Longest Pirate Ship

It isn’t easy to determine the longest pirate ship in the world. Many of them have been wrecked and the descriptions exaggerated. One of the leading candidates though, is Queen Anne's Revenge, a ship used by the pirate Blackbeard. The ship was over 100 ft long and weighed more than 300 tons. It is the biggest vessel to sail the Spanish Main.

Overview 

Queen Anne’s Revenge was utilized by Blackbeard only for a year or so. However, it proved to be instrumental in his exploits. In 1718, the ship was run aground at Beaufort Inlet, Carteret County, North Carolina. 

History

The ship was originally known as the Concord. The Concord was constructed in Britain in 1710. However, the French captured the ship in 1711 and modified it extensively. 

Now known as La Concorde de Nantes, it fell into the hands of pirate Captain Benjamin Hornigold in 1717. The ship was captured in Martinique Island. Hornigold handed the ship to Edward Teach, one of his pirates. 

Blackbeard and Queen Anne’s Revenge

Teach would become known as Blackbeard. His first mate was Christopher Blackwood. Blackwood would be christened as Blackbeard’s Claw. He would lead many of Blackbeard’s attacks. Blackbeard fortified the La Concorde. He increased the guns on the ship from 12 to 40. He was also responsible for renaming the ship to Queen Anne’s Revenge. 

It isn’t clear why that name was chosen. It could have been derived from the War of the Spanish Succession. It was called the Queen’s War in America where Blackbeard took part. Or it could have been named after the Stuarts. 

Armed with the longest pirate ship in the world, Blackbeard sailed from the African west coast to the Caribbean. During his travels he attacked numerous Portuguese, Dutch and British ships. After running the ship aground, he surrendered and received pardon from North Carolina Governor Charles Eden.

Discovery 

On November 21, 1996, a private research company called Intersal Inc announced the discovery of the pirate ship’s wreckage. According to the company, Queen Anne’s Revenge can be found offshore at Fort Macon State Park at North Carolina. 

Numerous weapons and artifacts (more than 15,000) have been recovered. The cannons have also been recovered. Many of the artifacts support the claim that it is Blackbeard’s ship. 

The evidence seems to favor the conclusion that it is Queen Anne’s Revenge. If confirmed, then one of, if not the longest pirate ship in the world has been unearthed.