ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 8, 1997 TAG: 9703100031
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RALEIGH, N.C.
SOURCE: PAUL SOUTH LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
While archaeologists cannot say with certainty this is Queen Anne's Revenge, initial findings point in that direction.
Storms that cursed the North Carolina coast last summer may have been a blessing for archaeologists. This week, they credited hurricanes with helping them discover what they believe to be Queen Anne's Revenge, the flagship of the notorious pirate Blackbeard.
``Obviously, there had been some movement in the sand to expose part of [the ship],'' said Mike Daniel, president of the Maritime Research Institute in Florida, which was involved in the search. ``Hurricanes certainly did help.''
Daniel said searchers - who had used old nautical charts and an 18th-century account by a witness to focus the search on an area two miles from Beaufort Inlet - had expected to have to dig the three-masted vessel from the ocean floor.
``We expected it to be under tons of sand,'' Daniel said. ``But it was exposed, in only about 20 feet of dirty water.'' Part of a cannon, the ship's bell and other items were visible.
While archaeologists cannot say with certainty this is Queen Anne's Revenge, initial findings point in that direction.
``If this were a court of law, we would be using largely circumstantial evidence,'' said Steve Claggett, a state archaeologist for North Carolina, at Monday's news conference to announce the find. ``But based on the historical record, historical accounts, and the physical remains we've seen so far, we feel good about it.''
One piece in the mystery that indicates the vessel was Blackbeard's flagship was the size of the cannonballs and the 2-ton guns aboard the 103-foot ship.
``The number and size of the cannon are consistent with the historical record,'' said Richard Lawrence, an underwater archaeology unit supervisor for North Carolina. A key piece of evidence, archivists said, was a cast-bronze bell, engraved with the date 1709, as well as inscriptions believed to be in Spanish. At one time in its history, the English-built ship was in Spanish hands. Ironically, the bell was found a short time after the first researchers dove to the wreckage on Nov. 22, 1996, 278 years after Blackbeard's death at the hands of British sailors Nov. 22, 1718.
Inscribed on the foot-high bell is ``IHS [Jesus],'' ``Maria'' and ``Ano De 1709.'' It has not been determined whether the bell was made for a ship, a church or a mission.
``When we found that bell, I knew we had something special,'' Daniel said. ``We don't know if it was the bell of Queen Anne's Revenge. When a ship was captured, the bell was often taken as a trophy.''
Divers also discovered a sounding weight, used to measure water depth, inscribed with the Roman numeral XXI. The weight weighs exactly 21 pounds.
While scientists said most of the booty - silver, gold dust, and other riches - was likely taken off the vessel when Blackbeard moved to another ship, other stolen goods such as sugar, cocoa and rum were found.
``There's no way to determine exactly how much he took,'' Lawrence said. ``Based on what we know, he plundered about 20 ships - taking lots of gold dust, silver and jewels. But pirates also took cocoa, silver and rum. ... Barrel rings were found. We've also found portions of bottles.''
Scientists hope to find medicine bottles. When Blackbeard made his daring raid on Charleston, S.C., in 1718, some of the crew were sick. Pirates were sent ashore to look for medicine.
``Hopefully, we'll find some medicine bottles with residue remaining,'' Lawrence said. ``As we find this material, it will give us an idea of what daily life was like.''
And though most of the loot was believed removed, Lawrence said a find of some gold and silver is possible, perhaps in a hidden compartment.
The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources has already designated a 300-yard radius around the site as a protected area. It is now eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
Phil Masters, president of Intersal, a private research firm working with state officials on the project, could not hide his excitement. ``This could be the most exciting archaeological find ever in the New World,'' he said.
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE. A model of Queen Anne's Revengeby CNBgraces the stage in Raleigh, N.C., earlier this week, as researchers
describe the find. color.