Blackbeard's ship to be fully excavated By STEVE HARTSOE - AP

[applegrove]

Blackbeard's ship to be fully excavated By STEVE HARTSOE, Associated Press Writer
Sat Mar 3, 9:57 AM ET



RALEIGH, N.C. - A shipwreck off the North Carolina coast believed to be that of notorious pirate Blackbeard could be fully excavated in three years, officials working on the project said.

"That's really our target," Steve Claggett, the state archaeologist, said Friday while discussing 10 years of research that has been conducted since the shipwreck was found just off Atlantic Beach.

The ship ran aground in 1718, and some researchers believe it was a French slave ship Blackbeard captured in 1717 and renamed Queen Anne's Revenge.

Several officials said historical data and coral-covered artifacts recovered from the site — including 25 cannons, which experts said was an uncommonly large number to find on a ship in the region in the early 18th century — remove any doubt the wreckage belonged to Blackbeard.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070303/ap_on_sc/blackbeard_s_ship

[MonkeyFunk]

1. Yaaar....

very cool.

[annabanana]

2. Fun stuff. . . n/t

[applegrove]

3. I'd love to see all the archaeological finds.