The Whydah was a ship that sunk in February 1717 in eastern Massachusetts and found by a marine archeologist named Barry Clifford. It appeared to be the first of the recovered “golden age” ships. The Whydah began as a slave boat, but pirates in the Bahamas captured it. The name of the Captain was “Black Sam” Bellamy. Captain Prince gave a 3-day chase then surrendered the Whydah to the pirate captain. Bellamy claimed the flagship, the sailors, and the slaves. In the act of goodwill, Captain Bellamy gave Sultan, which was a smaller ship, to the prince and his crew.
The Whydah was used to plunder the east coast, but its career was short-lived. On 4/26/1717, just two months after it was captured, it was caught in a powerful nor’ easter. Because of the high winds and waves, the Whydah crashed into a sandbar. The ship broke apart in the tumultuous seas. A wave tore the cannons loose, and the cannons ripped the ship apart. The Whydah split in half, and its contents scattered all over the ocean floor. Of the 142 people on the ship, only two survived.
Barry Clifford discovered the Whydah in 1984 and found some secrets of the pirates. The artifacts that he found provided an enhanced snapshot of life in the 1700s. Barry found tons of jewelry, clothing, grenades, and ammunition. The Whydah carried five tons of gold and other treasures at that time. The dives over 30 years recovered much stuff, which is now in display in the Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts.
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