Queen Anne’s Revenge
Queen Anne’s Revenge was the flagship of the pirate Blackbeard (Edward Teach). The frigate was only one of the ships in his fleet, but it was the best-known and most famous of his ships. Queen Anne’s Revenge was built by the Royal Navy, and launched, as the Concord, in 1710. The following year, the ship was captured by the French and used as a slave ship, La Concord de Nantes. The pirate Captain Benjamin Hornigold captured the frigate on November 28, 1717 and gave the ship to one of his men, Edward Teach, called Blackbeard.
Blackbeard added cannons and arms to the Concord, and renamed the ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge. Blackbeard felt some sort of loyalty to Queen Anne; perhaps, fought in the War of the Spanish Succession, called Queen Anne’s War in North America. Blackbeard sailed the Queen Anne’s Revenge from the coast of Africa to the Caribbean, attacking merchant ships along the way.
In May 1718, Blackbeard’s fleet blockaded Charleston harbor. Blackbeard refused the governor’s offer of a pardon, and ran the Queen Anne’s Revenge aground, possibly intentionally. A portion of the crew dispersed, and Blackbeard accepted the governor’s pardon; however, he did not turn his life around. Less than six months later, Blackbeard was killed, dying as he had lived, a pirate.
The wreck of Queen Anne’s Revenge was located in 1996, near Morehead City, North Carolina. The ship was identified both based on its location, but also on loaded cannon, weaponry present, coins and commemorative items associated with Queen Anne. Canon continues to be recovered from the ship, and have been identified as Scottish, made in 1713.