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Sophisticated radiocarbon testing on a Beaufort Inlet shipwreck believed to be
Blackbeard's "Queen Anne's Revenge" confirms its age matches when the pirate's
flagship vessel would have been constructed.
Carolina and state researchers studying electronically digitized old maps and
marine charts also understand more about why the ship, which went aground in
1718, wasn't discovered until November 1996, despite being located in a mere 23
feet of water just off the coast.
And the researchers warn that what's left of the ship is quite vulnerable to
wood-boring pests and hurricane damage -- at the same time meteorologists are
predicting that the upcoming hurricane season could be one of the worst in
history.
The scientists shared their latest Blackbeard knowledge last month at a news
conference at the University.
First, radiocarbon testing confirms that wood from the ship dates around
1630, making it about the same age as wood that would have been used on "Queen
Anne's Revenge."
"The results are totally consistent with when `Queen Anne's Revenge' was
built," said Christopher Martens, William B. Aycock professor of marine
sciences.
"Does this prove without a doubt that it's the `Queen Anne's Revenge?' No, but
the state's underwater archaeologists are finding so many physical pieces of
evidence that, taken in their entirety, we're building a strong scientific case
that this likely was Blackbeard's ship."
Martens and John T. Wells, professor and director of the Institute of Marine
Sciences in Morehead City, are among several Carolina scientists studying the
shipwreck. They were invited to study environmental science and physical
science aspects of the site by the state's Underwater Archaeology Unit. The
unit is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources' Division of Archives
and History, which is leading an ongoing effort to protect, document and
recover the shipwreck.
Martens arranged for wood samples from the ship to be radiocarbon-analyzed at
no cost by the National Ocean Sciences AMS facility at the world-renowned Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass.
Radiocarbon testing determines the ballpark age of organic matter, such as
wood or bone, by examining carbon-14, a naturally occurring radioactive
substance found in the atmosphere. When plants and animals use air, they absorb
carbon-14; after they die, the residual carbon-14 starts to decay. The amount
of decay gauges how long the plant or animal has been dead.
Martens also conducted another test that quantifies the presence of radiation
left behind by 1950s-era atmospheric nuclear testing. The lack of plutonium
fall-out under the hull and ballast rocks confirmed that the ship hasn't moved
for at least 50 years.
"We think the ship hasn't been disturbed much," Martens said. "It's been
buried most of the time it's been on the bottom."
However, the ship's anchor is positioned such that it was known to local
fishermen as a "snag" to avoid, and probably tore more than a few fishing nets
over the years, Martens said.
Just how and why the ship went unnoticed for so long -- and why it went
aground in the first place -- are questions Wells has been pursuing. A
geologist, Wells has electronically digitized maritime charts produced since
the early 1700s to compare with modern charts. He found that the shape of
Beaufort Inlet changed dramatically through the years because of shifting sands
and tides.
"The wreck has been buried for 225 of the last 280 years," Wells said. "And
it's been buried in episodes -- periods when sand was deposited and continued
to be deposited, up to 12 feet or more over the wreck. What we've just
uncovered is that the episodes are tied to the configuration of the inlet. The
seaward part of the inlet channel has flopped back and forth, covering and
uncovering the wreck site. So the inlet channel clearly controls when there is
sand covering the wreck and how much sand there is."
In 1718, the ship went aground -- it didn't sink, Wells said. The water depth
at that time was only about 12 feet deep.
"What's happened is that with each new natural excavation of the site, the
bottom gets progressively deeper because the sand is being further eroded," he
said. "But why that's happened in a uniform fashion with each period of
uncovering is not clear."
Beaufort Inlet was a tough place for ships to navigate because of its shallow
water, Wells said. Captains had to steer their ships just right -- in
Blackbeard's situation, his ship may have gone aground because of pilot error,
or strong winds might have pushed it. Some historians even theorize that
Blackbeard grounded the vessel deliberately to "downsize" his unwieldy crew of
pirates.
"There's not much leeway when you cross the outer bar, and it's clear they
strayed and went hard aground pretty quickly," Wells said.
Beaufort Inlet's channel now is dredged regularly for boat traffic, placing
the channel well to the east of the wreck site. Because the channel is fixed in
location, the ship's remains probably are as deep as they can get, Wells said.
And the remains are not being disturbed by shifting sands.
Yet researchers agree that just because the site isn't disturbed where it now
sits, that doesn't mean it is protected. The site is extremely vulnerable to
hurricanes and wood-boring pests, said Richard Lawrence, director of the
state's Underwater Archaeology Unit. His unit has tried to protect the site by
packing it with sand.
"The site is at its greatest state of exposure and is in jeopardy," he said.
"As far as trying to protect it, I don't think there's anything we can do this
month or next month that would make much difference. But in the long run, we'd
like to bring this stuff up and preserve it."
Displaying the remains in a museum or library would ensure that the greatest
number of citizens could appreciate their significance, he said. "Access is
very limited now."
Blackbeard, whose real name was Edward Teach, was a notoriously ruthless
pirate who frequently prowled the North Carolina coastline. Some believe he
enjoyed a cozy relationship with North Carolina's colonial Gov. Charles Eden --
that, in exchange for some of Blackbeard's booty, Eden and his associates
ignored Blackbeard's infractions.
Virginia Gov. Alexander Spotswood was alarmed when Blackbeard continued
pirating after being pardoned by Eden in June 1718. He persuaded the local
British naval force, the Virginia Assembly and some of Eden's opponents to help
him capture Blackbeard.
On Friday, Nov. 22, 1718, Blackbeard met his death in a bloody battle with
Spotswood's forces off Ocracoke Island. His head was cut off and hung from the
bowsprit of the victors' ship.
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