If this shipwreck really is Blackbeard's vessel, it will provide a looking glass into the lives of pirates, eighteenth-century naval warfare and shipbuilding, and the colonial provisioning and mercantile trade. However, with so little known about shipwreck site 31CR314, the primary research objectives of the 1997 expedition are to answer specific questions related to the working conditions on the site, environmental conditions, extent of the site distribution, the nature of the shipwreck remains, and the equipment best suited to investigate the site.

The most pressing historical question, however, remains: "Is this the Queen Anne's Revenge?" Archaeologists feel fairly certain that it is, but they cannot rule out the possibility that the shipwreck is the sloop Adventure, reportedly lost at the same time, or less conceivably one of the two other similar vessels in Blackbeard's fleet- the sloop Revenge or a small Spanish sloop tender. Other vessels lost around Beaufort Inlet are the Spanish packet boat El Salvador (1750), the schooner Susannah (1753), the sloop Betsy (1771), and the sloop Polly (1793). Even less likely, 31CR314 is wreckage from a nineteenth - or twentieth-century vessel, or one that is currently not found in historical documents.

In order to eliminate candidates and secure its identity, archaeologists will focus on specific aspects of the shipwreck. These are:

• Hull Size - Given the various sizes of the shipwreck candidates, finding the ends and determining a length or width will provide key information.
• Masts - Determining the number or location of mast(s) on the shipwreck is important since the Queen Anne's Revenge carried three masts, the packet boat and schooners had two, and the sloops were single-masted.
• Cannons and Anchors - There were significant differences in the number and size of cannons and anchors that each candidate carried, which should be reflected in those found on the shipwreck.
• Arrangement of Wreckage - Placement of artifacts can reveal the circumstances of vessel loss and subsequent salvage activities, which can be compared to historic accounts of each candidate's sinking.
• Wood Type - The types of wood used to build 31CR314 may help define where it was constructed and can then be matched with documentation from each candidate.
• Artifact Assemblages - The body of artifacts can shed light on period, nationality, and function (military vs. merchant) of the shipwreck. In particular, the artifacts recovered from the pirate vessel Whydah (1717) provide an excellent comparative collection for those candidates associated with Blackbeard, as opposed to those that weren't.

The proposed 1997 field work is a Level I investigation, designed to retrieve the maximum amount of information with a minimal amount of disturbance to the site. Non-intrusive archaeological techniques will include remote sensing surveys using magnetic and acoustic instruments, photography, scale drawings, and artistic perspectives. More direct site examination procedures will involve manual probing, limited test excavations using a 3-inch induction dredge, wood and sediment analyses sampling, and recovery of diagnostic and sample archaeological artifacts. The field schedule is as follows:

• Week One -Set up operations; install security systems; establish reference stations; define limits of the shipwreck site.
• Week Two -Collect environmental and scientific data; photograph and map exposed wreckage.
• Week Three -Conduct test excavations; recover small artifacts, collect wood and sediment samples; map exposed portions of the site.
• Week Four -Raise large artifacts; backfill excavations; secure the site; shut down operations.

Artifacts recovered during the 1997 investigation will be stored, analyzed, and preserved at the Underwater Archaeology Unit Preservation Lab at Fort Fisher and/or at the North Carolina Maritime Museum's conservation facility at Gallant's Channel, which is currently under construction. A draft report on the 1997 field investigation and a site management plan will be produced by May 1, 1998. A final version is expected by July 1, 1998.