Learn English – English for “À l’abordage!”

frenchpirate-englishtranslation

Basically, pirates would use the term À l’abordage! as a battle cry when boarding enemy ships like described in the phrase’s Wiktionary entry.

Is there a English translation for this, or is it an expression that has no direct English equivalent and should be used in its French form?

Best Answer

"Away boarders!!!!' is a classic cry.

Or, "Away all boarders" in US Navy use.
Wikipedia - Danile V Gallery - the last man to use it officially. They say:

  • This incident was the last time that the order "Away All Boarders!" was given by a U.S. Navy captain. Lieutenant Albert David, who led the boarding party, received the Medal of Honor for his courage in boarding a foundering submarine that presumably had scuttling charges set to explode – the only Medal of Honor awarded in the Atlantic Fleet during World War II. Task Group 22.3 was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and Captain Gallery received the Distinguished Service Medal for capturing U-505.

Drawing from sources such as Robert Louis Stevensons pirate fiction, you may be more likely to here terms such as "Avast lubbers" or "Them what dies will be the lucky ones" :-).

The plausibility of "Away Boarders!" is somewhat increased (somewhat) by sites such as:

War artisans workshop - Away Boarders

Away Boarders - pulp fiction

Loud You tube "documentary" - "Away Boarders"

And again

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