Name Concord Name La Concorde de Nantes Launched 1710 Owner Blackbeard Hull material Wood Nearest city Atlantic Beach | Captured by France in 1711 Name Queen Anne's Revenge Year built 1710 Propulsion Sail Added to NRHP 9 March 2004 | |
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Captured By Benjamin Hornigold in 1717, placed under the command of Blackbeard Fate Ran aground in 1718 near Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina | ||
Queen Anne's Revenge was a frigate, most famously used as a flagship by the pirate Blackbeard (Edward Teach). She had been launched by the Royal Navy in 1710, and captured by France in 1711. She was used as a slave ship by the French, and was captured by pirates in 1717. Blackbeard used the ship for less than a year, but captured numerous prizes using her as his flagship.
Contents
- Map of Queen Annes Revenge Morehead NC USA
- History
- Discovery and archaeological excavation of shipwreck
- National Register of Historic Places
- In popular culture
- References
Map of Queen Anne's Revenge, Morehead, NC, USA
In 1718, Blackbeard ran the ship aground at Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, in the present-day Carteret County. After the grounding her crew and supplies were transferred to smaller ships. In 1996 Intersal, Inc., a private firm, discovered the remains of a vessel likely to be Queen Anne's Revenge, which was added to the US National Register of Historic Places.
History
The 200-ton vessel, originally named Concord, was a frigate built in England in 1710. She was captured by the French one year later. The ship was modified to hold more cargo, including slaves, and renamed La Concorde de Nantes. Sailing as a slave ship, she was captured by the pirate Captain Benjamin Hornigold on November 28, 1717, near the island of Martinique. Hornigold turned her over to one of his men, Edward Teach (later known as Blackbeard), and made him her captain.
Blackbeard made La Concorde de Nantes into his flagship, adding cannon and renaming her Queen Anne's Revenge. The name may come from the War of the Spanish Succession, known in the Americas as Queen Anne's War, in which Blackbeard had served in the Royal Navy, or possibly from sympathy for Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch. Blackbeard sailed this ship from the west coast of Africa to the Caribbean, attacking British, Dutch, and Portuguese merchant ships along the way.
Shortly after blockading Charleston harbor in May 1718, and refusing to accept the Governor's offer of a pardon, Blackbeard ran Queen Anne's Revenge aground while entering Beaufort Inlet. A deposition given by the former captain of Adventure, David Herriot, states "Thatch's [Teach's] ship Queen Anne's Revenge run a-ground off of the Bar of Topsail-Inlet." He also states that Adventure "run a-ground likewise about Gun-shot from the said Thatch" in an attempt to kedge Queen Anne's revenge off the bar. Teach then disbanded his flotilla and escaped by transferring supplies onto the smaller sloop, Adventure. He stranded several crew members on a small island nearby, where they were later rescued by Captain Stede Bonnet. Some suggest Blackbeard deliberately grounded the ship as an excuse to disperse the crew. Shortly afterward, Blackbeard did surrender and accepted a royal pardon for himself and his remaining crewmen from Governor Charles Eden at Bath, North Carolina. However, he eventually returned to piracy and was killed in combat in November 1718.
Discovery and archaeological excavation of shipwreck
Intersal Inc., a private research firm, discovered the wreck believed to be Queen Anne’s Revenge (QAR) on November 21, 1996. It was located by Intersal's director of operations, Mike Daniel, who used historical research provided by Intersal's president, Phil Masters and maritime archaeologist David Moore. The shipwreck lies in 28 feet (8.5m) of water about one mile (1.6 km) offshore of Fort Macon State Park (34°41′44″N 76°41′20″W), Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. Thirty-one cannon have been identified to date and more than 250,000 artifacts have been recovered. The cannon are of different origins such as; Swedish, English and possibly French, and of different sizes as would be expected with a colonial pirate crew.
Recognizing the significance of Queen Anne's Revenge, the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR), Intersal, and Maritime Research Institute (“MRI”) entered into a memorandum of agreement in 1998. Intersal agreed to forego entitlement to any coins and precious metals recovered from QAR in order that all QAR artifacts remain as one intact collection, and in order for NCDNCR to determine the ultimate disposition of the artifacts. In return, Intersal was granted media, replica, and other rights related to Blackbeard’s Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project; MRI was granted joint QAR artifact touring rights with NCDNCR. NCDNCR, Intersal, and Rick Allen of Nautilus Productions signed a settlement agreement on October 24, 2013 connected to QAR commercial, replica, and promotional opportunities for the benefit of QAR. The State of North Carolina owns QAR since the wreck lies in state waters (within the 3 mile limit).
For one week in 2000 and 2001, live underwater video of the project was webcast to the Internet as a part of the QAR DiveLive educational program that reached thousands of children around the world. Created and co-produced by Nautilus Productions and Marine Grafics, this project enabled students to talk to scientists and learn about methods and technologies utilized by the underwater archaeology team.
In November 2006 and 2007, more artifacts were discovered at the site and brought to the surface. The additional artifacts appear to support the claim that the wreck is that of Queen Anne's Revenge. Among current evidence to support this theory is that the cannon were found loaded. In addition, there were more cannon than would be expected for a ship of this size, and the cannon were of different makes. Depth markings on the part of the stern that was recovered point to it having been made according to the French foot measurements.
By the end of 2007, approximately 1/3 of the wreck was fully excavated. Part of the hull of the ship, including much of the keel and part of the stern post, have survived. The 1500 lb. sternpost was recovered in November 2007. Artifacts from the wreck site are currently undergoing conservation. The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources set up the website Queen Anne's Revenge to build on intense public interest in the finds. Artifacts recovered in 2008 include loose ceramic and pewter fragments, lead strainer fragments, a nesting weight, cannon apron, ballast stones, a sword guard and a coin.
Goals during the 2010 field season included; staging of one of the ship’s largest main deck cannons to the large artifact holding area on site, taking corrosion readings from anchors and cannon undergoing in situ corrosion treatment, attaching aluminum-alloy anodes to the remaining anchors and cannon so as to begin their in situ corrosion treatment and continuing site excavations.
In 2011, the 1.4-tonne (3,100 lb) anchor from the ship was brought to the surface along with a range of makeshift weaponry including langrage or canister shot.
On August 29, 2011, the National Geographic Society reported that the State of North Carolina had confirmed the shipwreck as Queen Anne's Revenge, reversing a conclusion previously maintained because of a lack of conclusive evidence. Specific artifacts that support this conclusion include; a brass coin weight bearing the bust of Queen Anne of England, cast during her reign (1702-1714), the stem of a wine glass decorated with diamonds and tiny embossed crowns, made to commemorate the 1714 coronation of Queen Anne's successor, King George I., the remains of a French hunting sword featuring a bust that closely resembles King Louis XV, who claimed the French throne in 1715, and a urethral syringe for treating venereal diseases with a control mark indicating manufacture between 1707 and 1715 in Paris, France.
On June 21, 2013, the National Geographic Society reported recovery of cannon from Queen Anne's Revenge.
On October 28, 2013, archaeologists recovered five more cannon from the wreck. Three of these guns have been identified as 6-pounder iron cannon manufactured at Ehrendals works in Södermanland, Sweden, in 1713. Thomas Roth, the Head of Sweden's Armament Museum Research Department, derived the origin of the iron cannon by a mark on the cannon tubes.
The 23rd of 31 cannon identified on Queen Anne's Revenge wreck site was recovered on Friday, October 24, 2014. The newest gun is approximately 56" long, weighs over 300 lbs and may be a sister to a Swedish gun that was previously recovered. Nine cannonballs, bar shot halves, an iron bolt and a grenado were also recovered during the 2014 field season.
National Register of Historic Places
Queen Anne's Revenge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The reference number is 04000148. It is listed as owned by the state of North Carolina and near Morehead City. The wreck site is designated 31CR314 by the state of North Carolina.