Conference at CMS reveals plans for new expedition to the Queen Anne's Revenge

A news conference was held this morning detailing plans for a new expedition to the site of the Queen Anne's Revenge. The ship, once captained by the infamous pirate Blackbeard, ran aground off North Carolina shores near Beaufort in June 1718. 

Since the discovery of the Queen Anne's Revenge in 1996, the UNCW R/V Cape Fear and the and the R/V Dan Moore of Cape Fear Community College have worked in a joint partnership with the N.C Department of Cultural Resources on many expeditions to the site. The two research vessels have aided in recovery of tens of thousands of artifacts from the sunken ship, helping to shed light on many aspects of eighteenth-century maritime culture and the culture of piracy.

The news conference, which was held at the UNCW Center for Marine Science, laid plans for the recovery of a large artifact from the ship, possibly a cannon.  The conference also provided attendees with information on the types of equipment used during a recovery expedition, and outlined the how individuals from both UNCW and Cape Fear Community College aid in the recovery efforts.  The expedition will take place this month from May 23rd-27th.

UNCW news article on the Queen Anne's Revenge

N.C Maritime Museum's QAR exhibit