Jem Belcher in a more formal moment. The pit bull, Trusty, was given to him by his patron Lord Camelford.
Posted on 12/13/2007 10:43:49 AM PST by SpringheelJack
The wreckage of a pirate ship abandoned by Captain Kidd in the 17th century has been found by divers in shallow waters off the Dominican Republic, a research team claims.
The underwater archaeology team, from Indiana University, says they have found the remains of Quedagh Merchant, actively sought by treasure hunters for years.
Charles Beeker of IU said his team has been licensed to study the wreckage and convert the site into an underwater preserve for the public.
It is remarkable that the wreck has remained undiscovered all these years given its location, just 70 feet off the coast of Catalina Island in the Dominican Republic in less than 10 feet of seawater.
"I've been on literally thousands of shipwrecks in my career," Beeker said. "This is one of the first sites I've been on where I haven't seen any looting. We've got a shipwreck in crystal clear, pristine water that's amazingly untouched. We want to keep it that way, so we made the announcement now to ensure the site's protection from looters."
The find is valuable because of what it could reveal about William Kidd and piracy in the Caribbean, said John Foster, California's state underwater archaeologist, who is participating in the research.
Historians differ on whether Kidd was actually a pirate or a privateer — someone who captured pirates. After his conviction of piracy and murder charges in a sensational London trial, he was left to hang over the River Thames for two years.
Historians write that Kidd captured the Quedagh Merchant, loaded with valuable satins and silks, gold, silver and other East Indian merchandise, but left the ship in the Caribbean as he sailed to New York on a less conspicuous sloop to clear his name of the criminal charges.
IU Anthropologist Geoffrey Conrad said the men Kidd entrusted with his ship reportedly looted it and then set it ablaze and adrift down the Rio Dulce. Conrad said the location of the wreckage and the formation and size of the canons, which had been used as ballast, are consistent with historical records of the ship. They also found pieces of several anchors under the cannons.
"All the evidence that we find underwater is consistent with what we know from historical documentation, which is extensive," Conrad said. "Through rigorous archeological investigations, we will conclusively prove that this is the Capt. Kidd shipwreck."
The IU team examined the shipwreck at the request of the Dominican Republic's Oficina Nacional De Patrimonio Cultural Subacuático.
"The site was initially discovered by a local prominent resident of Casa De Campo, who recognized the significance of the numerous cannons and requested the site be properly investigated," said ONPCS Technical Director Francis Soto. "So, I contacted IU."
Correction to my post. Wikipedia tells us that the iron maiden was never documented until 1793. Generally thought to be of the middle ages though.
I should go to Madame Tussauds in London and ask for a rebate. The fake exhibit was in the "Chamber of Horrors".
cool, bmflr
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According to Intrade, the winner of yesterday’s GOP debate was... Duncan Hunter.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1938773/posts
Right you aaarrrrrrgggggghhhhh, matey.
The two are sometimes confused, though, because many of the ships that turned pirate had been privateers unleashed in the Caribbean by the English against the Spanish and French.
You're Kidding!
Naval wars must have been messy affairs in the early days of sail and before standing navies. Privateers were a way of having a “pickup” navy with which to confront enemy shipping without having to support that ships & crews in peacetime. There wasn’t a whole lotta differentiation between merchant ships & warships then either.
Here is the account of the death of Gunner Moore, from Defoe's book:
"The first prize he met was a small vessel belonging to Moorish merchants. He seem'd to have some fears upon him lest these proceedings should have a bad end, for, coming up with a Dutch ship when his men though tof attacking her, Kidd oppos'd it; upon which a mutiny arose. And Moore, the gunner, talking with Kidd about the said Dutch ship, some words arose betwixt them, and Moore told Kidd, that he had ruin'd them all. Upon which, Kidd, calling him dog, took up a bucket and struck him with it, which breaking his skull, he died the next day."
"If I am a lousy dog, you have made me so; you have brought me to ruin and many more!"
True. The English relied heavily on privateers to augment their navy until the City of London became wealthy enough to build the fleet we think of today, which was nearly unbeatable.
Jem Belcher in a more formal moment. The pit bull, Trusty, was given to him by his patron Lord Camelford.
I found the book on “the true story of Captain Kidd” -
It is called “The Pirate Hunter”, by Richard Zacks, 2002, ISBN: 0-7868-8451-7. He spent three years researching it.
It has a lot of pirate things in general that I thought were very interesting. (A “blood” reg flag was the original pirate flag. The skull and crossbones showed up fairly late, and the earliest record of the skull and crossbones was on some ship’s log indicating crew that had died.
” That boy needs an orthodontist AND a plastic surgeon . . . or maybe an icthyologist. “
I’d go for the ickyologist.
See my post 49 for an interesting book on Capt. Kidd. In reading portions of it he was hanged at the Wapping Stairs along with three others. Kidd’s rope broke and he fell to the ground while the other three dangled above him. He remounted the stairs and was hanged again!
After the lowered them down they were left on the beach to have three tides wash over the bodies. His “boated and pasty” body was then loaded into a small Admiralty boat and carried 25 miles downriver to Tillbury Point on the Thames.
His soggy body was placed in a custom-fit iron cage and hoisted in chains onto the oak gibbet at Tilbury. “For years afterward [people] could see him swaying in the breezes, the Admiralty’s stark warning to anyone contemplating the merry life of piracy.”
Remember folks, the brits think we’re the savages....(eyes rolling)
Also, the very same Brits who cut up the body of William "Braveheart" Wallace and sent parts of his body to different parts of the UK to be displayed to show what happens to those that go against their KING or QUEEN. And, now, they are turning their beloved empire over to the NEW EVIL EMPIRE of Islam.
No need to ever buy another gas can or motorcycle helmet, either. Ditto large timbers or bronze fastenings of every descrition.
Thank you for the hitherto unseen print (by me). I thought I had seen 'em all, when I got a copy on loan of Boxiana, by Pierce Egan (1812). Sadly enough the great hero, Belcher was ruined by imprisonment for "disturbing the peace" and caught a fever in jail.
His life and early death, was a pattern for many a latter day pugilist.
Thanks for the heads up. This is one I must read. The very first pirate book I had, was at Christmas all too many moons ago. It had the two pirates dueling on a sand spit on the cover.
The Boys Book of Pirates.
Capt W.E. Johns.
I can even remember the stories. "Petticoat Pirates," who were Mary Reade and Ann Bonney. Another story was grimly titled "Dead Men Tell No Tales". One more story was of one Lloninois(sp)- his pastime was "torturing Spaniards" Lastly, the King of them all, Sir Henry Morgan. I have only seen a reproduction of the cover of this book since.
Still,the current book by Richard Zack will be something to look forward to.
cool!
Now if it had been the Dread Pirate Robert’s ship I might have been interested.
Cap'n Kidd
The RevWar/Colonial History/Gen. Washington ping list...
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Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh
BTTT
Avast!
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