Sunday - May 29, 2011

14 years of pirate ship recovery and more to come

An old and close friend of my wife and her family has passed away, we were notified this morning. The dear lady had no family left, but did leave one hell of a story behind, which in the next day or two I’ll try my best to recall and put together. Anyway, when she was taken to the hosp. a few days ago it was our phone number that was logged with them, hence a call at 5:30 this morning.
So .... my posts today will be on the light side if any after this one.

These folks have been at this for some time now, they have brought things to the surface earlier but here’s another find from Blackbeard’s ship.

The real Pirates of the Caribbean: Archaeologists raise anchor from Captain Blackbeard’s ship

By CHRIS PARSONS

As Jack Sparrow battles the fearsome Captain Blackbeard in the new Pirates of the Caribbean film, archaeologists have recovered the anchor from the wreckage of the pirate’s flagship.

Working off the North Carolina coast, experts say the move might alter plans to save the rest of the almost 300-year-old remains from the central part of the ship.

Divers had planned to recover the second-largest artefact on what’s believed to be the Queen Anne’s Revenge but discovered it was too well-attached to other items in the ballast pile, said project Mark Wilde-Ramsing.

Instead they pulled up another anchor that is the third-largest artefact and likely was the typical anchor for the ship.

Apparently, pirates had everyday anchors and special anchors just as the rest of us have everyday dishes and good china.

‘That’s a big ship to be putting that out to stop it,’ Wilde-Ramsing said admiringly as a pulley system of straps and men holding ropes moved the anchor from a boat to the back of truck.

It’s the first large anchor that divers have retrieved; they earlier brought up a small, grapnel anchor.

The Queen Anne’s Revenge was the infamous vessel commanded by English outlaw Blackbeard - who roamed the seas in the early 18th century and wore lit fuses under his hat to frighten his enemies.

The latest recovery effort comes the same week Blackbeard is immortalised on the big screen in the new Pirates of the Caribbean film.

The latest franchise instalment - Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides, sees Ian McShane play the legendary pirate alongside Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz.

Named after his flowing black beard, Blackbeard - whose real name is thought to be Edward Teach or Thatch - operated around the West Indies and the east coast of the American colonies.

In 1717, he captured a French slave ship and renamed it Queen Anne’s Revenge.

Although Blackbeard’s career lasted only two years, he was the world’s most feared pirate and once held hostage the entire city of Charleston, South Carolina.

The anchor is 11 feet, 4 inches long with arms that are 7 feet, 7 inches across.

It was covered with concretion — a mixture of shells, sand and other debris attracted by the leaching wrought iron — and a few sea squirts. Its weight was estimated at 2,500 to 3,000 pounds.

Archaeologists had planned to remove the second-largest anchor, which is 13 feet long with arms that are 8 feet across, from the top of the ballast pile.

But it was too well-attached, so instead the divers went in from the side to retrieve the everyday anchor.

That means that future dives may involve going in from the side of the shipwreck rather than the top, he said.

Blackbeard settled in Bath, North Carolina, where he eventually received a governor’s pardon.
Some experts say he grew bored and returned to piracy.

He was killed by volunteers from the British Royal Navy in November 1718, five months after the ship thought to be Queen Anne’s Revenge sank.

After running aground on a sandbar in 1718 near the town of Beaufort, North Carolina, the ship was abandoned but probably remained intact for as long as a year before collapsing and disintegrating.

read and see more here

Posted by peiper     on 05/29/2011 at 05:31 AM   
Filed Under: • Archeology / Anthropology •  
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