Whydah Gally Sinks off Cape Cod
On the night of April 26, 1717, the pirate flagship Whydah Gally — a converted slave ship captured and made his own by Samuel ‘Black Sam’ Bellamy — struck a sandbar during a severe storm off Wellfleet, Massachusetts, and sank within minutes. Of the 146 men aboard, only two survived. Bellamy perished with his crew. The wreck was discovered in 1984 by Barry Clifford; it is the only fully authenticated Golden Age pirate shipwreck ever excavated, and its treasure (jewellery, weapons, coins from dozens of countries) provides an unparalleled material record of piracy in the Atlantic world.
- Year: 1717 CE
- Category: Military
