It was the third cannon identified on the site and the second to be raised, coming up in October of 1997. But it would be nearly six years, on April 2, 2003, before QAR conservators relieved Cannon C-3 of the concretion stuck in its throat. The long preparation for this event included initial cleaning, long periods of fresh water baths, and several episodes of electrolytic reduction. During this latter process an electrical charge is sent through the cannon in hopes that stubborn corrosion built up over the years of exposure to the ocean will loosen up and removed easily. It worked on the other three cannons, but for some reason, whether it was the metal used in casting, the way it deteriorated over the past 285 years, or some other undetected reason, C-3 was stubborn. What it took was ingenuity, muscle and persistence from State archaeological conservator Nathan Henry and his technical crew, Wendy Welsh and Mike Tutwiler. After having to "retool" several times, on the third try they succeeded in retrieving two oily rope wads and an iron cannon ball. What can we say, "It's a beautiful baby!!"

Be sure to check out the Conservator's monthly reports to learn about the latest finds.

THE OTHER WORK OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS

Start with the discovery of a shipwreck, what's left of a wooden ship that ran aground and sank in Beaufort Inlet nearly 300 years ago. Send down divers who discover wreckage scattered across 150 feet of ocean bottom in twenty feet of water. Excitement mounts. Is it possible, could this be it, the wreckage of the Queen Anne's Revenge? Circumstantial evidence accumulates. Dates on some artifacts, historical documents, analyses of wood and metal, and the varieties of cannon types all point to the possibility that this is indeed the flagship of the pirate Blackbeard.

Crewman aboard the R/V Dan Moore secures "Baby Ruth II"
under the watchful eye of DCR Secretary Libba Evans

That's all very exciting and adventurous, the kind of activity that gets attention from the press and recognition from the public, but there are other tasks to be done. Each artifact must be assigned two identity numbers, one for our Shipwreck Project and one for North Carolina's master list of archaeology finds. These numbers are registered on a conservation laboratory form and stored in a file created to hold all the information on this one artifact. For example, QAR366.002, (N.C. Accession No. 980820.255), is a black, solid, round, cast iron shot with a diameter of 3.35 inches, and it weighs 4.75 pounds. It was found in a concretion inside the barrel of Cannon C-4, recovered by Richard Lawrence, head of the NC Underwater Archaeology Unit, on October 12, 1998. [artifact form - for QAR366.002]

Under a "Process" section, the lab form also shows 18 entries. This means that in the five years since its recovery, this cannon ball has had something done to it eighteen times, and, each time, the date, the activity, and the archaeologist who did it, were duly recorded: freshwater storage, washing, distilled water bath, electrolysis treatment, salinity checks, special coatings applied, and so on. With some artifacts, identities are uncertain, (bones or fabric remnants, for example) and they must be sent to experts or laboratories for analysis. Concretions (usually masses of stone, shell, and sand that have bonded together) can be difficult. Taking them apart may require dental picks, small air scribes, or ex-rays.

This is a brief description of some of our other tasks, the ones that are unrecognized, unglamorous, and sometimes tedious, but it's all part of the job. We don't know how many hours we have spent on QAR366.002. What we do know is that it has been treated with great care, like a baby, and has been meticulously identified, analyzed, described, drawn, photographed, cataloged, and safely stored away in a plastic bag in its own special place. That leaves us with---what---only about 9,999 to go?

QAR Question?

CAN ANYBODY OUT THERE READ DANISH?

The QAR Project is very appreciative of the advice and recognition it receives from international sources. Recently we got hold of a copy of a Danish magazine, Illustreret Videnskab with an eight-page article "Piraterne Genopstar" that includes the Queen Anne's Revenge. The article is colorful and graphic and includes various pirate flags and a realistic drawing of Blackbeard's head hanging from a yardarm. The truth is-well---er---ah---um---we can't read it, and in all our stable of experts, we can't find anybody who can. And, no, our budget won't pay for interpreters. So, with great hesitancy, and not a little embarrassment, we have to ask: can anybody out there read Danish? Will you help us? If so, email us at qar@ncmail.net and we'll send you a copy to translate.

GENERAL SUPPORT SEEN FOR AN HISTORIC SHIPWRECK PARK

There are 5000 historically reported shipwrecks in North Carolina waters so QAR staff members were interested in hearing about possible public support for the creation of an historic shipwreck park. While attending the Society for Historical Archaeological conference they heard Suzanne Finney, PhD candidate at the University of Hawaii, report on a survey she and Dr. John Whitehead, UNC Wilmington, had done. The results revealed some interesting observations collected from the 940 randomly selected Eastern North Carolina residents who were telephoned.

Seventy per cent said they were likely to visit historic sites while on vacation, and nearly 67% had heard of the Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project. Sixty-three per cent had visited the NC coast in the past year, and 20% had visited a ship or shipwreck, but less than one per cent had stopped by the NC Maritime Museum where we have artifacts but not a "ship". That's a shame because the Museum is a great place for children and adults. It does have some QAR artifacts, but it also has numerous other interesting maritime exhibits.

Seventy-six per cent believed it is important to monitor and study historic shipwrecks, and Whitehead and Finney conclude that the economic value of submerged maritime cultural resources appears to be substantial. Did the respondents support the creation of an historic shipwreck park? An average of 60% did and were willing to pay up to $30 per household for a one-time tax to build one. This income, invested in a 30-year annuity yielding 5%, would generate $1.32 million in annual revenue.

DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Progress continues steadily on disassembly, documentation, and analysis of concreted artifacts recovered from QAR during several years of site assessment expeditions and during emergency recovery after the 1999 hurricane season. It still appears that our estimate of approximately 10,000 artifacts is correct. Each artifact receives individual attention to free it from years of corrosion and then clean and stabilize it for future display and long-term curation. With cut backs in state funding a willing force of existing state employees and volunteers have pitched in to help. These people, as individuals and as part of a team, paid and unpaid, have made a huge difference. I am especially indebted to Dr. James Craig and Dr. Sim Wilde, who bring a range of expertise, years of experience, and the willingness to do any task, no matter how menial, to accomplish our goals. Collectively, they are averaging over 100 hours on the job each month. I salute them, as well as, our dedicated staff from the Department of Cultural Resources. Support from the National Endowment for the Arts has been invaluable by providing funding through their Save America's Treasures program. The QAR Shipwreck Project is beginning to hit its stride, and make progress in efforts to explore and bring to the public the many exciting artifacts from the only pirate ship to be excavated using strict archaeological controls.

To help accomplish these goals, and with great anticipation, Sarah Watkins-Kenney began as QAR conservator on March 10th. Sarah trained as an archaeological conservator at Cardiff University in Wales and has worked on a range of archaeological projects over the past 25 years. Most recently, she was head of the Metals, Ceramics and Glass Section in the Conservation Department of the British Museum in London. Sarah will head the permanent QAR conservation laboratory, which is being developed through a partnership between the Department of Cultural Resources and East Carolina University. The laboratory, which will be fully functional this summer, is being equipped and partially staffed through Save America's Treasures funding. Graduate assistants from the Maritime Studies Program and other departments at ECU will assist conservators with the delicate job of cleaning and stabilizing everything from fragments of canvas sail cloth to 18-foot timbers and one-ton cannons. When the task of stabilizing each object is complete, they will again journey to the coast to a special facility constructed by the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort. Here artifacts will become part of interpretive displays and maintained in a protected state for years and years to come. We hope you can visit the Crystal Coast soon and see them for yourself. Click to visit the N.C. Maritime Museum at: http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/maritime/ .

Contributions - QAR project staff received a contribution of $250.00 from the Rotary Club - Morehead City Noon, which will be put toward an internship fund for internet technology students at Carteret Community College. The QAR intern program provides students an opportunity to put to practical use their educational background and get valuable experience and at the same time provide the project vital assistance. Specifically, intern contributions help develop and maintain the QAR website which you are now exploring. Thank you for your support! For more information on how you can help please contact the staff at QAR@ncdcr.gov

In the Morehead City/Beaufort/Cape Lookout area? Visit the North Carolina Maritime Museum at 315 Front Street, Beaufort, NC and see many of the actual artifacts from Queen Anne's Revenge.