Captain Kidd's shipwreck discovered in Caribbean
New York (PTI): For over 300 years, it has escaped discovery. But, archaeologists have now found the remains of Quedagh Merchant, the ship abandoned by notorious British pirate Captain William Kidd as he raced to New York in an ill-fated attempt to clear his name, underwater.
The archaeologists of Indiana University have found the wreckage of the ship lying in 10 ft of water on the seabed off the island of Hispaniola, which is split between Haiti and the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, the 'ScienceDaily' reported on Saturday.
"This is one of the first sites I've been on where I haven't seen any looting. We've got a shipwreck in crystal clear, pristine water that's amazingly untouched. We want to keep it that way, so we made the announcement now to ensure the site's protection from looters," IU marine protection authority Charles Beeker was quoted as saying.
Beeker and his team has been licensed to study the wreckage and to convert the site into an underwater preserve, where it will be accessible to the public.
Historians differ on whether Captain Kidd was actually a pirate or a privateer -- someone who captured pirates. After his conviction of piracy and murder charges in a sensational London trial, he was left to hang over the River Thames for two years.
Kidd had captured the Quedagh Merchant, loaded with valuable satins and silks, gold, silver and other East Indian merchandise, but left the ship in the Caribbean as he sailed to New York on a less conspicuous sloop to clear his name of the criminal charges.
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