(Wikepedia)
Pirates and Me
Whydah Gally (commonly known simply as Whydah "wi-duh"), is a fully rigged galley ship that was originally built as a passenger, cargo, and slave ship. On its maiden voyage, it was captured by the pirate Captain Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy, and was refitted as his flagship.
Black Sam sailed the Whydah up the coast of colonial America, capturing ships as he went. On April 26, 1717, the Whydah was caught in a violent storm and wrecked.
Only two of the Whydah's original crew survived. Sam Bellamy met and fell in love with young Maria “Goody” Hallett.
The Whydah was buried under 10 ft (3 M) of the shifting sands of the Atlantic Graveyard, as the oceans are known near my my home on Cape Cod, for over 260 years until 1984. The wreck was spread four miles along the coast, off Truro (my town) and Wellfleet.in 1985, they discovered the ship's bell, and in 2013, a small brass placard, both inscribed with the ship's name and maiden voyage date.
The Whydah is the only fully authenticated Golden Age pirate shipwreck ever discovered. Period. EVER Discovered.
I've worked some events with the team, Barry Clifford, and Chris Macort. Curiously, I found out that John F Kennedy Jr was once part of the dive team that found the treasure. Curator Chris Macort told me, of the stuff they've brought ashore, they think they have another 25-30 years of research, and recovery, removing the canon, coins, guns, and rings, etc from Concretions. These concretions:
Are masses of sediment, and irons, that form together in the rust and metals (Saltwater is a metal!)
Not the Femur (leg) bone found in the concretion. In another, they Xrayed, and found coins, guns, and more treasure...
so far, they've recovered literally millions of dollars in Coins, gold, Cannon, and Treasure.
So what's my connection? I worked in a restaurant called Goody Hallet's, owned by relatives of her family, during high school, and worked with Barry Clifford, on many events. Unless otherwise noted, the images are from Barry Clifford and Chris Macort at the Whydah Museum.
So, yeah.... I come by my Pirate Heritage honestly (Can one truly be an honest pirate?)
