Scientists find Caribbean shipwrecks with ‘signs of pirate mischief’

Scientists find Caribbean shipwrecks with ‘signs of pirate mischief’,

The first shipwrecks associated with the real–life Pirates of the Caribbean have been discovered by scientists in the Bahamas.

Marine archaeologists and filmmakers uncovered a total of six wrecks in and around Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence.

Three of these sunken ships date back to the legendary ‘Golden Age of Piracy’ between the 1680s and the 1720s, when seaborne raiders ruled the waves.

And, according to the experts, the ships still clearly show ‘all the signs of pirate mischief’.

The first wreck was found inside Nassau’s harbour and consists mainly of ballast stones – large rocks used to keep the ship stable against the waves.

These stones were found piled up on the charred remains of the ship’s hull – a classic sign of pirate activity.

Dr Michael Pateman, director of the Bahamas Maritime Museum in Grand Bahama, says: ‘After seizing a ship and taking its cargo, cannon and fittings, pirates had to get rid of all signs of their crime.

‘Burning ships to the waterline was an infamous tactic to hide felony from authorities.’

Scientists have uncovered the remains of the first ships associated with the real–life Pirates of the Caribbean, revealing a ship loaded with weapons, including a cannon, a swivel gun, and a wheel for sharpening swords (pictured)

Between the 1680s and the 1720s, pirates ruled the Caribbean town of Nassau in a real-life version of the Disney blockbuster The Pirates of the Caribbean (pictured) 

Alongside the burned wreckage, investigators found frames and wooden ‘treenails’, a type of peg used to fasten pieces of wood together.

The use of this particular type of treenail indicates that the ship was probably built sometime during the 1700s, right before the peak of piracy in the Caribbean.

Between the end of the 17th and the start of the 18th century, there was a significant increase in pirate activity across the Atlantic as well as the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Expanding trade routes, driving a steady flow of valuable cargo, and weak or corrupt colonial governments provided the perfect opportunity for piracy to flourish in the Caribbean.

This period saw the rise of some of the most famous pirates in history, many of whom made their headquarters in the port town of Nassau.

Those included Calico Jack Rackham, Henry Avery, Benjamin Hornigold, Anne Bonny, and the legendary pirate Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard.

Mr Pateman says: ‘It might have been a short life, but for a brief period of mayhem, sailors found freedom and wealth unmatched anywhere on earth.

‘That escape was the pirate dream.’

The researchers found three wrecks associated with the golden age of piracy. Including one ship that had been burned to the waterline to hide it from authorities (pictured)

Over 1,000 pirates lived in Nassau during the early 18th century, including the legendary raider Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard (left), and Calico Jack Rackham (right)

At the height of the golden age in 1718, Woodes Rogers, the Governor of New Providence, saw 40 ships burned and sunk by pirates off Nassau’s shore.

However, until now, none of those wrecks has ever been found.

That changed when a team of investigators from the New Providence Pirates Expedition and Wreckwatch TV became the first to obtain diving permission within the closed zone of Nassau’s harbour.

But, even with the legal permissions in order, uncovering these hidden wrecks was far from simple.

Explorer and project filmmaker Chris Atkins said in a statement: ‘Nassau harbour is huge.

‘Tides flush dangerous currents through its waters twice a day. It’s home to notorious packs of sharks. This was a risky expedition with high chances of finding nothing.’

In addition to the burned pirate victim in the harbour, the team found another 18th–century sailboat 22 miles (35 km) east of Nassau.

This single–masted ship, known as a sloop, features a large pile of ballast stones, a large deck cannon and an iron swivel gun.

In one ship located 22 miles (35 km) east of Nassau, researchers found three cannon balls and 25 lead musket balls

The researchers also found three cannon balls, 25 lead musket balls, and a grinding stone for sharpening swords.

The swivel guns were small, pivot–mounted cannons usually attached to deck rails, and were the anti–personnel weapon of choice for raiding pirate crews.

While this could have been a civilian ship with defences against pirates, the absence of cargo suggests that it was likely used for piracy.

Meanwhile, the third golden age wreck was found beneath Nassau’s old bridge ‘where a very grumpy bull shark lives’, according to the report submitted to the Bahamian antiquities authority.

The site contained two poorly preserved hulls, one of which had been pierced by modern pipework.

However, despite the decay, the team was still able to identify the 300–year–old ship’s cargo.

Dr Sean Kingsley, marine archaeologist and project co–director, said: ‘We decided to take a look and were shocked to see hull planks, rigging, glass bottles and bricks from the ship’s cooking galley still preserved.

More revealingly, the researchers also found dozens of clay tobacco pipes bearing the British royal coat of arms.

A third wreck was found carrying crates of clay pipes marked with the British royal crest that were made in London during the 1740s or 1750s 

These pipes were made in London, probably between the 1740s and 1750s, which suggests that the ships travelled from England to New Providence after the threat of piracy had been reduced.

According to the researchers, the ship most likely ran aground on an underwater sandbank, rather than being taken by pirates. 

However, its cargo of expensive pipe and wine in glass bottles gives a critical insight into how the island economy bounced back after the death of piracy.

The expedition is covered in the first episode of a mini–series, Mystery of the Pirate King’s Treasure, launched this week, as well as in the next issue of Wreckwatch magazine.

WHO WAS BLACKBEARD THE PIRATE?

Many of the pirates in the Caribbean began their careers as privateers in the employment of the British crown to plunder Spanish ships during Queen Anne’s war against the country.

However, when the Hanovian king George was placed upon the throne on Queen Anne’s death, the authorities sought to stamp out the privateers, effectively outlawing them. 

It is thought Edward Thache – believed to be Blackbeard – was one such privateer who had been working the wrecks of Spanish galleons on the coast of Florida when his commission was withdrawn by the crown. 

It is thought Edward Thache – believed to be Blackbeard – was one such privateer who had been working the wrecks of Spanish galleons on the coast of Florida when his commission was withdrawn by the crown

He was eventually given command of his own ship by fellow privateer Captain Benjamin Hornigold. 

Much of the legend surrounding Blackbeard stems from accounts written in a book called A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates. 

Blackbeard had a reputation for marooning members of his crew and enforcing strict discipline on board his ships. His capture is pictured here in a painting by J. L. G. Ferris

It was published in 1724, some six years after Blackbeard’s death in Ocracoke in 1718, by Captain Charles Johnson. 

Captain Johnson is said to be a pseudonym for a Jacobite called Nathaniel Mist.

Mist’s book presents the notorious pirate as a vicious killer who marooned men on desert islands and reportedly prostituted his own wife in his pursuit of wealth.