Flying Dutchman

The Flying Dutchman is a mini-boss that spawns during the Pirate Invasion event. It has four cannons that drop cannonballs, and it will occasionally spawn standard Pirate Invasion enemies. The Flying Dutchman does not disappear after the Pirate Invasion is over (though it will explode if it has not been engaged before the invasion ends), and defeating the Flying Dutchman will not end the invasion. The Flying Dutchman can only be defeated by destroying all four cannons. Several Flying Dutchmen can appear during a single Pirate Invasion, or none at all. They only appear when the event progress has passed 50%, and where there is at least 40 * 40 space.

Tips

 * They can be easily killed with a minecart and a sufficiently long track, with the cannonballs only hitting the player if they slow or stop. This makes them fairly easy if you have a decent ranged weapon.
 * Due to the way it moves, and the way the cannonballs fire, it is very easy to find positions where it cannot hit you, yet you can hit it.
 * Due to the fact that they stop upon hitting a wall, and continuously spawn enemies pertaining to the pirate invasion, the Flying Dutchmen can be stopped above a half block deep pit of lava (or other trap) and used to farm the various items pertaining to the pirate invasion.
 * The Meteor Staff can be great against the Flying Dutchman due to the meteor projectiles falling from the sky. If the Flying Dutchman stops at a wall, you can climb on top of the wall and fire the staff at the cannons without needing to jump over the Dutchman to attack it, thus activating the cannons. This technique will probably require Mana Potions, so if you don't have enough time to grab a few, a backup weapon would be good to use until your mana recharges.
 * The Daedalus Stormbow is also a wise weapon choice. When using it, the player simply must hold their cursor over the cannons, and eventually, the Flying Dutchman will explode. It is advised to do this in a building, because the Pirates can easily kill the player if he/she is not encased.
 * If the player moves too far from the Flying Dutchman, instead of despawning, it will be destroyed, giving usual item drops and adds to the progress for completing the event.

Trivia

 * In real life, during the 17th century, the Flying Dutchman was a mythical ghost ship that would float above the ocean. Seeing the Flying Dutchman was regarded as an omen of doom.
 * The Flying Dutchman is one of the only mobs in the game to have a special death animation (the others being the Moon Lord and Celestial Towers. This makes it the only non-celestial event mob to have a special death animation. When the Flying Dutchman dies, the sail rips to shreds and gently floats down.
 * There is a glitch where the flying Dutchman dies for no apparent reason. This can be experienced by staying inside a floating house and waiting for the Flying Dutchman to fly near you.

History
Hollandais Volant