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Six pirate-sunk ships found in Bahamas waters
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Culture & Society

Six pirate-sunk ships found in Bahamas waters

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Explorers discovered the remains of six ships sunk by Caribbean pirates in Bahamian waters.
  • These wrecks date back to the 'golden age of piracy' between the 17th and 18th centuries.
  • The findings, made with a permit from the Bahamian government, include cannons and musket balls, though intact ships are rare as pirates often burned their vessels after looting.

An expedition of shipwreck explorers has uncovered the remains of six vessels sunk by pirates in the waters of the Bahamas. These discoveries offer a tangible link to the 'golden age of piracy,' with the ships dating from the late 17th to the early 18th centuries. The findings were made public through Wreck Watch magazine's specialized portal for underwater treasure hunting.

This marks the first time ships from this specific era have been found, a period when Nassau, on New Providence Island, served as a notorious base for infamous pirates such as Blackbeard, Henry Avery, Calico Jack Rackham, and Anne Bonny. Among the artifacts recovered are iron cannons, sword sharpening stones, and musket balls, described as material used to "unleash devastating fire upon enemy crews."

After the pillage of a ship and its cargo, cannons, and materials, pirates had to get rid of the proof of the crime. Burning the ships on the coast was their infamous tactic to hide the plunder from the authorities.

— Michael PatemanMichael Pateman, co-director of the project, explains why intact pirate shipwrecks are rare.

However, intact shipwrecks are uncommon from this period. According to Michael Pateman, co-director of the project, pirates frequently burned looted ships to destroy evidence of their crimes. "After the pillage of a ship and its cargo, cannons, and materials, pirates had to get rid of the proof of the crime. Burning the ships on the coast was their infamous tactic to hide the plunder from the authorities," he explained.

Sean Kingsley, founder of Wreck Watch, noted that these Caribbean pirates rarely adhered to armistices or truces between Spain and England aimed at protecting transatlantic trade. He recalled that the Spanish, aware of Nassau's pirate haven status, razed and burned the city in 1703. One identified wreck, likely an English freighter built in London around 1740, contained wine bottles, tobacco pipes, maps, and documents, suggesting Nassau evolved into a more conventional trading port after its 1703 destruction. It remains unclear if this vessel sank naturally or was a victim of another attack.

in order to build a strong central Europe through cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, economy and culture.

— Péter MagyarPéter Magyar stated his intention to expand the Visegrád Group format to include other Central European countries.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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