Preliminary Report on the Fall 2000

Archaeological fieldwork during the fall of 2000 was conducted at the Queen Anne's Revenge shipwreck site between September 25th and October 13th. The primary goal of the expedition was to complete emergency recovery begun during the spring. The projected area of excavation was a 10-foot X 30-foot area on the north side of the exposed mound where the hull timbers had been recovered in anticipation of another active hurricane season (see Map). The actual area excavated included four 5-foot X 5-foot units that were completely excavated and portions of two others. A total of one hundred and eighty-four objects were recovered and catalogued, and the 22nd cannon was identified and prepared for recovery slated for the spring 2001. Several planks, one nearly eighteen feet long, lead shot, a small brass cup for weighing small objects, and lots of ballast stones were among the finds. Many artifacts are hidden in the larger concretions and will not be revealed until further cleaning takes place in the conservation laboratory.

The expedition was a success also in terms of testing vessels, equipment and recovery equipment. R/V Shellpoint was a very effective work platform and Maritime Research Institute's screen and sluice system worked particularly well. Heavy-duty anchor stakes were installed to insure stability for the main baseline, which provides the key reference for all excavation and artifact mapping. The QAR Live Dive segment came off with only minor glitches and reached 85 school classrooms from as far away as California, Utah, and Canada. As the word got out it became more and more popular.

The project staff was much the same as in the spring with members and volunteers from the North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch (formerly Unit), Maritime Research Institute, and the North Carolina Maritime Museum. Other agencys and institutions included the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, North Carolina Marine Fisheries, East Carolina University, and Virginia Polytechnical Institute. Research vessels included R/V Seahawk, R/V Shellpoint, R/V Defiance and R/V Snap Dragon. Video-documentation was provided by Nautilus Productions, and still photographs were taken by members of the Underwater Archaeology Branch.

From the archaeological aspect, this was the first time that areas were totally excavated and several observations were made:

• The stratigraphic profile in the four excavated units resemble what was found in tests conducted around C-2 and in test trenches to the south and therefore may be uniform over most of the site. Site sediments consist of three zones: (1) mobile sand overburden; (2) materials with possible organic preservation (small, heavy objects, such as lead and gold, have gravitated to the lowest portion of this zone); and (3) fine, hard-packed sand, which is devoid of artifacts.
• Artifacts from the excavated units are similar to those collected in the southern portions of the site and suggest, therefore, that the ship layout was less departmentalized than a traditional ship. The fact that a large quantity of lead shot, a brass scale cup/weight, and ceramics were forward of what we suspect is the officer's quarters supports this line of thinking. Another explanation would be that a high degree of artifact resorting has taken place over the entire shipwreck site due to natural forces.
• The predominant artifacts from the excavated units were ballast stones. Since the excavated area was under hull planking, the objects here most likely arrived in their current position due erosion and settling after the vessel wrecked.

It becomes evidently clearer with each expedition that the shipwreck of Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge will provide researchers many exciting lines of study that will ultimately bring us closer to understanding how the pirate crew lived and what happened on that fateful day in June of 1718. Once the information and remains from past investigations and excavations are inventoried, projections can be made concerning the amount and type of artifacts expected from the total shipwreck site, and in turn, conservation laboratory needs, the kinds of archaeological information available for study, how to best design recovery strategies, and what personnel, equipment and organizational framework can best accomplish the exploration and recovery of Queen Anne's Revenge. With a detailed excavation plan and proper funding, a major expedition can be launched as early as the Fall of 2001.

  Click Here to view more about the Fall 2000 QARLIVE Event