Pretty much everything you think you know about pirates is bullshit. They didn’t say “arrrr” or “matey” at the end of every sentence. They didn’t bury their treasure. And peg legs and eye patches weren’t the standard uniform.

These stereotypes and most of the others accepted as common knowledge actually come from Long John Silver, a 1954 film that essentially created society’s modern idea of piracy. In reality, pirates were mostly former sailors in the British Royal Navy who decided the pirate’s life was for them because the work and living conditions for the Navy were so terrible. The entire line of work was created out of necessity.

But there is one stereotype about pirates that is true: They loved to party. A common motto was that a pirate lived a “short life and a merry one.” And they partied hard because, for the most part, being a pirate was very difficult and very boring due to long, dangerous stints at sea. So when they arrived on land with some loot and the opportunity came for these scallywags to cut loose, they predictably made the most of it by going on insane benders and getting freaky between the sheets.

In fact, any self-respecting pirate who found himself with some gold to spend headed straight to the original Sin City of the Seven Seas: Port Royal, a depraved, debaucherous port town that proved there ain’t no party like a pirate party because a pirate party is basically a booze-fueled fuckfest.

Commonly known as “the Wickedest City on Earth,” this Jamaican stop was first founded in the late 15th century by the Spanish, but when England invaded and took over Jamaica in the mid-1600s, they claimed control of Port Royal. But even though the city was technically under the control of the British, it was, in reality, a pirate paradise.

Quickly after the British takeover, Port Royal became overrun with taverns and brothels that were constantly vacated by pirates looking to spend their booty on booty. According to the records of Charles Leslie, one out of every four buildings in Port Royal was either a brothel or a tavern so that pirates could either be getting their mouths or dicks wet. “Wine and women drained [pirates of their] wealth to such a degree that ... some of them became reduced to beggary,” Leslie wrote. “They have been known to spend 2 or 3,000 pieces of eight in one night."

Some would just come for a quick dash of mischief before heading back out to sea, but others would take residence at Port Royal for extended periods of time to enjoy an endless flow of Kill Devil Rum, the unofficial town beverage that was known to cause intense blackouts. All of the big names in piracy, including Captain Morgan, Anne Bonny, Calico Jack and Blackbeard, spent time at Port Royal.

And per historians, once pirates arrived at Port Royal, they would paint the town, sometimes spending more money on booze and sex workers than most people would make in a year. Interestingly, because of their short-sighted spending habits, pirates were actually often viewed more favorably by sex workers than other men.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and in the case of Port Royal, that end came in the form of an Act of God. On June 7, 1692, a massive earthquake and an accompanying tsunami obliterated the seaside city, killing almost half the population and destroying most of the buildings. Of the remaining population, the majority died over the next few months due to disease caused by poor living conditions. It was such a devastating end that, at the time, many believed it was legitimately God punishing the town for its sinful nature.

So next time you are enjoying some Captain Morgan, pour a little out for the lost citizens of Port Royal whose party was literally crashed by Mother Nature. A “short life and a merry one” was all they ever asked for anyway.