Breakdown of Die Flotte soll viele Städte an der Küste geplündert haben.
haben
to have
viel
much / a lot
die Stadt
the city
an
at, on (vertical) / to (addressee) / of (in quantity/stock expressions)
Questions & Answers about Die Flotte soll viele Städte an der Küste geplündert haben.
Why does soll mean "is said to" here instead of "should"?
When sollen is combined with a perfect infinitive (like geplündert haben), it acts as a "subjective modal." This means it reports a claim, rumor, or hearsay rather than expressing an obligation or advice. It translates neatly to "is said to have..." or "supposedly has...".
Why is the auxiliary verb haben at the very end of the sentence?
Because soll is the conjugated modal verb in position 2, the rest of the verbal action is pushed to the end of the clause in its infinitive form. Since the plundering happened in the past, we use the "perfect infinitive" structure: the past participle (geplündert) followed by the infinitive of the helping verb (haben).
If the plundering happened in the past, why is soll in the present tense?
The present tense soll indicates that the rumor or claim is circulating right now. The fact that the event itself happened in the past is handled by geplündert haben. If you used the past tense form (Die Flotte sollte ... geplündert haben), it would mean "The fleet was said to have plundered" (the rumor existed in the past).
Quick refresher: Why is it an der Küste (dative) rather than an die Küste (accusative)?