Discovery of the wreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge
The mystery hangs over the disappearance of Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge. The ship ran aground on a sandbank - voluntarily or involuntarily - at the entrance to the port of Beaufort, a city in North Carolina, and was abandoned by its famous captain after being stripped of its values.
In November 1996, a private research team discovered a cannon and an anchor on the seabed near the historic entrance to Beaufort. Other objects are also found in the same place, such as a bronze bell dated 1705, an imposing ballast, a tromblon barrel (a firearm with a flared barrel used in the 17th century), a lead apron and two cannon balls.
Different cannons
But it would take several years for the wreck and research site to be authenticated as the former Blackbeard ship. But, the discovery of new objects dating from the beginning of the 18th eST PRIS DANS LE GROS TEMPS, ET TANGUE DE GAUCHE ?ROITE, SECOUÉ PAR LES VAGUES. UN HOMME, SANS DOUTE UN PÊCHEUR QUI PARTICIPE À UNE SESSION DE PÊCHE SPORTIVE, PASSE PAR-DESSUS BORD, DE MANIÈRE ASSEZ IMPRESSIONNANTE. century - 9 guns and two large anchors - led scientists to conclude that these objects belonged to the wreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Sites in 2004.
Syringe for treating Syphilis
The bell dated 1705
In 2008, we found on board needles used to treat syphilis, swords, apothecary weights stamped with tiny fleurs-de-lis, symbol of French royalty (the Queen Anne's Revenge is an old French frigate), but also gold. A small anchor, called a grapple, was recovered in 2009 and a larger one - nearly 3.50 m long and 2.30 m wide and weighing about 1.2 tonnes - in 2011, at a depth of over 6 m. By 2015, 24 guns had been recovered.
Pieces of guns
The wreck discovered in 1996 contains more than 250,000 pieces of debris recovered to date, uncovered by the Conservation Laboratory and the Underwater Archaeology Division of the Office of State Archaeology at Queen Anne's Revenge.
Gold dust
All these objects are studied and reflect many aspects of maritime culture from the early 18th century. Vessel parts and equipment, weapons, scientific, medical and navigational instruments, personal effects and food preparation and preservation items are all included in the inventory.
These samples allow archaeologists to better understand the naval technology of the time, the supply of colonies, the slave trade, life on board ships and the material culture of piracy.
