaller power or one facing an enemy dependent on trade: they disrupt commerce and pressure the enemy to deploy warships to protect merchant trade against commerce raiders. The cost is borne by investors hoping to profit from money earned from captured cargo and vessels. The proceeds are distributed among the privateer's investors, officers, and crew.

Some privateers have been particularly influential in the annals of history. Sometimes the vessels would be commissioned into regular service as warships. The crew of a privateer might be treated as prisoners of war by the enemy country if captured.

Historically, the distinction between a privateer and a pirate has been, practically speaking, vague, often depending on the source as to which label was correct in a particular circumstance. The actual work of a pirate and a privateer is generally the same (raiding and plundering ships); it is, therefore, the authorization and perceived legality of the actions that form the distinction. At various times, some governments indiscriminately grant authorization for privateering to a variety of ships, so much so that would-be pirates can easily operate under a veil of legitimacy.