Topics Related to Cultural Resources (DCR)
Cannon, lead shot, pewter plates, gold dust, even a contentious pirate flag all readily come to mind when thinking of Blackbeard’s ship Queen Anne’s Revenge.
The number one question I get asked at the NCMM Demo Lab in Beaufort, NC is undoubtedly, "So…where’s Blackbeard’s gold?" This is a fair question given that at some point prior to its grounding in June of 1718,
On November 17, 1717*, La Concorde encountered an unruly band of pirates and quickly fell into the hands of the fearsome Blackbeard.
After resting on the ocean floor for 300 years, it is only natural that the artifacts would become salty. The salt in seawater is soluble (dissolved in a liquid, such as water) which allows it to enter most of the materials found on the site. Salt enters the artifact through the process of osmosis; a concentrated solution (seawater) goes through a membrane (the surface of the artifact) to a less concentrated solution (inside the artifact) to balance the amount of salt on both sides.
Several sets of brass weights were recovered from underwater excavation of the Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck. Some were flat or disc weights in round and square shapes.
La Concorde, later Queen Anne’s Revenge was what is known as a square-rigged vessel, meaning the primary sails used to propel the vessel were set perpendicular to the keel of the vessel. A vessel with this type of rig would place many unique demands on the crew, both on deck and above, including furling (rolling up) sails at great heights in the air and hauling on lines with incredible force on deck.
Not only do we raise large, immediately recognizable objects from QAR such as cannons and anchors, but we are also constantly on the search for minute remnants of shipboard life.
Although buttons have been present in the archaeological record as decorative clothing elements as early as 2000 BC in the Indus Valley region, the first mention of the buttonhole was not until the 13th centu
On September 28, 1717*, La Concorde left Ouidah on the west coast of Africa with 516 enslaved men, women, and children, and 14 ounces of gold dust.
In late September 1717, Stede Bonnet met Blackbeard.