The February 25th Chicago Tribune ran an article "Real pirate story comes to Field" by William Mullen.
The pirate ship Whydah sank in a horrific storm off Cape Cod in 1717. Only two of its 146 crew members survived. For years, it was more of a good legend than fact as it lay under thirty feet of sand until 1984, when marine salvager Barry Clifford, who had been doing intensive research on the ship found it in shallow water.
The Whydah is the first and only verified Pirate wreck ever located and recovered.
A traveling exhibit has opened at Chicago's Field Museum and will run through October 25th. It hopes to shed light on pirates, especially after the success of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. Weapons, jewelry, gold, ingots, tools, clothing and utensils will be on display.
THE WHYDAH
The ship was named after a slave port in Africa and was built in England in 1715 to carry slaves to the New World. It was 100 feet long, 300 tons, with a speed up to 13 knots. As a pirate ship it mounted 18 cannons.
After its first Middle Passage (carrying slaves), it was returning to London when it was captured by pirate Sam Bellamy in 1716, who made it his flagship. It then went on a year-long piracy spree and was loaded with booty when it sank.
More Piracy to Come. --Cooter
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