HMS Surprise, volunteers and staff featured in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”
When Disney “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” hits theaters on Friday, May 20, San Diegans may notice something familiar. The HMS Surprise, along with 40 staff members and volunteers from the Maritime Museum of San Diego joined the cast of the film for a 30-day shoot at sea in San Pedro, Calif.
Aboard the HMS Surprise, renamed the HMS Providence for the film, the local Maritime Museum staff and volunteers worked as background actors and were outfitted as “boat handlers” for British Privateer scenes, responsible for keeping the boat at sail during filming. Footage from the shoot, which was completed last summer, has already appeared in movie trailers, including clips of Captain Barbosa aboard the HMS Providence and members of the crew running with guns to cheer Barbosa’s speech. All uses of the footage will be revealed when the film appears in theaters later this month.
“It was an incredible opportunity to be part of the crew during the filming,” said Bert Creighton, Maritime Museum of San Diego volunteer crew member. “We got to help bring to life some of the things that we talk about every day, while learning new things from on-board historians about costumes and weaponry.”
The HMS Surprise received several temporary modifications in preparation for its big screen debut, including the painting of her masts and the addition of cannon ball racks, new rails, swivel guns and Command Deck furniture. All modifications were removed after filming.
The Maritime Museum will celebrate the film’s release with a two-day pirate festival May 21 and 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. aboard the museum’s ships, including the HMS Surprise. The festival welcomes children and adults for carnival games, a scavenger hunt, autographs from supporting cast members and swashbuckling performances on board the Treasure Seeker. Tickets are $14 for adults, $8 for children and include Maritime Museum admission. Visitors dressed in pirate gear will receive a $2 discount at the door and be entered in a costume contest.
For more information about the schedule of activities or tickets, please call 619-234-9153 or visit the Maritime Museum website at www.sdmaritime.org.