Wreck of the Whydah Gally The story of a real treasure ship Compiled by Art MacKay Bocabec, NB 2016Wreck of the Whydah Gally The story of a real treasure ship. The Whydah Gally (commonly known simply as the Whydah or Whidah, and rarely, written as Whidaw." ‘or Whido!)), pronounced “wi-duh”, was a fully rigged ¢zalley ship that was originally built as a passenger, cargo, and slave ship. On the retumn leg of its maiden voyage ‘of the triangle trade, it began a new role in the Golden ‘Age of Piracy, when it was captured by the pirate Cap- ‘ain Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy, and was refitted as his flagship. Immediately heading northward, Bellamy cap- ‘tured & few more ships along the coast of Colonial Amer- ‘ca, and was caught up in a storm which beavily damaged the Wiydak and broke one of its masts, Patch-ups and repairs were affected until they reached the waters near Nantucket Sound, where greater repairs were affected ‘possibly at Block Island or Rhode Island. ‘Two months later, the Whyvdah headed eastward out to ‘open ocean and turned northward with a heading for Damarscove Island near Maine; but Bellamy ordered @ ‘course correction, taking the ship to the “elbow” of Cape Cod, and on 26 April 1717 they captured the ship Mary ‘Anne with a hold full of Madeira wine. The captain of ‘Mary Anne refused Bellamy’s request to pilot them up the coast, so Bellamy arrested the captain and five of his ‘crew and brought them aboard the Whydah, ‘of the original crew aboard Mary Anne. sent 7 of his own men onboard of Mary Anne - one of ‘whom being the carpenter Thomas South who had been {forced by Bellamy and his crew to make repairs: not want- ‘ng to join the pirate crew he had been offered release by Bellamy after work was completed, but the surviving pi- rates later testified to the court that they had over-ruled Bellamy’s decision and forced South to stay due to his ‘much whimpering and complaining. South testified that it was his choice to accompany the 6 pirates going aboard ‘Mary Anne in hopes of escaping, possibly by jumping ‘overboard and swimming ashore as they drew neat tothe Cape. Sometime around sunset that evening, the winds completely died, and a massive fog bank made visiil- ity virtually impossible. The four ships in Bellamy’s Geet lost sight of one another. Bellamy’s ships Anne and Fisher ‘moved out to sea (eventually making it to Damascove Is- land with heavy damage). Just after midnight. the Whydah was suddenly struck by an extremely powerful Noreaster storm with the force ‘of a Category-One hurricane, Running bow-ftst into a sandbar 16-feet deep at about 500 feet from the shore at What today is Marconi Beach of Welllet, she was bat- tered by 30 to 40 fect waves, Within minutes the masts fell and the ship was pulled into 30 feet af water where she completely capsized, sending over 4.5 short ons ( tonnes) of silver and gold, more than 60 cannons and 144 people tothe ocean floor; with churning shoals and mon- strous waves throwing many pieces of Why dah's shattered. body, ner rigging and sails, 102 human bodies, and thou sands of objects across four miles of the beach. Mary ‘Anne was also wrecked that night, ten miles south, be- ing thrown by the waves on the beach at Pochet Island [pronounced po-chee]. Of the 146 souls aboard Whyrdah, only two men (Welshman Thomas Davis and 18-year-old Central American Mosquito [Moskito] Indian John Ju- lian) are knows to have made it to the beach alive all seven of Bellamy’s men and the three orginal crewmen, from Mary Anne survived as well. Arrested by Justice Joseph Doane and his posse, they were all locked up in Barnsable Gaol (currently the oldest wooden jail house in United States), and then brought, by order of Governor Samuel Shute, 1 Boston for a neaily seven-month tral, ler which sx ofthe men would be executed by hanging, two set fie, and one sold into saver, The Whyrdah and ber treasure chided discovery for over 260 years until 1984, when the wreck was found ~ buried between 10 to 50 feet of sand, under water depths of 16 {0 30 feet deep, spread four miles parale to the Cape's coast, With the discovery of the ship's bell in 1985 and a small trast placard in 2013, both inscribed with the ship's name and maiden voyage date, the Whydah is the only fully authenticated Golden Age pitate shipwreck. ever discovered! 1. Slave ship Whydah was coromissioned in 1715 in London, England, by Sir Humphrey Morice, a member of the British Par- lament, known as ‘the foremost Londen Slave merchant of his day) A square-rigzed three-maste galley ship, it measured 110 feet (341m) in length, with a tonnage rating st 300 tuns burthen, and could travel at speeds up to 13 knots (24 kh; 15 mph). Chustened Whydah afer the West African save trading kingdom of Ouidah (pronounced WiEL-dah), the vessel was configured asa heavily armed trading and transport ship which included the Allantic slave trade. It set out for its maiden voyage in early 1716, cerying a variety of‘poods from different businesses to exchange for delivery trade, and slaves in West Attica, After traveling down, ‘West Avica through modern-day Gambia and Senegal to Nigeria and Benin, where its namesake port was located," it left Astica with an estimated 500 captives,” gold, including Akan jewelry and wory aboard. Te tav- led to the Cazibbean, where it waded aad sold the eazgo and captives for precious metals, sugar, indigo, rum, log- wood, pimento, ginger, and medicinal ingredients, which were to then be transported back to England "! Fitted with standaed complement of 18 six-pound cannon, which could be increased to a total of 28 in time af war, Whydab represented one of the most advanced weapons systems of the tine 2. Pirate ship In ate February 1717, Whydah, under Captain Lawrence Prince, a former buccaneer under Sir Henry Morgan, was navigating the Windward Passage between Cuba and Hispaniola when it was attacked by Pirates led by “Black Sama” Bellamy. AL the time of Why- dah 's capture, Bellamy was in possestion of two ver- sels, the 26-gun galley Sultana and the converted 10-gun sloop Mary Anne! After a three-day chase, Prince sur- rendered his ship near the Bahamas with only a desultory ‘exchange of cannon fire. Bellamy decided to take Whydah as his new agship: several of its crew remained with their chip and joined the pirate gang, Pirate recruitment was most effective among the unemployed. escaped bondsmen, and trans ported criminals, asthe high seas made for an instant lev cling of class distinctions. In a gessare of goodwill toward Captain Prince who had surrendered without a strugele—and who in any case may hhave been favorably known by reputation to the pirate crew—Bellamy gave Sullana to Prince, along with £20 insilver and gold. 1 with Deaths Head and Bones they spread a large black a scrote, and gave chase to Cap Prince under the sume colors = Thomas Baker (Bellamy's re) on Whydah rsa! Whydah was then Stted with 10 additional cannons by its 3. SHIPWRECK new captain, and 150 members of Bellamy’s crew were detailed to man the vessel"! They cleared the top deck. ofthe pilots cabin, removed the slave barricade, and got rid of other Features that made her top heavy." Bellamy and his crew then sailed onto the Carolinas and. headed north slong the easter coastline of the American colonies, aiming forthe central coast of Maine, looting or capturing additional vesels on the way, At some point during his possession of Wydah, Bellamy added another 30+ cannons below decks, possibly as ballast!"®) Two cannons recovered by underwater explorer Bazry Clifford in August 2009 weighed 800 and 1,500 pounds (360 snd 680 kp), respectively They could not wipe out the North-Bast gales Nor what those gales se free The pirate ships with ther close-reefed sails Leaping from sea to sea —Rudyaed Kipling, “The Prats of England) Accounts differ as to Whydah 's destination in her last few days, Some evidence exists to support local Cape Cod legend: Wiydah was headed for what is now Provincetown Harbor at the tip of Cape Cod, so that Bellamy could visit his love, Maria Hallett =the “Witch of Wellfleet’ Others blame Whydah's route on nav= igator error. In any case, on April 26, 1717, near Chatham, Massachusetts, Whydah approached & thick, ray fog bank rolling sccoss the water ~ signaling in- ‘lement weather ahead") 3. Shipwreck ‘hat weather tumed into violet noreaster, a storm with gale force winds out ofthe eat and aotheast, which forced the vestel dangerously clove tthe breaking waves along the shoals of Caye Cod. The ship was eventually driven aground at Welllet, Mastachusets. At midnight she hia sandbar in 16 oot m) of water about S00 feet (152 m) from th coast of what is now Marconi Beach Pummeled hy 70 mpl (110 koa) winds and 30to-40 ft to-12 m) waves, the main mast mapped, piling the ship into about 30 (9m) of wate, whee she valently capsized" The 60-4 canon onboard ripped trough the cvertumed decks ofthe ship and quickly broke it apar, scattering pars of the ship over aml (64 km) length of coast. One of the two surviving members of Bellamy's crew, Thomas Davis, esiied in his subsequent rial that “Ina quarter of an hour aftr the ship stack, the Main- rast was carried hy the board, and in the Moming she wens bea 0 pisces.” By morning, hundreds of Cape Cod’s notorious wreckers (locally known as “snoon-cussers”) were already plunder ing the remains, Hearing ofthe shipwreck, then-governor Samuel Shute dispatched Captain Cyprian Southack, a local salvager and cartographer, to recover “Money, Bul-A cians yout ey x The locaton of the wrecked Why Gay in Welfc, Mas- sachusets on Cape Cod lion, Treasure, Goods and Merchandizes taken out of the said Ship” When Southack reached the wreck on May 3, the found that part of the ship was sil visible breaching ‘the water's surface, but that much ofthe ship’ wreckage ‘vas seatered along more than 4 miles (6.4 kas) of shore line. On a map that he made of the wreck site, Southack reported that he had buried 102 ofthe 144 Why crew and captives lost inthe sinking chough technically they ‘were busied by the town coroner, who surprised Southack by handing hies te bill and demanding payment)! According to surviving members of the crew — two from ‘Whydah and seven from Mary Anne, ante of Bllany’s Act that an aground inthe storm atthe time ofits snk ing, the ship carsed from four and a half to five tons of silver, gold, gold dust, and jewelry. which had been di- vied equalyinto 180 S0-pound (23 kg sacks and stored incbetween the ship's decks "Though Southack did sal- ‘age some neatly worthless items from the ship, litle of the massive treasure hoard was recovered. Southack ‘wrote in his account of his findings, that, “The riches, ‘with the guns, woul be buried in the sand "2" With that, the exact location ofthe shi, its riches and its guns were lost, and came tobe thought of as nothing more than leg end 4 Survivors Including the seven men aboard Mary Anne nine of Bel- lamy's erew survived the wrecking of the two ships. They were all captured quickly, however, and on October 18, 1717, six were tried in Boston for piracy and robbery ‘The following were found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging: John Brown of Jamaica, Thomas Baker and. Henitick Quintor of the Netherlands; Peter Cornelius Hoof of Sweden; John Shaun of France; and Simon van der Vorst of New York.) Carpenters Thomas South and Thomas Davis, who were tried separately, had been conscripted by Bellamy — forced to choose between life af precy or death, There fore, they were acquitted of all charges and spared the gallows, The last survivor was a 16-year-old Miskito In- dian named John Julian ~ who was a skilled navigator, and also Whydah’s pilot) He was not tried, but instead, was sold into slavery after his capture”) (On November 15, 1717, the famous Puritan minister Cotton Mather accompanied the six condemned men as they were rowed scross Boston Harbor to Charlestown. {Al six men confessed and repented in the presence of Mather, but they sll hanged. "1891 God from he pirate ship Whyah. “The sche, with the guns, ‘would be baie i the sand” 5 Recovery Barry Clifor found Windah 's wreck in 1984, relying heavily on Southack’s 1717 map of the wreck site ~ a moder, true-to-life “pirate treasure map" leading (0 owhat was a thal ime a discovery of unprecedented pro- porns. That Wiydah had eluded discovery fr over 260 years became even more suprising when the wreck was found under just 1 fet (4.3m) of water and 5 fet (1.5 sm) sand ‘The ship's location has been the site of extensive underwater archaeology, and more than 200,000 individ ual pices have since been retrieved. One major find in the fall of 1985 was the ship's bell, inscribed with the‘words "THE WHYDAN GALLY 1716", With that, Why: ‘dah became the first ever pirate shipwreck with its iden- tity having been established and authenticated beyond doubt ‘Work on the site by Clifford's dive team continues on an annual basis Selected artifacts from the wreck are dis- played at Expedition Whydah Sea-Lab & Learning Cen- ter (The Why dah Pirate Museum) in Provincetown, Mas- sachusets, A selection ofthe artifacts are also on a tout across the United States under the sponsorship of the ‘National Geographic Sociey. 6 Archaeological evidence As bits and pieces of the pirates’ weapons, clothing, gear, and other possessions have been plucked from the wreck, researchers have logged the locations where they were ound, then gently stowed them in water-filled vats to pre- vent drying. The artfacs have revealed a picture of the pirates quite unlike their popular image as thuggish men ‘ith sabers. The abundance of metal buttons, cu links, collar stays, rings, neck chains, and square belt buckles scattered of the seafloor shows thatthe pirates were far ‘more sephisticated—even dandyish—in their dress than ‘was previously thought. In an age of austere Puritanism and rigid class hierarchy, this too was an act of defiance— similar in spirit, pechaps, to today's rock stars. ‘The bl, inscribed, “THE WHYDAH GALLY 1716" ‘The most common items found in the wreck were bits of bird shot and musket balls, designed to clear decks ‘of defenders but not to damage ships. The pirates, it seems, preferred close-quarters fighting with antiperson- rel weapons over destructive cannon bales. Among the custom-made weapons that have been recovered are 7 REACTION dozens of homemade hand grenades: hollow. baseball- size iton spheres, which were filled with gunpowder and plugged shut. A gunpowder fuse was run through the plug’ center, to be lit moments before the grenade was tossed onto the deck of a victim ship. Pirates didnt want to sink a ship: they wanted to capture and rob it Famoudly, the youngest known member of Whydah 's ‘ew was s boy approximately 11 years old, armed Job King, Young John actually chose to join the erew on. his own initiative the previous November, when Bellamy ‘captured the ship on which he and his mother were pas- sengers. He was reported fo have been so insistent that he threatened to hurt his mother if he wasn't allowed to Join Bellamy. Among Whydah 's arufaets recovered by (Cliord were a small, back, leather shoe, together with a silk stocking and dbula bone, later determined fo be that of a child between 8 and 11 years old — confirming yet another “pirate tale” as fact. 7 Reaction ‘A museum exhibition called “Real Pirates: The Untold Story of The Whsdah from Slave Ship to Pirate Shi’ toured the United States from 2007 to 2014. Venues included: Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati, OH: ‘The Franklin Insitute, Philadelphia, PA: The Field Mu- scum, Chicago, IL; Nauticus, Norfolk, VA; St. Lous, MO; Houston, TX: the Seience Museum of Minnesota, St Paul, MN; and Union ation, Kansas City, MO, The ‘enue inches videos, artifacts, educational live personal narrations to include supplementary audio programs, in- teractve activities, a 3/4 scale mock-up of the rear of the vessel and is supported by costumed actors portraying realefe historical pirates from the ship. A walking tour takes between I~ hours depending upon level of interes. ‘The display/show i curently transitioning in preparation for exhibition in CA. In one instance Wha’ brief par- cipation inthe Atlantic slave trade was a source of con- twoversy. The Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, Florida announced the exhibit and linked ito the 2007 release of Pirates ofthe Caribbean: At World's End. Af- terheing rtcized for rivaling the ship's ole in slavery while glorifying its role in piracy, the museum canceled the exhibit I (On 27 May 2007 & UK documentaryleality show tiled Pirate Ship. Live! fllowed a team of divers, including ‘omealian Vie Reeves, in live coverage of a dive atthe Whydah site. On January 7, 2008 the National Geographic Chantel 1d a Z-hour documentary about the ongoing excava- ion of the wreck. It included detailed interviews with Cliford, and is curently available on DVD.)8 0 Py b) 4) 3) (6) nm 8) 9) uo) an) 02) Sources National Geographic Society, Pirates ofthe Whydah Bob Cembrola, “The Whyiah is for Real: An Archeological Assessment” Kenneth J. Kinkor, “The Legeng of Black Sam and {be Good Ship Windah” ‘Strong, Eas (1836). The Liver and Blody Exploit ofthe ‘Most Noted Pirates, Theiy Trial and Executions, Incl ing Correct Accounts of the Lae Fracies. Commited in the West india. and the Expedition of Commodore Porter Courier Dover Pubietions. p. 298, They immediately mounted this alley with 28 gus, and put on bard 150 hands, of different nations Belly was declared cap tain, andthe vestl had er old name continued, which vas Whida.(p.127) Untied Map (Map). Cartography by Cyprian Soutback, 17. Retrieved 8 October 2012. The Pace whee Leame through with a Whale Boat being ordered by ye Governmt to look ater ye Pirate Ship Whido Bellame Commande castaway ye 26 of Apeil 1717 where I baried One Hux ded &¢ Two Men Drowns. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Murine Underwa- ter Survey, Ine, 408 Mase. 501 (Mass. Supreme Court 1988), 1985 gathering of Alani Unversity of Nantes ave Trade Scholars atthe Woodard, Clin. The Republic of Prater: Belg the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought The Men Who Brought Them Down "The Slave Ship Whyda: Bosna Slave Ship". “Real Ps rates"muscarn exhibit website. Chicago, ios The Field “Museum. 2009, Retrieved 12 October 2012, Kenneth J Kinkor, Projet Historian, Why Pirate Mu ‘The Slave Ship Whydaki A Slve-Rased Beonomy”. ‘Real Pirates” museum exhibit website, Chicago, Tinos ‘The Field Museum. 2009, Revieved 12 October 2012, Dow, Georg Francis: Bamonds, Jobn Henry (1923), The Pirates of the New England coas, 1630-1730, Argos: ‘Antiquarian. p. 121. ISBN 0-486-29064-6, Retrieved 26 May 2015, “The Pita Ship Whydal: Pirate szategy”. "Real Pirates” raseum exhib website. Chicago, Mois: The Field Mu ‘eum, 2009, Retrieved 21 Tanuaty 2013, “The Pirate Ship Whydah: The Wha capture”. “Real Pirates” museum exit website. Chicago, Iinois: Tae Fick! Museu, 2008, Retrieved 21 Jatuaty 2013 Haggerty, Ryan (2007-07-18). "Yet more booty tums up a prate wreck”. The Rowton Globe. Sill the discovery of thecannonsallofwhick weresaken fom ships captured bythe Whydah surprised (underwater explorer Bary) 03) a) ust us} un us) 9) (20) pu (a) liford who had already recovered mest of the Whyah's 221028 orginal cannons. "We had no ide that there were 30 exra cannons om board this ship,” Chord said. "Ey cerytime we go down there, we find another np of acter teeters” Kiphng. Rudyard: Kipling Collection (Library. of Congress) (1911), Three Poems, London: Clarendon rest. Retrieved 22 Noveraber 2012, “The Winvdah Museum” The Whyda Museum Oficial Se. Historic Shiporecks, nc. Retneved 8 October 2012, cfr’, Barry, Pesry, Paul (3 May 2000) (1999), Expedition Why: The Story of the World Fast Bxca- vation of a Pirate Treasure Ship and the Man Who Found Her. HarperCollins. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-06-092971-8, Retrieved 22 November 2012, Quartermaster Nolan, wo twas now in charge of Mary Ane, cane under the sera of Whydah to report that land had been sighted nde the growing mist. Beam inmeditey ordered a northerly ‘course to kit the land eather than & northeastern course to getaway from t, another sign that he intended stop in Provineclown and wae underestimating the potentl force of what now appeared to bea gathering storm. Webster, Donovan (May 1999). "Pirates ofthe Whyda” National Geographic Magazin. Belamy signaled his eet. to deeper wate, butt was too lat forthe reasueladen Whodlah, ‘Trapped in the sit zone within sight of the ‘beach the boat lammed tera first into standard be gato beak apart. When giant wave led her, be eat on el fom hee mounts, smashing through overturped decks along with anoaballs and bares of ron and nil Finally. asthe ship's back broke, she spit ico bow and ster, and ber contents sped across the ocean oot. "The Whydah’ Loss: The Pirate's Til". “Real rates museum exit website. Caicag, Minos: The Field Mu eum, 2009. Retrieved 21 Tanuary 2013, “Pirate Treasure Hunters", National Geographic Special Presentation Janasy7, 2008, 9345 minutes in, National Geographic Channel Mather, Coton (1717). Instructions 1 the Living. from the Condition ofthe Dead: A Bri Relation of Remark ables in the Shipwreck of Above One Hundred Pirates, who Were Cast Away in the Ship Whide, om the Coat of New England, April 26- 1717. Adin the Det of Ss, who Af tera Far Trial at Boson, Were Convicted & Condenmned cob, 22. And Executed, Novemb. 15.1717. With Some Accoun of the Discourse Isd with Them onthe Way Their Exection. And a Sermon Preached om Their Osea sion. American Imprint Collection (Library of Congzes) Retrieved 26 May 2015, “Life aboard the Wiplak: A Mody Crew”. “Real Pi: rates" maceum exhib wrbote, Chicago, lise The Field ‘Mascum, 2009, Retrieved 21 January 2013 Allen, Greg (18 December 2006). "Museum Cancels P= rate Exhibit Over Slavery Uses". National Public Radio News. Retrieved 12 October 2012 Robson, Ian (27 May 2007). “Yo ho, ho, Vi des live The Sunday Sun. Retieved 18 Jaary 2013,6 9 EXTERNAL LINKS (23) "Pirate Treasure Munters". navgeon:comuk. National Geographic Channel UK, 7 January 2008, Retrieved 8 Saznary 2013, 9 External links ‘© Official site of Expedition Winydah10 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses 10.1 Text 1+ Whydah Gly Suave: hpeen wipe ngaokWhyah, Gall ld-€91606558 Connors: Neste, Iogpaton, Aber riser Does, rank A, Ase, Lapin Newry, Kleen Koos, aaa Tava, Vita, Prem, A2Kase Ese Kraan, Oalane ‘se, lla, Rj, Docter, Jonathan st StackBo, Geli), Onna, Hains. Christe spe, Adan Weeden, Set ‘Amante d Nicolo, Grampy44ganpy-envk, The Mani Question, Hngheaost Xz Trae Ebjabe, Tewapack, The Anonbo?, (Gaede Bat, dele Une Dik. sto, Bo-Schafe, Deda. Var, VIA Volk, Te, Mota, kor, Prats, HowateMrlnd. Kenel Sones, Tan, TheSowLte, Thor ge? 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