Nearly 400 years ago, the most famous pirate in history abandoned his flagship to sink in twenty feet of water off Atlantic Beach. The dreaded Captain Blackbeard marooned his excess crew on the island and sailed away, into the teeth of his final battle. The abandoned crewmen later accused Blackbeard of purposefully wrecking the ship in a sort of "pirate downsizing." The pirate captain might not have wanted his vessel any more, but for the past decade, research divers have put in hundreds of hours trying to save what's left. WHQR's Megan Williams visited the expedition to learn more...
By Megan V. Williams
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-513559.mp3
Fort Macon, NC – Nathan Henry is an assistant state archeologist and conservator in the Underwater Archeology branch out of Fort Fisher. He works with Project Archeologist Chris Southerly on the Queen Anne's Revenge, aided this spring by students from Cape Fear Community College. You can hear more about the expedition's work under the waves in an extended interview with Nathan Henry.
You can find out more about Blackbeard and the Queen Anne's Revenge Project at the state's website.
Support for local arts and cultural programming comes from WHQR members, and Landfall Foundation, an organization of residents who support projects enhancing health, education and the arts in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender Counties.