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  • The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked & Found by Martin W. Sandler Discussion Guide

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    Candlewick Press
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    The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked & Found by Martin W. Sandler The 1650s to the 1730s marked the golden age of piracy, when fearsome pirates like Blackbeard ruled the waves, seeking not only treasure but also large and fast ships to carry it. The Whydah was just such a ship, built to ply the Triangular Trade route, which it did until one of the greediest pirates of all, Black Sam Bellamy, commandeered it. Filling the ship to capacity with treasure, Bellamy hoped to retire with his bounty — but in 1717 the ship sank in a storm off Cape Cod. For more than two hundred years, the wreck of the Whydah (and the riches that went down with it) eluded treasure seekers, until the ship was finally found in 1984 by marine archaeologists. The artifacts brought up from the ocean floor are priceless, both in value and in the picture they reveal of life in that much-mythologized era, changing much of what we know about pirates. The exciting true story of the captaincy, wreck, and discovery of the Whydah — the only pirate ship ever found — and the incredible mysteries it revealed.

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    The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked & Found by Martin W. Sandler The 1650s to the 1730s marked the golden age of piracy, when fearsome pirates like Blackbeard ruled the waves, seeking not only treasure but also large and fast ships to carry it. The Whydah was just such a ship, built to ply the Triangular Trade route, which it did until one of the greediest pirates of all, Black Sam Bellamy, commandeered it. Filling the ship to capacity with treasure, Bellamy hoped to retire with his bounty — but in 1717 the ship sank in a storm off Cape Cod. For more than two hundred years, the wreck of the Whydah (and the riches that went down with it) eluded treasure seekers, until the ship was finally found in 1984 by marine archaeologists. The artifacts brought up from the ocean floor are priceless, both in value and in the picture they reveal of life in that much-mythologized era, changing much of what we know about pirates. The exciting true story of the captaincy, wreck, and discovery of the Whydah — the only pirate ship ever found — and the incredible mysteries it revealed.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    320 views1 page

    The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked & Found by Martin W. Sandler Discussion Guide

    Uploaded by

    Candlewick Press
    The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked & Found by Martin W. Sandler The 1650s to the 1730s marked the golden age of piracy, when fearsome pirates like Blackbeard ruled the waves, seeking not only treasure but also large and fast ships to carry it. The Whydah was just such a ship, built to ply the Triangular Trade route, which it did until one of the greediest pirates of all, Black Sam Bellamy, commandeered it. Filling the ship to capacity with treasure, Bellamy hoped to retire with his bounty — but in 1717 the ship sank in a storm off Cape Cod. For more than two hundred years, the wreck of the Whydah (and the riches that went down with it) eluded treasure seekers, until the ship was finally found in 1984 by marine archaeologists. The artifacts brought up from the ocean floor are priceless, both in value and in the picture they reveal of life in that much-mythologized era, changing much of what we know about pirates. The exciting true story of the captaincy, wreck, and discovery of the Whydah — the only pirate ship ever found — and the incredible mysteries it revealed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 1

    1.

    What realities of life onboard a pirate ship surprised you the


    most? Did anything you learned in the book shock you?

    2. Compare the life of a pirate as described in The Whydah to


    pirates in movies, television shows, or fiction books. What are
    the most obvious differences between fictional pirates and what
    we know to be historically true?
    A Pirate Ship Feared, 3. If Maria Hallett really did exist and had a relationship with
    Wrecked & Found Sam Bellamy, how does that change the historical perception of
    Black Sam? How does the story of him as a young man in love
    change your perception of him?

    Martin W. Sandler 4. How did the pirates Articles of Agreement both contradict and
    enforce the public view of pirates? What do the Articles reveal
    about law and justice even in an industry as disreputable as
    piracy?

    5. Did any of the Articles of Agreement surprise or amuse you? If


    you lived under them, how would you feel about each of them?

    6. What do you think of the Cape Codders attitudes toward


    shipwrecks?

    7. Was any one person or circumstancethe storm, Sam


    Bellamy, the captain who lied about knowing the coast,
    Montgomeryto blame for the wreck of the Whydah?

    8. What traits would you consider necessary in treasure seekers


    and marine archaeologists hoping to uncover long-lost wrecks
    and artifacts?

    9. Imagine tracking the news of Barry Cliffords excavation as it


    unfolded. Would you have believed right away, as he did, that
    hed found the spot where the Whydah was wrecked? If not,
    which discovery would have convinced you? The cannons? The
    gold and silver? Or would you have waited until the bell was
    uncovered to admit Clifford found what hed been looking for?

    10. Which uncovered artifact from the Whydah is most exciting to


    you? Why?

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