NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries will help the State of North Carolina recover a large cannon from the Queen Anne's Revenge, the sunken flagship of the notorious pirate captain Blackbeard. The RV-8501, an 85-foot, NOAA research vessel will be used off the North Carolina coast next week as a staging platform for divers and to transport the iconic relic.
The Queen Anne's Revenge sank off the coast of North Carolina in 1718 when Blackbeard ran it aground while entering an inlet.
"We are pleased to provide this additional support to the State of North Carolina and their efforts to document, conserve, and promote our cultural resources," said David Alberg, superintendent, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. The sanctuary has provided funding for the annual fall expedition since 2009.
The Queen Anne's Revenge Project is a coordinated undertaking involving individuals, organizations and institutions under the overall management of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Partners in the project include East Carolina University, N.C. Marine Fisheries, Town of Beaufort, and Friends of the Queen Anne's Revenge, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
Researchers with the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources' Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck (www.qaronline.org) project began their annual Fall Expedition in Beaufort, North Carolina. Investigation and recovery of artifacts from the site will continue through October 28.
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was designated in 1975 as the Nation's first marine sanctuary in order to protect the wreck of the famed Civil War ironclad, USS Monitor, best known for its battle with the Confederate ironclad, CSS Virginia in Hampton Roads, Va., on March 9, 1862.