Queen Anne's Revenge
Blackbeard's infamous flagship, lost in 1718 and rediscovered off North Carolina.
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Before she was a pirate queen, the ship known as Queen Anne's Revenge started life as a French vessel called La Concorde. No one knows exactly where or when she was built, but her construction details—like how her fastenings were laid out—point to French shipwrights. By 1710, she was already at sea, serving first as a French privateer, then as a naval frigate, and later as a merchant ship. For much of that time, she hauled enslaved people across the Atlantic as a slaver.
That changed on November 28, 1717, near Martinique, when Edward Teach—the man history remembers as Blackbeard—captured her. After selling off the human cargo, he turned the vessel into his flagship, crammed her with extra heavy cannons, and gave her a new name: Queen Anne's Revenge. The name might have been a nod to Queen Anne’s War, or perhaps a sign of Jacobite sympathies. Under Blackbeard, she prowled from West Africa to the Caribbean, preying on British, Dutch, and Portuguese ships.
Her reign was short. In May 1718, after blockading Charleston harbor and turning down a royal pardon, Blackbeard ran Queen Anne's Revenge aground on June 10 while entering Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina (then called Topsail Inlet). A witness, Captain David Herriot, said Teach’s ship “run a-ground off of the Bar of Topsail-Inlet.” The sloop Adventure also grounded while trying to pull her free.
Blackbeard abandoned the wreck, moved supplies to the smaller Adventure, and left some of his crew stranded on a nearby island (they were later rescued by Captain Stede Bonnet). Some think he deliberately wrecked the ship to thin out his crew. Soon after, he accepted a pardon from Governor Charles Eden in Bath, North Carolina—but he was back to piracy within months, and was killed in combat that November.
For nearly three centuries, the wreck lay forgotten. Then, on November 21, 1996, a private firm called Intersal Inc. found the remains in 28 feet of water, about a mile off Fort Macon State Park. The discovery was made by Mike Daniel, using research from Phil Masters and maritime archaeologist David Moore.
Discovery and excavation
North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt announced the find in March 1997, promising to protect the site and share the artifacts. Since then, 30 cannons—of various sizes and origins, from Sweden to England—and over 300,000 artifacts have been recovered. Evidence that this is indeed Queen Anne's Revenge includes cannons found loaded, more cannons than a ship that size would normally carry, depth markings in French feet, and a bronze bell and cannon engraved with dates before 1718.
By the end of 2007, about a third of the wreck had been excavated. Parts of the hull—including much of the keel and a 1,500-pound stern post—survived. The site is now on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Lore & Background
The ship that would be known as Queen Anne's Revenge was a 200-ton vessel believed to have been built in 1710. She was handed over to René Duguay-Trouin and employed in his service for some time before being converted into a slave ship, then operated by the leading slave trader René Montaudin of Nantes, until sold in 1713 in Peru or Chile. She was briefly re-acquired by the French Navy in November 1716, but was sold by them for commerce five months later in France, again for use as a slaver. She was captured by Blackbeard and his pirates on 28 November 1717, near the island of Martinique in the West Indies.
After selling her cargo of slaves at Martinique, Blackbeard made the vessel his flagship, added more heavy cannons and renamed her Queen Anne's Revenge. The name may come from the War of the Spanish Succession, known in the Americas as Queen Anne's War, in which Blackbeard may have served in the Royal Navy, or possibly from sympathy for the Jacobite cause (Queen Anne being the last Stuart monarch). Blackbeard sailed this ship from the west coast of Africa to the Caribbean, attacking British, Dutch, and Portuguese merchant ships along the way.
Shortly after blockading Charleston harbor in May 1718, and refusing to accept Governor Robert Johnson's offer of the King's Pardon, Blackbeard ran Queen Anne's Revenge aground while entering Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, on 10 June 1718. A deposition given by David Herriot, the former captain of the sloop Adventure, states 'Thatch's [Teach's] ship Queen Anne's Revenge run a-ground off of the Bar of Topsail-Inlet.' He also states that Adventure 'run a-ground likewise about Gun-shot from the said Thatch' in an attempt to kedge Queen Anne's Revenge off the bar. Blackbeard then disbanded his flotilla and escaped by transferring supplies onto the smaller Adventure.
He stranded several crew members on a small island nearby, where they were later rescued by Captain Stede Bonnet. Some suggest Blackbeard deliberately grounded the ship as an excuse to disperse the crew. Shortly afterward, he surrendered and accepted the King's Pardon for himself and his remaining crewmen from Governor Charles Eden at Bath, North Carolina. However, Blackbeard returned to piracy later that year and was killed in combat in November 1718.
Common Misconceptions (Editorial)
Some believe that “Queen Anne’s Revenge” was built specifically as a pirate ship for Blackbeard. In fact, the ship was originally the French privateer La Concorde, and operated as a naval frigate, merchant vessel, and slave ship before Blackbeard captured her in 1717. Another misconception is that the ship was deliberately sunk during a battle. The facts on record state that Blackbeard ran the ship aground while entering Beaufort Inlet on 10 June 1718, and some have suggested he grounded her intentionally to disperse the crew.
Why It Matters (Editorial)
Queen Anne’s Revenge endures as a powerful symbol of the Golden Age of Piracy, capturing the public imagination through Blackbeard’s fearsome legacy. Beyond the legend, the archaeological recovery of over 300,000 artifacts from the wreck offers a rare, grounded window into early-18th-century maritime life, slave trading, and naval warfare.
Reader's Guide
Intersal Inc., a private research firm, discovered the wreck believed to be Queen Anne's Revenge on 21 November 1996. It was located by Intersal's director of operations, Mike Daniel, who used historical research provided by the company's president, Phil Masters and maritime archaeologist David Moore. The shipwreck lies in 28 feet (8.5 m) of water about one mile (1.6 km) offshore of Fort Macon State Park (34°41′44″N 76°41′20″W), Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. On 3 March 1997, Jim Hunt, the governor of North Carolina, held a press conference in Raleigh, North Carolina.
He stated: 'The state of North Carolina is working to protect the site and will do everything we can to that end. We look forward to the day when all North Carolinians can see these exciting artifacts for themselves.' Thirty cannons have been identified to date and more than 300,000 artifacts have been recovered. The cannons are of different origins including Sweden and England, and of different sizes as would be expected with a colonial pirate crew.
For one week in 2000 and 2001, live underwater video of the project was webcast to the Internet as a part of the QAR DiveLive educational program that reached thousands of children around the world. Created and co-produced by Nautilus Productions and Marine Grafics, this project enabled students to talk to scientists and learn about methods and technologies utilized by the underwater archaeology team. In November 2006 and 2007, more artifacts were discovered at the site and brought to the surface. The additional artifacts appear to support the claim that the wreck is that of Queen Anne's Revenge.
Among evidence to support this theory is that the cannons were found loaded. In addition, there were more cannons than would be expected for a ship of this size, and the cannons were of different makes. Depth markings on the part of the stern that was recovered point to it having been made according to the French foot measurements.
Markings found on a cannon and a bronze bell are engraved with dates prior to 1718, further supporting that the wreck is Queen Anne's Revenge. By the end of 2007, approximately one third of the wreck was fully excavated. Part of the hull of the ship, including much of the keel and part of the stern post, has survived. The 1500 lb stern post was recovered in November 2007.
Did You Know?
- Artifacts recovered include a brass coin weight of Queen Anne, a wine glass stem from King George I's coronation, and a French hunting sword with a bust of King Louis XV.
- In 2018, paper fragments from a 1708–1711 book by Captain Edward Cooke were found used as cannon wadding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Queen Anne's Revenge?
It was a 200-ton early-18th-century vessel that served as the flagship of the pirate Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. He used it to command his crew and raid merchant shipping along the Caribbean and Atlantic coasts for roughly a year.
How did Blackbeard come to possess Queen Anne's Revenge?
The ship was originally a French privateer called La Concorde, which Blackbeard seized in November 1717. He renamed it and made it his primary command vessel for the remainder of his piratical career.
What happened to Queen Anne's Revenge?
On June 10, 1718, Blackbeard deliberately ran the ship aground at Topsail Inlet, now known as Beaufort Inlet in North Carolina. The vessel was abandoned and has sat on the seabed ever since.
Where and when was the wreck of Queen Anne's Revenge discovered?
Marine archaeologists located the wreck on the floor of Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, in 1996. The site was later added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Queen Anne's Revenge (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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