The pirate ship Whydah (pronounced “WID-uh) first launched as a slave ship in 1715 in England as a square-rigged three-masted galley ship which means it was fitted with rowing stations on both sides of the ship. On its second voyage the ship was commandeered by the pirate “Black” Sam Bellamy so called for tying his black hair back in a ponytail. Black Sam was also known as the “Prince of Pirates” because of his mercy and generosity and today is ranked #1 in Forbes “Top-earning Pirates.”

In a fierce Nor’eastern gale the Whydah ran aground in 16 feet of water near Cape Cod with the loss of 143 of the crew with four and on half tons of silver and gold, leaving only two survivors. The storm took another pirate vessel that night with only seven to be spared a watery grave. The nine were captured and tried for piracy of which six were hung, two were set free, as they had been forced into piracy, and one, a central American Indian, to bring the slavery issue full circle, was sold into slavery to the grandfather of John Quincy Adams.

A Model Of The Whydah.

The Whydah and its treasure remained undiscovered for more than 260 years until 1984 when the wreck was located in 14 feet of water and 5 feet of sand by Barry Clifford to become the first authenticated pirate shipwreck to be recovered in U.S. waters. Previously, Mr. Clifford and his crew have salvaged over 20,000 artifacts including sword hilts, gold objects and, on the macabre side, a boy’s leg. Alas, such is the sad life of a pirate.

The most recent finds have been in the form of concretions which are made up of coins, seabed sediments, minerals and organic matter to form a hard encrusted mass, and there is reason to believe there is more to be found. From colonial documents Clifford has learned that before its sinking the Whydah took two ships and their cargo of 400,000 coins.

At ITM Trading we think gold and silver treasure is worth acquiring even if is not lying on the ocean floor but rather at the end of the phone line. Please feel free to give us a call at our toll-free number 1 888 OWN GOLD (1 888 696 4653) and allow us to share the benefits of buying gold coins.