Queen annes revenge shipwreck

In the summer of 1718 two large wooden ships sank in the sandy shoals of Beaufort Inlet, formerly Topsail Inlet, about one mile off the coast. These two ships, known then as the Adventure and Queen Anne’s Revenge, were pirate ships commanded by the notorious Captain Thache, also known as Blackbeard.

Having run the larger QAR ship aground on a hidden sand bar, the Adventure attempted a rescue and failed, and also met its demise in the watery depths of Beaufort Inlet. As the pirates scrambled to get off the sinking vessels  and take what they could with them, Blackbeard and a small group of his most loyal men commandeered a small sloop (a sailing boat with a single mast), which they used to flee the scene.

He would later be caught and killed in the battle at Ocracoke when he faced off with Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy. So the life of Blackbeard ended as his legend began.

Fast forward to 1996, when the lost shipwreck was finally found by a private salvage comp