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From The TimesMay 19, 2007
Pirate legendās Ā£200m treasure trove to be recovered live on TVHelen Nugent
A hoard of pirateās treasure worth Ā£200 million at todayās prices is to be raised from the seabed.
The notorious pirate ship the Whydah, which was captained by Devon-born āBlack Samā Bellamy, sank in heavy storms in the Atlantic off the coast of Massachusetts in April 1717.
When the ship went down she was laden heavily with ingots of gold, valuable gem-stones and dozens of tusks of precious ivory. The booty was so vast that each member of the 180-man crew was entitled to 50lb (23kg) of the haul by weight.
Parts of the wreck were discovered in 1984, spread over an area of 50,000 sq ft, but the hull with its precious cargo was found only recently, buried 20ft (six metres) deep in the seabed.
Now marine explorers are due to raise the treasure chests for the first time in nearly 300 years. The recovery will be broadcast live on Five on May 27. Vic Reeves will host Pirate Ship ā Live! as cameras follow the divers under water, using reconstructions and computer-generated imagery to bring the vessel back to life.
A spokesman for the televi-sion channel said: āThe fact that the Whydahlay untouched under 20ft of sand for so long means that it is the only ātime capsuleā of pirate history ever found.
āIn the months before the ship sank in 1717, the pirate crew looted 54 other ships and stored their treasures, leaving an unprecedented cross-section of 18th-century cultural material ā and an almost unimaginable task of excavation.ā
The leader of the salvage operation is Barry Clifford, an American treature hunter who has been fascinated by the story of Black Sam Bellamy and the Whydahsince he was a child.
Only two of the pirate crew survived to tell the tale of the Whydah, which sank off Cape Cod after she was battered by 70mph winds and 30ft waves.
Legend says that Bellamy had wanted to visit his mistress, Maria Hallett. He had always promised to return to his lover when he was satisfied with his pirate wealth, but fate intervened and he never reached his destination.
Black Sam Bellamy, aged 29 when he died, displayed a generous streak that was rare among the ruthless pirate community. He was dubbed āthe Robin Hood of the high seasā because he always shared his loot equally with his men, who crowned him the āPrince of Piratesā. He also showed mercy to sailors that were taken captive in his raids.
He was born in February 1689 in Hittisleigh, near Exeter, Devon, as the youngest of six children ā his mother died during childbirth. He was raised in the parish before moving at the age of 9 with his father to Plymouth, where he was drawn to a life on the seas. Bellamy earned his nickname āBlack Samā from his rejection of the powdered wig, which was fashionable at the time. Instead he tied his long black hair with a black bow.
He was fond of fine clothes and wore four pistols in the sash over his velvet coat.
In February 1717 Bellamy seized the Whydah and all her cargo of ivory, Spanish coins, weapons, gold bars and sugar that had been traded for slaves. He claimed her as his flagship and took a dozen men captive.
More than 200,000 artefacts, including the shipās bell, pistols and piratesā personal effects, have since been recovered. It is hoped that much more is to come.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1811785.ece
kenb
From The TimesMay 19, 2007
Pirate legendās Ā£200m treasure trove to be recovered live on TVHelen Nugent
A hoard of pirateās treasure worth Ā£200 million at todayās prices is to be raised from the seabed.
The notorious pirate ship the Whydah, which was captained by Devon-born āBlack Samā Bellamy, sank in heavy storms in the Atlantic off the coast of Massachusetts in April 1717.
When the ship went down she was laden heavily with ingots of gold, valuable gem-stones and dozens of tusks of precious ivory. The booty was so vast that each member of the 180-man crew was entitled to 50lb (23kg) of the haul by weight.
Parts of the wreck were discovered in 1984, spread over an area of 50,000 sq ft, but the hull with its precious cargo was found only recently, buried 20ft (six metres) deep in the seabed.
Now marine explorers are due to raise the treasure chests for the first time in nearly 300 years. The recovery will be broadcast live on Five on May 27. Vic Reeves will host Pirate Ship ā Live! as cameras follow the divers under water, using reconstructions and computer-generated imagery to bring the vessel back to life.
A spokesman for the televi-sion channel said: āThe fact that the Whydahlay untouched under 20ft of sand for so long means that it is the only ātime capsuleā of pirate history ever found.
āIn the months before the ship sank in 1717, the pirate crew looted 54 other ships and stored their treasures, leaving an unprecedented cross-section of 18th-century cultural material ā and an almost unimaginable task of excavation.ā
The leader of the salvage operation is Barry Clifford, an American treature hunter who has been fascinated by the story of Black Sam Bellamy and the Whydahsince he was a child.
Only two of the pirate crew survived to tell the tale of the Whydah, which sank off Cape Cod after she was battered by 70mph winds and 30ft waves.
Legend says that Bellamy had wanted to visit his mistress, Maria Hallett. He had always promised to return to his lover when he was satisfied with his pirate wealth, but fate intervened and he never reached his destination.
Black Sam Bellamy, aged 29 when he died, displayed a generous streak that was rare among the ruthless pirate community. He was dubbed āthe Robin Hood of the high seasā because he always shared his loot equally with his men, who crowned him the āPrince of Piratesā. He also showed mercy to sailors that were taken captive in his raids.
He was born in February 1689 in Hittisleigh, near Exeter, Devon, as the youngest of six children ā his mother died during childbirth. He was raised in the parish before moving at the age of 9 with his father to Plymouth, where he was drawn to a life on the seas. Bellamy earned his nickname āBlack Samā from his rejection of the powdered wig, which was fashionable at the time. Instead he tied his long black hair with a black bow.
He was fond of fine clothes and wore four pistols in the sash over his velvet coat.
In February 1717 Bellamy seized the Whydah and all her cargo of ivory, Spanish coins, weapons, gold bars and sugar that had been traded for slaves. He claimed her as his flagship and took a dozen men captive.
More than 200,000 artefacts, including the shipās bell, pistols and piratesā personal effects, have since been recovered. It is hoped that much more is to come.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1811785.ece
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