An international team led by a British marine archaeologist has identified the first shipwrecks connected to Caribbean pirates of the late 17th and early 18th centuries in the Bahamas. Figures such as Blackbeard and Calico Jack Rackham used Nassau on New Providence as a base for raids during that period. After receiving official approval to explore a restricted area of Nassau harbour, researchers located six wrecks, three of which date to the peak era of piracy. Pirates often burned captured vessels to destroy evidence after removing cargo and equipment. The team found a charred hull still held down by stone ballast, along with a swivel gun, an iron cannon, 25 lead musket balls and a sharpening stone. Despite prior dredging of the seabed, the objects survived. Project co-director Dr Sean Kingsley expressed surprise at the preservation of wooden remains and suggested more wrecks may exist nearby. Co-director Dr Michael Pateman noted that burning ships to the waterline was a common method to conceal crimes. The discoveries are notable because no confirmed pirate wrecks had previously been recorded in Nassau itself. Additional items recovered include rigging, glass bottles, galley bricks and 143 clay pipes marked with designs suggesting a London origin around the 1740s. The expedition also reviewed historical documents and maps while noting the challenging conditions posed by currents and marine life.
