Location of legendary pirate treasure possibly discovered

The undersea explorer who found the wreckage of the Whydah Gally, the first authenticated pirate shipwreck in North America, claims he located where the legendary treasure of the ship’s captain, Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy, lies. The said area is located in the waters surrounding Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA.

Silver coin found on the sea floor (by AP)
Silver coin found on the sea floor (by AP)

Whydah Gally was a former slave ship, commanded by an English pirate Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy. In 1717 it sunk during a storm at the coast of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, killing all but a handful of the nearly 150-people crew. It is believed it sunk with riches captured from over 50 ships.

Bronze wheel wax seal recovered from the wreckage (by AP)
Bronze wheel wax seal recovered from the wreckage (by AP)

After 30 years of searching, Barry Clifford’s expedition located a large metallic mass that might represent possibly most of the ship’s load of 400000 coins. Since the initial discovery of the wreckage in 1984, already 200000 artefacts were recovered, including thousands of silver Spanish coins, hundreds of pieces and fragments of rare African gold jewellery, dozens of cannons, various Colonial-Era objects and other prizes.

Removing silver coins from a concretion recovered from the wreckage (by AP)
Removing silver coins from a concretion recovered from the wreckage (by AP)

Experts remain sceptical about these new finds as Clifford is known for making haste claims in the past, such as making discovery of Santa Maria, the flagship of Christopher Columbus, or Scottish pirate Captain William Kidd’s Adventure Galley off the coast of Madagascar. Both claims were proven false by the experts after investigation.

Silver coin recovered from the wreckage of the pirate ship (by AP)
Silver coin recovered from the wreckage of the pirate ship (by AP)

(after AP)

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