An expedition to shipwreck site 31CR314, believed to be Queen Anne's Revenge (QAR), the pirate Blackbeard's flagship, will take place during the period September 25 through October 20, 2000. The archaeological investigation during this field session is a continuation of recovery efforts begun in the spring in an area of the site that is most likely to be affected by hurricanes. During the Spring dive, hull timbers were recovered; however, poor working conditions due to southerly winds prevented researchers from recovering other associated artifacts.

The primary objective of the upcoming expedition is the recovery of artifacts from a 10-foot X 30-foot area considered most vulnerable to storm damage. However, other objectives and activities planned for the dive include: establishing permanent reference and elevation datum stations using the Global Positioning System (GPS); conducting tests of excavation devices, recovery vessels and equipment; conducting live internet feed transmissions of dive activities; undertaking support studies for the geological research.

The North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB), in partnership with the North Carolina Maritime Museum (NCMM) and Maritime Research Institute (MRI), will provide the body of researchers, vessels, and equipment during the fall expedition. Assistance will also be provided by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW), The Institute of Marine Sciences/UNC-Chapel Hill (IMS), East Carolina University (ECU), and NC Marine Fisheries Division (MFD). Marine Grafics and Nautilus Productions in cooperation with ECU's Education Department/Science and Technology, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and Duke Marine Laboratory will participate in QARlive, a live feed transmission from the shipwreck to museums and classrooms around the state.

1. Artifact recovery: Excavations will begin in Unit N85W85, which is located just north of the exposed mound where the hull timbers were cut and recovered in the Spring of 2000. Five-foot square units will be laid out and excavated from north to south. The primary objective of the excavations is the recovery and intrepretation of artifacts associated with the recovered hull section.

2.Establish permanent references: After several years, the permanent baseline has suffered from the elements, and needs maintenance. This will include replacing the anchor system at each end and replacing baseline reference stakes in the area adjacent to the planned excavation units. An implement to accurately record elevations will be employed during artifact mapping.

4. Live video transmission project: QARlive is an exciting new addition to this fall's dive. During the week of October 2 - 6, students will be able to email in questions directly and get answers from the archaeologists on the boat as they see live streaming video on the Internet.