Commemorating Three Hundred Years of History: Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge

This year marks the 300th anniversary of the death of the pirate Blackbeard as well as the loss of his flagship Queen Anne’s Revenge (QAR) in 1718. The wreckage of the ship, discovered in 1996, is historically significant due to its association with an infamous pirate and offers a rare glimpse into a highly romanticized yet archaeologically sparse sub-culture. The full excavation of QAR, undertaken by archaeologists and conservators from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources has been ongoing since 2005. Over 400,000 artifacts have been raised to date, representing an array of categories from artillery to galley wares and personal effects. In commemoration of this momentous year in North Carolina history, new discoveries from the shipwreck and recent research will be highlighted, the progress of the project will be reviewed, and efforts to bring QAR to a broader audience will be discussed.