Queen Anne's Revenge - The Flagship of Blackbeard the Pirate

Before she ran aground in 1817,  Queen Anne's Revenge haunted the waters off the Eastern United States during the early 1800s, sending fear into her victims at the mere sight of her.  The ship had the ability to intimidate visually just as her Captain, William Teach did.  He was more commonly known as Blackbeard the Pirate.  Blackbeard himself is said to haunt the waters where he met his demise off the coast of North Carolina to this day.

Queen Anne's Revenge, the flagship of Blackbeard the pirate

Built in 1710, the British cargo ship Concord, was captured by the French shortly afterward and rechristened La Concorde.  The French enlarged the ship to carry more cargo as it was used to ferry slaves to market.  In 1716, La Concorde had an encounter with the pirate Benjamin Hornigold who then converted it to do battle, fitting it with 20 cannons.  Hornigold terrorized the Guinea coast before setting said for the Bahamas and the Americas.  It is thought that Blackbeard derived the name of the ship from Queen Anne's War in which he participated in.

Pirate Benjamin Hornigold, captain of La Concorde

In late 1717, Horgnigold turned his ship over to one of his crew members, Edward Teach.  Captain Teach renamed the ship Queen Anne's Revenge and fitted her with twice the number of cannon, making her one of most intimidating warships of the day, a devastating weapon to be used in the name of piracy.  Teach amassed a flotilla of ships, using Queen Anne's Revenge as his flagship.  His menacing appearance with a long braided beard with black bows and his reputation earned him the nickname Blackbeard.  He would destroy any ship or person who resisted his attacks.

The notorious pirate Blackbeard

The pirate ship Queen Anne's Revenge reigned havoc on ships during the early 1800s captained by Edward Teach aka Blackbeard

At one point in his notorious pirating run, Blackbeard and his devilish flotilla blockaded the city of Charleston, South Carolina and held it for ransom.  Upon his departure from the city while fleeing pursuing ships, he hastily ran the Queen Anne's Revenge aground while trying to enter Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina.  He transferred his flag to another of his ships named Adventure, thus ending the Queen Anne's Revenge reign of terror.

Artist's rendition of the pirate ship Queen Anne's Revenge after she ran aground

 

There have been no consistent reported sightings of Queen Anne's Revenge as a phantom ship, although some claim that one of the ghostly vessels of Whites Creek off the coast of Virginia, is that of Blackbeard and his men.  There are those that believe that Blackbeard hid some of his treasure there in the coastal forests and that he returns in his ship on occasion to make sure that his treasure is safe.

In 1996, a team of researchers discovered what they believe to be the remains of Queen Anne's Revenge off the coast of North Carolina, retrieving one of the cannons, anchor, and other artifacts from the ill fated vessel.  Many of the artifacts are on display at the North Carolina Maritime Museums.  For more info visit http://www.ncmaritimemuseums.com/beaufort/exhibits/beaufort-qar-exhibit.html   

An anchor raised from wreck of Queen Anne's Revenge, flagship of Blackbeard the pirate

Cannon raised from wreck of Queen Anne's Revenge, flagship of Blackbeard the pirate

 
Not so far away from the wreck of Queen Anne's Revenge, just off of Ocracoke Island, is one of the supposed haunts of the ghost of Blackbeard himself, never resting while his hidden treasures remain undiscovered.

Queen Anne's Revenge mockup used in the 2011 Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides