Queen Anne’s Revenge
ABC News AUA recovered cannon from Queen Anne’s Revenge, retrieved in 2013 near Beaufort, North Carolina.
Even though it only terrorized the seas for a brief period, Queen Anne’s Revenge made its mark on history as one of the most fearsome ships on the high seas. This was the result of none other than the ship’s Captain, Edward “Blackbeard” Teach.
Blackbeard commanded the ship for one fearsome year between 1717 and 1718 before running it aground — which some say was done intentionally.
Originally a French slaving vessel, Queen Anne’s Revenge was captured and modified by Blackbeard to hold a whopping 40 cannons.
The ambitious criminal renamed the ship from La Concorde to Queen Anne’s Revenge in honor of the Queen of England and Scotland. Like many other pirates, Blackbeard hoped the throne of Great Britain would return from the House of Hanover in England to the House of Stuart in Scotland.
In June 1718, the ship hit a sandbar off North Carolina. Blackbeard and his men abandoned it and made off with the loot stored aboard. Then, the captain was killed in a battle with pirate hunters on Nov. 22, 1718.
The fate of Queen Anne’s Revenge, meanwhile, remained a mystery until 1996 when a wreck believed to be that of the infamous ship was found off North Carolina’s coast. Though thousands of artifacts were recovered from the sunken ship, none of them provided definitive evidence of its identity until 2011 when it was confirmed to be Blackbeard’s long-lost vessel.
FacebookThe ship had at least three anchors. This one weighed a whopping 1,965 pounds.
From countless relics such as cannons, weapons, medical gear, and a giant anchor, the wreckage site yielded invaluable artifacts. Many of them are now on display at North Carolina’s Maritime museum — and its opening attracted record crowds.
