| Walrus Helmsman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Title | Helmsman |
| Gender | Male |
| Status | Deceased |
| Ships | Walrus |
| Relationships | James Flint (captain) |
| Appearances | First: I.
Last: XX. |
| Portrayed by | Thomas Marshall Sharp |
The Walrus Helmsman was a pirate aboard the Walrus. As helmsman, he often handled the ship’s wheel to steer the ship.
Biography[]
Season One[]
The Helmsman is present at the election for the captaincy of the Walrus called for by Singleton, who wishes to replace Flint. Flint then accuses Singleton of having stolen the page necessary to track a massive prize. Singleton decides to fight Flint instead of facing a trial with Gates as judge. The Helmsman watches as the two duel, and Flint eventually kills his foe. He then reveals to the crew that the prize they are tracking is the Spanish treasure galleon Urca de Lima, which is carrying five million dollars worth of gold. The Helmsman and the rest of the crew cheer in Flint’s favor[1].
Afterwards, the crew go ashore to celebrate their imminent wealth. Dufresne tries to convince the crew not to spend too much of their depleted reserves of money before they’ve actually gotten the money from the Urca. The crew, Helmsman included, shouts Dufresne down[2].
Turk plays a dice game with the Helmsman on the beach before Morley walks by, causing Turk to stop the game to go over and talk to Morley. The Helmsman then walks away, and his spot is taken by John Silver[3].
The Helmsman is present at the election of Billy Bones as the new quartermaster after Gates steps down to captain the Ranger. Afterwards, they discuss the careening of the ship. De Groot brings up the fact that the anchorage Flint has chosen is unsuitable to careen the ship. Flint tells the crew that they cannot delay if they want to catch the treasure galleon. The crew ultimately sides with Flint[4].
The Helmsman and Turk play dice.
The Helmsman steers as the Walrus closes in on the Andromache. Flint gives the order that the t’gallants be raised, again over De Groot’s objections, for he fears that the rigging won’t be able to hold. As they raise the t’gallants, Flint tells the Helmsman to bring the ship up into the wind. As they stabilize the rigging, Flint tells the Helmsman to bring the ship into the wind, but gets frustrated when the Helmsman doesn’t do as he says quickly enough. He then pushes the Helmsman aside and finds the right position in the wind, and tells the Helmsman to hold the wheel there. The Helmsman continues steering as the Walrus sails towards the Andromache. After Beauclerc succeeds in killing the helmsmen of the Andromache, the ship loses the wind and the current begins to push her towards the Walrus. Flint orders the Helmsman to bring them around the Andromache’s port side, which he does[5].
After the battle with the Andromache ends, the pirates are forced to flee after a trap is triggered that causes an explosion, which in turn causes their location to be spotted by the nearby Scarborough. As the Scarborough fires at them, Gates orders the Helmsman to bring the Walrus hard to starboard and bring them about. The Helmsman follows the orders, however Billy falls overboard and they are forced to leave him behind[6].
After returning to Nassau, Dufresne is elected quartermaster after Billy's loss. The Helmsman steers as the Walrus and Ranger depart Nassau to hunt the Urca[7].
The crew sails through a hurricane in order to reach Florida. As they near the coast, De Groot adjusts the ship’s wheel as they approach Division Bay, the Urca’s purported location, and tells the Helmsman to hold it there. During the approach, Flint briefs his crew on the battle plan, telling them it will be the fight of their lives, but paradise lies on the other side. However, when they sail into the bay, they discover that it is empty. The Helmsman continues steering when Flint plans an assault on the Spanish Man O’ War that arrives. However, Dufresne accuses Flint of tyrannical crimes against the crew. Flint tries to fire a cannon but is shot by Dufresne. As Dufresne orders the crew to sail home, Silver fires an unattended cannon. The Walrus is then forced to open fire along with the Ranger. However, the warship is able to turn her broadsides on the two pirate ships. In the ensuing firefight, the Ranger is destroyed and the Walrus barely able to sail away. The Helmsman is one of the few from the Walrus crew to survive the disastrous battle. However, the wreck of the Urca de Lima is found nearby, and the Helmsman is tasked with keeping an eye on it while Dufresne brings Flint over, and Silver tells him that the Urca was wrecked last night in the storm[8].
Season Two[]
The Helmsman listens as Dufresne tells Flint and Silver that their sentences will be commuted if Flint comes up with a plan to get the gold. Flint refuses, saying that the pirates deserve what they got, and will all soon be killed by the Spanish soldiers guarding the Hulk. Dufresne tells his men to ready the nooses, but Flint tells him to wait. Flint briefs his crew on the plan. There are too many men on the beach, and the Spanish Man O’ War is watching over the bay, meaning there is no way of getting the gold. However, the amount of men on the beach means that the ship is running on a skeleton crew. He proposes that two men swim out to it while the sun is setting, but before the night watch arrives, eliminate the watch on the main mast and hoist a signal to the rest of the crew. Flint volunteers to be one of the first men out and asks for another. Many of the crew are still disgusted with Flint and no one volunteers except Silver. Despite getting captured by the Spanish, Flint and Silver succeed and the crew is able to take the ship and sail away with it. The Helmsman resumes his usual duties aboard the Spanish warship[9].
The Helmsman steering the Spanish Man O' War.
He continues to steer the ship when they try to capture the merchant vessel. However, the Dufresne-led boarding takes a turn for the worse when the Merchant Captain realizes that he is not Flint, and signals his crew to attack the depleted pirate crew. The pirate vanguard is forced to retreat. While Dufresne is paralyzed by indecision, Flint takes command, ordering them to sink the merchant vessel after warning them that no one will ever surrender to their flag again if they escape. Flint is then voted back in as captain[10].
The crew returns to Nassau, anchoring off Hog Island while Flint and Silver go ashore to get supplies and support from Captain Benjamin Hornigold. When they discover that Charles Vane has seized Fort Nassau, they agree to combine their crews to oust him. That night, they gather the combined crew on deck and Flint explains that they must get Vane out of the fort, lest he use his position to extort them for the gold. They give Vane until sunrise the next day to evacuate, or the Spanish Man O' War, which is anchored out of his field of fire, will unleash her cannons[11].
The crew remains in their position. Eleanor Guthrie attempts to broker a deal with both parties but fails. At sunrise, Flint gives the order to open fire[12]. After a sizable breach is created in the fort walls, Flint orders that the crew move ashore to prepare for their final assault. After landing on the beach, the Helmsman helps carry a crate of weapons ashore. However, the final assault is delayed while Flint goes to the Tavern with Miranda Barlow[13].
The crew waits on the beach for Flint to return to complete the assault. The Helmsman, like the rest of the crew, is overjoyed when Billy Bones returns to them, after having been thought killed after falling overboard while escaping the Scarborough. He listens to Billy tell them about how he was imprisoned on Harbour Island, and saw the garrison of 200 men there. He then sees Flint arrive and embrace Billy. Flint then calls off the attack so that Eleanor will give Abigail Ashe to him, who he hopes to use as a bargaining chip with his old friend and current governor of Carolina, Lord Peter Ashe, in order to reconcile Nassau and England. Furious at this betrayal, Hornigold calls for an election for the captaincy of the combined crew[14].
The Helmsman is present at the election for the captaincy of the combined Walrus-Royal Lion crew. Hornigold makes a speech warning the crew of Flint’s lies and tendency of betrayal. He, like everyone else, is dismayed to hear the news from Nicholas and Vincent that the Urca de Lima gold has been recovered by the Spanish. After John Silver speaks for Flint, telling them that he is the only one offering them a way forward that leads both to survival and legitimacy. After this, he votes in favor of Flint. He later confronts Dufresne and the eight defectors at the bluffs. Billy told them that if they captured Flint and brought him to the Royal Navy garrison on Harbour Island, they would all receive Royal Pardons. Dufresne and his men are then expelled from the crew[15].
The Helmsman steers the ship on the journey to Charles Town to return Abigail Ashe to her father, Peter Ashe, Lord Governor of Carolina. When they arrive, the crew remains on the ship while Flint and Miranda Barlow go ashore with Abigail to begin discussions with Lord Ashe, in the hopes of securing a legitimate voice for the reconciliation of Nassau and England.[16]
While the ship is in the harbor, they are ambushed by Charles Vane and his crew. Roughly 20 men are killed, but the remaining 50, Helmsman included, are captured and imprisoned. Vane and his men attempt to sail away, but the uncultured Silver cuts the forestay belowdecks, causing the mast to become unstable. However, they are captured shortly after. The ship is then approached by the Boat Captain of the Charles Town Militia, who informs the pirates that Flint has been arrested and will be put on trial for the attempted murder of Lord Ashe. The pirates are given until the conclusion of the trial to leave, or the ship will be seized or sunk. Vane then resolves to rescue Flint, telling his men that one of Nassau’s most feared captains hanging is a statement that Nassau cannot afford[17].
The next morning, Vane leads half his men in trying to rescue Flint. Meanwhile, his quartermaster Jenks is left with the men who thought rescuing Flint was a bad idea. Several men are sent to retrieve Silver from the rest of the crew. When they do, the Helmsman and the rest of the crew stand up and begin fighting with Vane’s men, but are threatened at gunpoint to stand down. When Vane’s men take over portions of the Battery and begin firing the cannons at the city and the Charles Town Fleet, the patrol ships scramble. To avoid being overtaken, Jenks decides to try and sail away. However, it is revealed that the keys to the shackles were taken during the previous scuffle and they retake the ship from Vane’s men. When Flint and Vane return, he orders that Vane’s men be freed and that Vane keep them in line. He then has his crew level what remains of Charles Town. The crew elects Silver as quartermaster due to his actions in Charles Town[18].
Season Three[]
The Helmsman continues to serve on the crew when they return to using the Walrus, which had been repaired and refitted by Jack Rackham. While the crew is sailing back to Nassau after raiding a Carolina town, they stop to investigate the abandoned Straight Arrow. However, they discover that it is a trap set by Benjamin Hornigold, now a privateer in the service of the Crown. He offers the crew Royal Pardons in exchange for their surrender, or he will sink them. With the Walrus unable to flee nor fight due to Hornigold’s superior position, Flint elects to sail the Walrus into a storm to throw Hornigold off their tail. Flint orders Billy to watch Hornigold, and as soon as he makes his break to fire on them, the crew will run. When Billy gives the signal, Flint orders they turn hard to port, helping turn the wheel and ordering the Helmsman to hold it steady once he finds the right spot[19].
The Helmsman is not seen again after the storm, meaning he was likely killed during it. His place as helmsman is taken by Mr. Williamson[20].
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Thomas Marshall Sharp is an uncredited extra who appears in every episode up to episode XX as the Walrus Helmsman. He was credited as an extras assistant for the remaining eight episodes of season three.
Appearances[]
| I.* | II.* | III.* | IV.* |
| V.* | VI.* | VII.* | VIII.* |
| IX.* | X.* | XI.* | XII.* | XIII.* |
| XIV.* | XV.* | XVI.* | XVII.* | XVIII.* |
| XIX.* | XX.* | XXI. | XXII. | XXIII. |
| XXIV. | XXV. | XXVI. | XXVII. | XXVIII. |
*Uncredited