Blackbeard’s Ship Wreckage Focus of Talk by WFU

The underwater archaeological investigation of Blackbeard’s lost flagship will be discussed on Thursday, Oct. 29, in an event co-sponsored by the Wake Forest University Archaeology Laboratories and the Old Salem Archeology Center.

Steve Claggett, an archaeologist with the N.C. Division of Archives and History, will discuss the exploration of the ship known as Queen Anne’s Revenge at 7 p.m. at the Forsyth County main library in downtown Winston-Salem. The event is free and open to the public.

Claggett’s staff is conducting the investigation along with Intersal, Inc., a private research firm. His discussion will focus on the state’s effort to explore, document and preserve Queen Anne’s Revenge.

The oldest known shipwreck in North Carolina, Queen Anne’s Revenge ran aground on a sandbar and sank off the coast of Beaufort, N.C., in 1718. The N.C. Division of Archives and History, along with Intersal, announced the ship’s discovery in 1997.

Divers returned to the shipwreck this past September to begin excavations and other work. Claggett’s talk will include the most recent findings. Some of the recovered 18th century artifacts include a sounding weight used for determining water depth, a brass blunderbuss gun barrel, large cannons and a cast bell.

For more information about the event, call the library at 336-727-2152.

Categories: Events, Research, Speakers