Posted on 06/22/2013 4:38:18 AM PDT by csvset
ATLANTIC BEACH, NC (WECT) Divers trying to recover cannons from Blackbeard's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge wreck site off the coast of North Carolina were successful in their efforts Thursday.
Bad weather forced the team to scrub the previous two trips, but the conditions were just right the third time around.
A group from Cape Fear Community College used inflation bags to float two cannons to the surface.
This is the first time the cannons have been out of the water in almost 300 years. According to David Hardin with CFCC, the cannons are estimated to weigh 2,000 pounds each.
He said it took six hours to complete the operation and required close coordination between underwater divers and students, captain and crew on board CFCC's research vessel.
Blackbeard ran the ship aground near Beaufort inlet in 1718
Divers discovered the wreck in 1996 and a dozen other cannons have been retrieved since then, in addition to thousands of other artifacts.
The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources owns the artifacts, and the largest display is at the Maritime Museum in Beaufort.
As more artifacts are being recovered and go through the conservation effort at the QAR lab in Greenville, the state is making it possible for more people to see them.
A statewide touring exhibit is now in western North Carolina, and more traveling exhibits are in the works as more artifacts are recovered and interest in one of North Carolina's most feared pirates grows.
More dives to the site are scheduled for August.
All of the artifacts should be recovered from the wreck site by the end of next year, but because of their fragile condition, it may take up to 15 years before all of the items will be conserved enough to be put on public display.
My son and I are planning a pelagic bird trip out of Hatteras in Aug.
I’ve been to Hatteras once. One thing I didn’t expect at the lighthouse, deer.
Water temps drop as you go up, in summer rarely reaching the mid-seventies north of Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo. Further north toward Currituck, Corolla and Carova, summer water temps in the sixties are not uncommon. Makes for a lot of variety. Certain times of year it's even like the marine layer rolling in and out, that you see on the central and northern coast of CA. Always loved that.
If you're going to be renting a house for more than a few days, you'll want to stop into the Food Lion in Avon. Prices are normal there, not island prices. Gas up before you cross the bridge over the Alligator River if you're driving in via that route, or before the ferry if that route. Island prices are expensive.
It's a beautiful, wild place, outside the few towns and tourist areas. Nature is on full display, wind, water and blowing sand. I love it. If you're into shore birds at all, Pea Island has a reputation of being good for that sort of birding.
Have a great trip.
Thanks for the info. I didn’t know about the ocean currents and water temp.
We’ll be going out of Hatteras Village on a 60+ footer.
Isn’t there a small graveyard that’s British on the Outer Banks? British sailors from WWII washed up on the beach.
It’s on British Cemetery Road, Ocracoke Village on Ocracoke Island. A free regularly scheduled state-run ferry runs right there out of Hatteras. A little over 45 minutes all said. Watch the pedestrians, cyclists and golf carts on Ocracoke. It’s much more a walking and cycling place than a car place. Go slow driving through the village, especially high tourist season. They rent the bikes, are a little excited and not paying nearly enough attention to other vehicular traffic. Very pleasant place though, that aside.
Thanks
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