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Whydah Pirate Museum

The untold story of the Whydah from slave ship to pirate ship

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Whydah Pirate Museum
674 MA-28
W. Yarmouth, MA 02673
USA

Tel: (508)534-9571

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Whydah Pirate Museum

expedition.whydah

Looking south from the WHYDAH wreck site. 🏴‍☠️ #capecod #whydah #pirate #shipwreck #dive

Artifacts from the wreck of the Whydah including S

Artifacts from the wreck of the Whydah including Spanish silver reales, a pewter spoon, and a gaming token. #pirate #shipwreck #archaeology #artifacts #dive 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

Dive operations with Jon Matel on a familiar seasc

Dive operations with Jon Matel on a familiar seascape. #pirate #shipwreck #archaeology #capecod #dive

One of the Whydah’s anchors at the lab. ⚓️☠️

Seamen of the early 18th century had personal uten

Seamen of the early 18th century had personal utensils that they owned or were responsible for. Several pewter plates, spoons and forks found on the Whydah are inscribed with the initials of their pirate owners or with other symbols. In the photo @jgsosmond holds a spoon in a sea of sea lettuce. Photo: @brandoclifford 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ #pirate #shipwreck #underwaterarchaeology #capecod #dive #underwaterphotography

Two heavily encrusted cannon from the Whydah on th

Two heavily encrusted cannon from the Whydah on the back deck of the Vast Explorer with Jeff Spiegel, Barry Clifford, and Brandon. Cannon were kept loaded at all times on a pirate ship, unless of course they were stored as ballast. The Whydah was well armed and many cannon have been recovered. 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ photo: @juliahatha

A diver on the Whydah site during a rare moment of

A diver on the Whydah site during a rare moment of good visibility. Strong current, wind and low visibility often creates difficult conditions for the dive crew.

Finding and mapping a shipwreck hundreds of years

Finding and mapping a shipwreck hundreds of years after the fact is a complicated task, and artifacts are still emerging from the Whydah’s grave. The Whydah was shattered when she crashed, and her contents lie scattered across a wide area below deep shifting sands. Photo: @brandncff

Many cannon have been recovered from the Whydah. S

Many cannon have been recovered from the Whydah. Some of the recent finds come from the storage area of the ship, between decks, where most of the cannon and perhaps where the bulk of the ships valuable cargo was stored. In the is photo conservator Scott Herber and Sean Graham work in the Whydah laboratory. 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

Alejandro Barrios and Brandon Clifford between div

Alejandro Barrios and Brandon Clifford between dives on the Whydah site. 🏴‍☠️ #whydah #dive #underwater #archaeology #shipwreck #pirates

The dive and research vessel Vast Explorer on a sh

The dive and research vessel Vast Explorer on a sheet glass day off Cape Cod. ☠️ #shipwrecks #underwater #archaeology #pirates #capecod #vastexplorer

There have been many helpful hands on the Whydah p

There have been many helpful hands on the Whydah project. Diver Eric Sharmer during the early days of the shipwrecks recovery. 🏴‍☠️ #diver #whydah #shipwrecks #pirates #underwater #vikingdrysuits

Treasures from the Spanish Main. 🏴‍☠️ @wh

Treasures from the Spanish Main. 🏴‍☠️ @whydahpiratemuseum #pirate #shipwrecks #artifacts #museum #capecod #dive

The Vast Explorer held in position by multiple anc

The Vast Explorer held in position by multiple anchors during a strong tide and opposing wind. #whydah #shipwreck #dive #current #underwater #archaeology #pirates #capecod

Barry Clifford on the day of the Whydah’s discov

Barry Clifford on the day of the Whydah’s discovery and at the beginning of an endless archaeological adventure. 🏴‍☠️ #expeditionwhydah #shipwrecks #pirates #diver #scubadiving #history #capecod #massachusetts #barryclifford

Friends of the Whydah site caught on camera. When

Friends of the Whydah site caught on camera. When the Whydah was first discovered, great white sharks were not a concern for divers. Today our crew can’t enter the water without taking a long look upstream. Shark activity off Cape Cod has increased dramatically over the past 10 years.
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#underwaterphotography #oceanlife #sand #picoftheday #scuba #travelgram #island #paradise #oceanview #explore #wave #fishing #boat #sunrise #sup #greatwhites #life #sealife #instagram #surfer #fun #photo #lifestyle #wildlife #sharks #islandlife #gopro #capecod

Beneath the seafloor not far from this shore, lay

Beneath the seafloor not far from this shore, lay the remains of the Whydah Gally—the first discovered shipwreck from the “Golden Age of Piracy.”

The 300-ton, 100 ft. Whydah was built in London in 1715 as a slave vessel. She followed the “trade triangle,” sailing from England to western African. Along the Guinea coast, hundreds of captives were loaded aboard, then transported to Jamaica where they were sold as slave labor. Loaded with valuables, the Whydah began her return to London.

She never reached her destination. In February of 1717, near the Bahama islands, the galley was captured by pirates under the command of Samuel Bellamy. His diverse crew of British, Irish, French, Dutch, Swedes, North American and Caribbean colonists, Native Americans, and Africans commandeered the Whydah and repurposed it as their flagship.

The Whydah pirates ventured north, capturing vessels along North America. On the night of April 26, 1717, however, they encountered a nor’easter off the coast of Cape Cod. Powerful winds drove the Whydah onto a sandbar, where she capsized and broke apart. Of the 146 men onboard, only two survived.

A diver swims through a pocket of mung weed during

A diver swims through a pocket of mung weed during it’s seasonal algae bloom off Cape Cod. Mung as it known locally, can at times be so thick visibility can go from good to zero at the switch of the tide. 🏴‍☠️ photo: Brandon Clifford @brandncff

Looking forward to spring and getting back on the

Looking forward to spring and getting back on the water. In this video Brandon Clifford @brandncff dives the Whydah site and finds a pewter spoon. Video: @mattp.aul

Dive equipment on deck after a day on the Whydah s

Dive equipment on deck after a day on the Whydah site.

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