Blackbeard’s Pirateship Anchor

A 3,000 pound anchor has been recovered off the North Carolina coast on Friday, by Archaeologists from what they believe to be the wreck of the pirate Blackbeard’s flagship! It is hoped that this might change plans regarding how to save the rest of the almost 300 year old artifacts from the central part of the pirate ship.

Divers had planned to bring up the second-biggest artifact on what is thought to be the Queen Anne’s Revenge however they discovered it was too well-attached to some of the other items in the pile of ballast, according to the project director, Mark Wilde-Ramsing. So they pulled up another anchor instead that is the third-largest artifact and was most likely the anchor for the ship.

The anchor, which is 11 feet, 4 inches long with arms that are 7 feet, 7 inches across, was covered with a mixture of shells, sand and other debris that has been attracted by the leaching wrought iron. Its estimated to weigh approximately 2,500 to 3,000 pounds.
The size of the anchor is typical for a ship the size of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, with the two other anchors probably used in the event of an emergency, like a storm.

Archaeologists were planning to remove the second-largest anchor, which is 13 feet long with arms that are 8 feet across, from where it is located on top of the ballast pile. But found it to be too well-attached, so the divers went in from the side instead retrieving the “everyday anchor”. This means that in the future other dives may require going in from the side of the shipwreck rather than the top.

Divers are continuing to work for four days next week, then they’ll decide how best to move forward. The dive team hopes to recover all the artifacts by the end of 2013.

North Carolina state officials are hoping the anchor as well as the other artifacts will attract tourists. The shipwreck was discovered in 1996, causing world wide attention. The largest exhibit of artifacts from will be on view at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort starting June 11.

The timing of the recovery of the anchor couldn’t be better for North Carolina tourism interest in the shipwreck. The Disney film “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” starring Johnny Depp was just released earlier this month featuring both Blackbeard and the Queen Anne’s Revenge.

Check out this video of the 3,000 pound anchor from what they believe to be the wreck of the pirate Blackbeard’s flagship being recovered off the North Carolina coast on by Archaeologists:

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Bald Head Lighthouse

For nearly 200 years, North Carolina’s oldest standing lighthouse, Old Baldy, has marked the mouth of the historic Cape Fear River.  Today, thousands of visitors make the exciting journey each year to beautiful Bald Head Island to learn about the island’s rich maritime past at the Smith Island Museum of History and experience Old Baldy up close – including the climb to the top for a breathtaking view of the surrounding area’s outstanding natural beauty!

For centuries, even before lighthouses, mariners navigated into the Cape Fear River looking for the “bald head.”  They used the landmark to find the river channel.

According to Bald Head Island’s historic tour director, Susan Grantier, said the bald head has less to do with the anatomical feature and more to do with sand.

“The head of an island is your highest point – Hilton Head, Diamond Head – and in this case it was a significant sand dune right at the mouth of the river,” said Grantier.

Just as necessary then, as it is now, a marker was essential at the mouth of the cape fear to keep ocean vessels from being marooned on the shoals below.

Today, sailors use GPS and the Oak Island Light House, but in 1794 the Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and the Second U.S.Congress commissioned $4,000 for the construction of a lighthouse atop the bald head dune.

The placement proved to be a mistake, as the dune eroded quickly, and the lighthouse was torn down.

Even though the bald head dune eroded away, the name stuck.

Many of the bricks from the first Bald Head Lighthouse were re-used later for another lighthouse that kept sailors out of the dark for more than 100 years.

The lighthouse was deactivated in 1935, but still offers visitors a panoramic view of the mouth of the Cape Fear and the surrounding homes and golf course that were built in the early 1980′s.

While the area may be more modern than it was, the Village of Bald Head is one of the only places in the United states where gas powered cars aren’t allowed – only bikes, golf carts, and of course boats.