History

In June, 1718, Queen Anne's Revenge, the pirate Blackbeard's flagship, sank at Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. In November, 1996, Intersal, Inc., discovered an early eighteenth century shipwreck believed to be this vessel.

The Underwater Archaeology Unit (UAU) conducted three major expeditions between 1997 and 1999. They were at the site for 60 days and spent over 1,000 hours examining the shipwreck. They had a widely varied group of archaeologists, specialists, and technicians. Their findings, which include the location of the shipwreck, it's 18th century artifacts, and lack of any other possiblecandidates from the historical record, strongly support this shipwreck's identity as Queen Anne's Revenge. Given the association with Blackbeard, the significance of this shipwreck and it's importance to the state cannot be overemphasized.

SECURITY NOTE: Due to the significant and sensitive nature of the shipwreck, the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources has declared the site a "Protected Area." No unauthorized vessels or individuals may enter the area. To insure protection of the site, a sophistocated computer-driven radar surveillance system was installed in 1999 which, when activated, notifies the enforcement branch of the NC Division of Marine Fisheries. In addition, the site is easily visible from several observation points. Any intentional violations may result in fine or imprisionment.

Info on this page found on http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/qar/