Pirates of the Caribbean is a phenomenon. All four films have been huge hits - the third in the series is now the third top grossing movie of all time. They tell the story of a group of pirates on board the ship the Black Pearl. Many of the story lines are pure fiction, but the characters themselves are based on the real-life pirates who sailed the seas around the Caribbean at the time the movie is set. Barbossa was based on the fearsome Blackbeard and James Norrington was based on the dandy Henry Morgan.  The recent excavation of the underwater wreck of Blackbeard's ship, the inspiration for the Black Pearl, reveals just what an impressive war machine it was.  And newly discovered secret coves reveal just how strategic the pirates were in their maritime attacks.What remains unexplained is the secret of their huge success.