1 00:00:02,312 --> 00:00:06,834 NARRATOR: Tropical, beautiful and deadly. 2 00:00:08,180 --> 00:00:15,670 The Caribbean, for centuries home to adventurers, heroes and villains. 3 00:00:15,705 --> 00:00:19,812 DR DELGADO: The Caribbean has hundreds of islands and deadly reefs and yet, 4 00:00:19,847 --> 00:00:23,851 what made it all the more frightening was that it was a lawless place. 5 00:00:23,885 --> 00:00:30,444 NARRATOR: Above all other seas, the Caribbean is famous for pirates. 6 00:00:30,478 --> 00:00:32,101 DR BEEKER: Pirates of the Caribbean. 7 00:00:32,135 --> 00:00:34,413 How can you not be excited about pirates and pirate ships? 8 00:00:34,448 --> 00:00:39,177 Everyone's intrigued by this golden age of piracy. 9 00:00:39,211 --> 00:00:42,283 NARRATOR: For years archaeologists have searched in vain 10 00:00:42,318 --> 00:00:43,905 for pirate ships. 11 00:00:44,941 --> 00:00:49,256 Now the discovery of rare evidence is unearthing 12 00:00:49,290 --> 00:00:51,568 the true story behind the most famous 13 00:00:51,603 --> 00:01:00,232 pirate names of all time Blackbeard, Captain Kidd and Henry Morgan 14 00:01:01,406 --> 00:01:06,307 allowing us to drain this ultimate pirate sea 15 00:01:06,342 --> 00:01:11,209 and uncover buried archaeological treasure. 16 00:01:21,495 --> 00:01:26,327 NARRATOR: This is the Caribbean coast of Panama, 17 00:01:26,362 --> 00:01:29,399 on the estuary of the Chagres River. 18 00:01:32,437 --> 00:01:39,237 In 1671, British born buccaneer, Captain Henry Morgan, 19 00:01:40,341 --> 00:01:44,414 arrives here with a giant fleet of 36 ships, 20 00:01:44,449 --> 00:01:47,452 packed with nearly 2,000 pirates. 21 00:01:49,247 --> 00:01:53,320 Morgan has spent years raiding the coast of the Spanish Main, 22 00:01:53,354 --> 00:01:55,770 Spain's colonies in the Americas. 23 00:01:58,566 --> 00:02:04,710 But the Chagres Estuary is the mother lode because all of the riches 24 00:02:04,745 --> 00:02:08,507 of the Spanish Empire passed through here. 25 00:02:08,542 --> 00:02:11,648 PROF GROVE: Spain is depending on bullion supplies 26 00:02:11,683 --> 00:02:15,997 to keep its economy going and it's there to be stolen. 27 00:02:17,827 --> 00:02:21,382 NARRATOR: Here in these crocodile infested waters, 28 00:02:21,417 --> 00:02:26,525 Henry Morgan pulls off the greatest pirate raid of all time. 29 00:02:28,734 --> 00:02:34,119 Documents prove the attack took place, but for centuries 30 00:02:34,154 --> 00:02:37,640 no hard evidence has ever been found on the sea floor. 31 00:02:42,472 --> 00:02:47,857 Now, almost 350 years later, could this newly discovered 32 00:02:47,891 --> 00:02:50,515 shipwreck be the crucial breakthrough? 33 00:02:58,074 --> 00:03:05,012 Archaeologist, Frederick Fritz Hanselmann is on a mission. 34 00:03:05,046 --> 00:03:08,464 For the past ten years, he's been scanning the seabed 35 00:03:08,498 --> 00:03:11,536 and reef here for evidence of Morgan's raid. 36 00:03:12,226 --> 00:03:15,022 DR HANSELMANN: For an archaeologist, Panama's a phenomenal place to work. 37 00:03:15,056 --> 00:03:19,440 It all happened here and especially piracy. 38 00:03:21,131 --> 00:03:25,239 NARRATOR: He's teamed up with maritime archaeologist, James Delgado, 39 00:03:25,274 --> 00:03:27,931 who's studied Caribbean piracy for decades. 40 00:03:31,728 --> 00:03:35,870 DR DELGADO: Pirates loved the Caribbean because there were so many places to hide. 41 00:03:35,905 --> 00:03:38,735 You could tuck into a tiny little key or an island 42 00:03:38,770 --> 00:03:40,461 or you could come to the coast of, say, 43 00:03:40,496 --> 00:03:42,808 Central America and hide out there. 44 00:03:42,843 --> 00:03:44,983 It was the perfect place for pirates. 45 00:03:46,985 --> 00:03:50,264 NARRATOR: It's this secrecy that makes finding hard evidence 46 00:03:50,299 --> 00:03:52,473 of Pirates extremely difficult. 47 00:03:54,613 --> 00:04:02,656 Outlaws prefer to leave no clues, but Fritz and Jim have found one lead: 48 00:04:03,829 --> 00:04:10,353 a letter by Henry Morgan himself, describing how his men attack and overrun 49 00:04:10,388 --> 00:04:16,186 the fort overlooking the Chagres River, the Castile San Lorenzo. 50 00:04:21,191 --> 00:04:26,783 Morgan's letter also recounts that after the battle, he had to abandon five vessels, 51 00:04:26,818 --> 00:04:29,890 including his flagship, the Satisfaction. 52 00:04:32,341 --> 00:04:40,970 MALE: I had the ill fortune to cast away the ship I was in and four more. 53 00:04:41,004 --> 00:04:45,561 NARRATOR: No one has ever found the Satisfaction, 54 00:04:45,595 --> 00:04:49,150 but Fritz and Jim are determined to try. 55 00:04:51,636 --> 00:04:56,019 These are treacherous waters, full of swirling tides, 56 00:04:56,054 --> 00:05:00,541 shifting sands and the deadly Lajas Reef 57 00:05:00,576 --> 00:05:06,858 and mud washed down out of the jungle buries any clues that may remain on the sea bed. 58 00:05:09,067 --> 00:05:13,313 But despite the challenges, Fritz has conducted a series of surveys 59 00:05:13,347 --> 00:05:19,905 using specialized scanning equipment and identified some promising targets. 60 00:05:22,252 --> 00:05:28,638 Could one of them be part of Henry Morgan's pirate armada? 61 00:05:28,673 --> 00:05:31,572 There's only one way to find out. 62 00:05:36,715 --> 00:05:46,622 The water empties from the river mouth, taking with it centuries of silt and mud, 63 00:05:46,656 --> 00:05:49,452 revealing something astonishing. 64 00:05:52,248 --> 00:05:57,805 There on the reef, preserved by the mud, the hull of a ship. 65 00:06:00,014 --> 00:06:06,573 Over 50 ft long and 22 ft wide, the size and shape 66 00:06:06,607 --> 00:06:11,854 typical of a 17th century galleon, 67 00:06:11,888 --> 00:06:15,029 fitting the period of Henry Morgan's raid. 68 00:06:17,169 --> 00:06:18,378 And there's more. 69 00:06:19,448 --> 00:06:24,384 All down the centre, rows of boxes. 70 00:06:24,418 --> 00:06:27,697 Could they be chests full of treasure? 71 00:06:35,567 --> 00:06:41,055 Despite the risk of crocodiles, Fritz decides to take a closer look. 72 00:06:41,090 --> 00:06:42,850 DR HANSELMANN: We're gonna splash on this site, 73 00:06:42,885 --> 00:06:46,371 take a look at the shipwreck and see what we've got on our hands. 74 00:06:53,136 --> 00:06:59,902 NARRATOR: He locates the boxes and some have objects still inside. 75 00:06:59,936 --> 00:07:03,733 DR HANSELMANN: When you look at it and you say, "You know what, the cargo hold is full, 76 00:07:03,768 --> 00:07:06,495 has all these wooden chests, has all these crates." 77 00:07:11,879 --> 00:07:15,020 NARRATOR: In the lab, Fritz makes another discovery. 78 00:07:17,885 --> 00:07:20,854 DR HANSELMANN: These are cargo seals and these would have been used 79 00:07:20,888 --> 00:07:23,581 to mark bales of silk. 80 00:07:23,615 --> 00:07:29,483 NARRATOR: Silks are precious cargo, a good prize for any pirate, as are these, 81 00:07:29,518 --> 00:07:32,072 heavily encrusted sword blades. 82 00:07:32,106 --> 00:07:35,420 Were they once wielded by a fearsome buccaneer? 83 00:07:35,455 --> 00:07:37,457 DR HANSELMANN: And if you look closely, 84 00:07:37,491 --> 00:07:40,460 you can see part of the blade is exposed. 85 00:07:41,702 --> 00:07:46,086 NARRATOR: Then, in a rusted mass, Fritz identifies the remains of other, 86 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:48,260 more everyday items. 87 00:07:48,295 --> 00:07:53,162 Shoes for the mules bringing the gold and silver to be shipped back to Spain. 88 00:07:54,750 --> 00:07:58,098 Not something a pirate would risk his life for. 89 00:07:59,306 --> 00:08:04,207 DR HANSELMANN: A vessel loaded with swords, wooden chests, wooden barrels, 90 00:08:04,242 --> 00:08:06,831 is basically going to be a supply ship. 91 00:08:07,590 --> 00:08:14,459 NARRATOR: It's likely not a pirate ship, so Fritz digs into Spanish records 92 00:08:14,494 --> 00:08:18,843 and finds a name the Encarnación. 93 00:08:20,327 --> 00:08:26,644 A merchant vessel packed with goods to restock Spain's colony in Panama, 94 00:08:26,678 --> 00:08:30,164 including crates full of mule shoes. 95 00:08:32,891 --> 00:08:38,379 Fritz has not unearthed evidence of Henry Morgan's famous raid, 96 00:08:38,414 --> 00:08:43,281 but he has shown exactly why this region attracted pirates like him. 97 00:08:46,629 --> 00:08:50,012 The Chagres River forms part of the shortest crossing point 98 00:08:50,046 --> 00:08:53,429 from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans, 99 00:08:53,463 --> 00:08:59,849 making it the hub of all Spanish imperial trade routes, funnelling out the gold, 100 00:08:59,884 --> 00:09:05,165 silver and other treasures mined or looted by the Spanish Empire. 101 00:09:06,131 --> 00:09:08,168 DR DELGADO: We are at the mouth of the Chagres River which was, 102 00:09:08,202 --> 00:09:11,136 to all intents and purposes, the original Panama Canal. 103 00:09:11,171 --> 00:09:14,036 While it doesn't completely cut across the Isthmus, 104 00:09:14,070 --> 00:09:19,110 it goes enough of the way so that you can bring their treasure down, 105 00:09:19,144 --> 00:09:21,457 put it on a boat and take it out to ships waiting 106 00:09:21,491 --> 00:09:25,288 right here at the moth of the river . 107 00:09:25,323 --> 00:09:32,537 NARRATOR: All of this explains why Henry Morgan came here with his pirate fleet. 108 00:09:32,572 --> 00:09:35,367 But his ships are still missing. 109 00:09:37,853 --> 00:09:39,164 Fritz continues his survey 110 00:09:43,410 --> 00:09:45,964 and, on a different part of the reef, 111 00:09:45,999 --> 00:09:47,621 picks up a new target. 112 00:09:50,175 --> 00:09:54,214 Could these mysterious pieces of wreckage finally lead him 113 00:09:54,248 --> 00:09:57,769 to one of Morgan's long lost pirate ships? 114 00:10:04,327 --> 00:10:08,090 NARRATOR: For centuries there's been no hard archaeological evidence 115 00:10:08,124 --> 00:10:10,057 for Henry Morgan's raid. 116 00:10:11,680 --> 00:10:18,583 No pieces of eight, no secret map marked with an X. 117 00:10:18,618 --> 00:10:24,175 Just a letter, written by Morgan himself, stating that he lost five ships. 118 00:10:25,970 --> 00:10:31,113 Now, Fritz Hanselmann's latest underwater scanning has given us the data we need 119 00:10:35,289 --> 00:10:37,706 to part the pirate seas. 120 00:10:42,089 --> 00:10:50,304 The seaward side of Lajas reef is now exposed and on it lie remarkable relics. 121 00:10:51,651 --> 00:11:00,729 Scattered on the bottom are eight cannon and all of them look to be different sizes. 122 00:11:00,763 --> 00:11:06,320 Could these be the actual weapons used by Morgan and his band of buccaneers? 123 00:11:09,254 --> 00:11:12,844 DR HANSELMANN: So, this is British, that's British, that is potentially French. 124 00:11:12,879 --> 00:11:15,433 DR DELGADO: Now that we're in the lab and we're seeing everything cleaned off, 125 00:11:15,467 --> 00:11:21,301 the sense that's emerging is a group of guns from the same time and a mix of guns, 126 00:11:21,335 --> 00:11:25,719 not only in terms of size but in terms of nationality. 127 00:11:25,754 --> 00:11:28,342 DR HANSELMANN: If it's a naval ship or it's a naval ordnance, 128 00:11:28,377 --> 00:11:31,242 they're gonna be more standardized, they're gonna be more similar in size, 129 00:11:31,276 --> 00:11:33,451 whereas a pirate is gonna make use of anything 130 00:11:33,485 --> 00:11:36,316 that they can get their hands on. 131 00:11:36,350 --> 00:11:40,596 NARRATOR: The mismatched weapons fit the profile of a pirate 132 00:11:40,630 --> 00:11:43,426 and their sizes do to. 133 00:11:43,461 --> 00:11:47,879 Small cannon like these aren't big enough to sink a ship, 134 00:11:47,914 --> 00:11:51,849 but that's exactly why pirates like them. 135 00:11:51,883 --> 00:11:55,059 DR HANSELMANN: They wanna disable it so that they're able to take the goods, 136 00:11:55,093 --> 00:11:56,888 take the treasure. 137 00:11:56,923 --> 00:11:59,511 Some literature describes these guns as murderers because they're smaller, 138 00:11:59,546 --> 00:12:03,723 they're used for antipersonnel, they're used more like a shotgun 139 00:12:03,757 --> 00:12:06,001 to take out multiple people above decks, 140 00:12:06,035 --> 00:12:10,143 to clear off the deck so that they can capture the ship rather than sink it. 141 00:12:10,177 --> 00:12:14,078 We're looking at a 17th century version of Grand Theft Auto, just using ships. 142 00:12:17,771 --> 00:12:20,981 NARRATOR: It's a promising clue. 143 00:12:21,016 --> 00:12:25,227 Next, Fritz and Jim make out a faint mark on one of the cannon. 144 00:12:25,261 --> 00:12:28,851 A mark that hints at something very exciting. 145 00:12:28,886 --> 00:12:32,303 DR HANSELMANN: This particular gun has markings of a foundry in England, 146 00:12:32,337 --> 00:12:38,965 so this is a British falconet that was made in the mid to late 17th century. 147 00:12:38,999 --> 00:12:43,348 NARRATOR: The date fits perfectly with Henry Morgan's raid. 148 00:12:43,383 --> 00:12:46,075 DR DELGADO: This gun was loaded, still had the ball in it, 149 00:12:46,110 --> 00:12:49,803 which means they sailed in with this thing ready to go. 150 00:12:49,838 --> 00:12:55,119 You're not expecting to find an English gun on a Spanish reef in the 1600s 151 00:12:55,153 --> 00:12:58,329 unless they've come there to have some mischief. 152 00:12:58,363 --> 00:13:03,161 The best fit we have for these is that these are from Morgan's ships. 153 00:13:10,203 --> 00:13:16,726 NARRATOR: At last, a genuine pirate relic, 154 00:13:16,761 --> 00:13:21,662 almost certainly left behind by Captain Henry Morgan himself. 155 00:13:22,905 --> 00:13:27,116 But if Morgan's cannon are here, what happened to his ships? 156 00:13:28,808 --> 00:13:33,605 The way the weapons are scattered across Lajas Reef may offer another clue. 157 00:13:35,642 --> 00:13:40,198 Fritz returns to Morgan's letter. 158 00:13:40,233 --> 00:13:47,654 MALE: I gave orders for the fleet to follow me into the harbour. 159 00:13:47,688 --> 00:13:56,007 NARRATOR: A tropical storm is building, so Morgan seeks the safety of a sheltered cove, 160 00:13:56,042 --> 00:13:57,871 but it's too late. 161 00:13:57,906 --> 00:14:03,912 Lashing seas drive Morgan's own flagship straight onto the reef. 162 00:14:03,946 --> 00:14:07,225 DR HANSELMANN: A ship is not like a car where you can slam on your breaks 163 00:14:07,260 --> 00:14:11,022 and avoid a collision, so Morgan runs his flagship, the Satisfaction, 164 00:14:11,057 --> 00:14:17,960 aground and four other ships follow suit with a pile-up on Lajas Reef. 165 00:14:17,995 --> 00:14:21,930 NARRATOR: As the ships wreck, the cannons are thrown loose. 166 00:14:21,964 --> 00:14:25,657 DR DELGADO: Timbers are cracking, the hull is breaking like a walnut 167 00:14:25,692 --> 00:14:27,176 squeezed in a vice. 168 00:14:27,211 --> 00:14:30,145 The masts have fallen, rigging, ropes are snapping, 169 00:14:30,179 --> 00:14:33,700 men are jumping or falling off and the sides of the ship 170 00:14:33,734 --> 00:14:37,324 where these would be attached, they're likely just coming right down 171 00:14:37,359 --> 00:14:39,671 and so things are raining down on the bottom, 172 00:14:39,706 --> 00:14:42,882 all over the reef, rolling and tumbling. 173 00:14:42,916 --> 00:14:48,957 NARRATOR: It's now clear, Morgan's ships were shattered, 174 00:14:48,991 --> 00:14:51,856 their wooden remains vanished over time. 175 00:14:54,134 --> 00:14:59,036 But 350 years later, Fritz has found his cannon. 176 00:15:01,003 --> 00:15:07,044 According to Morgan's letter, most of his men scrambled to safety. 177 00:15:07,078 --> 00:15:09,632 Undeterred by the loss of his ships, 178 00:15:09,667 --> 00:15:13,809 Morgan then does something even more audacious. 179 00:15:13,843 --> 00:15:17,847 This seaborne buccaneer launches a land invasion, 180 00:15:17,882 --> 00:15:24,268 marching his men across the narrow strip of land towards the Pacific coast, 181 00:15:24,302 --> 00:15:28,582 to ransack Spain's colonial capital, Panama City, 182 00:15:28,617 --> 00:15:31,171 leaving it a smoking ruin. 183 00:15:32,345 --> 00:15:35,003 DR DELGADO: The result is utter shock in the Spanish court. 184 00:15:35,037 --> 00:15:38,454 It's as if a bomb has gone off in Madrid. 185 00:15:38,489 --> 00:15:39,835 Panama has fallen. 186 00:15:43,287 --> 00:15:48,188 NARRATOR: But why does a pirate, famous for hit and runs, 187 00:15:48,223 --> 00:15:51,881 want to destroy Spain's main city in the Americas? 188 00:15:53,021 --> 00:15:58,819 Fritz discovers a 17th century document that reveals Henry Morgan's true purpose. 189 00:16:00,752 --> 00:16:05,861 The English call Morgan not a pirate but a privateer, 190 00:16:05,895 --> 00:16:08,864 an admiral working for the English King Charles, 191 00:16:08,898 --> 00:16:12,523 contracted to attack and rob Spanish colonies. 192 00:16:14,214 --> 00:16:17,838 Morgan recruits hundreds of pirates from around the Caribbean 193 00:16:17,873 --> 00:16:20,151 to help him in his raids, 194 00:16:21,635 --> 00:16:24,604 splitting the profits with King Charles. 195 00:16:27,434 --> 00:16:31,093 DR DELGADO: And so, when they're robbing, they're not just robbing, 196 00:16:31,128 --> 00:16:34,338 they're acting as an agent of the English crown. 197 00:16:34,372 --> 00:16:38,238 NARRATOR: Making Henry Morgan a very rich and powerful man. 198 00:16:38,998 --> 00:16:43,140 DR HANSELMANN: I believe Henry Morgan is perhaps the most successful pirate 199 00:16:43,174 --> 00:16:47,903 or privateer ever, for the simple fact that he actually retired 200 00:16:47,937 --> 00:16:50,112 and enjoyed the spoils of his wealth. 201 00:16:53,943 --> 00:16:59,397 NARRATOR: Across the Caribbean, other privateers follow in Morgan's footsteps, 202 00:16:59,432 --> 00:17:02,918 serving their king while getting rich quick. 203 00:17:04,299 --> 00:17:11,375 In a sea where no one country has overall control and with fleets of treasure ships, 204 00:17:11,409 --> 00:17:15,793 this turns the Caribbean into a paradise for pirates. 205 00:17:22,524 --> 00:17:26,666 And yet, throughout the whole region, 206 00:17:26,700 --> 00:17:31,222 all that remains are rare and tantalizing clues. 207 00:17:33,776 --> 00:17:37,159 But now, what can this remarkable wreck site 208 00:17:37,194 --> 00:17:39,989 reveal about another legendary pirate? 209 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,654 Charlie Beeker of Indiana University has spent 210 00:17:49,689 --> 00:17:52,381 a lifetime on the trail of a buccaneer, 211 00:17:52,416 --> 00:17:55,315 every bit as infamous as Henry Morgan. 212 00:17:58,318 --> 00:18:00,769 Captain William Kidd. 213 00:18:00,803 --> 00:18:03,737 DR BEEKER: You think of Captain Kidd and you've really gotta think about the 214 00:18:03,772 --> 00:18:06,361 probably the most infamous of all pirates we have. 215 00:18:09,364 --> 00:18:12,919 NARRATOR: The inspiration for countless books and movies, 216 00:18:12,953 --> 00:18:19,167 William Kidd was one of the Caribbean's most successful raiders. 217 00:18:19,201 --> 00:18:23,447 His exploits make him rich, famous and feared. 218 00:18:25,552 --> 00:18:29,384 Charlie is on the hunt for Kidd's last ship, 219 00:18:29,418 --> 00:18:34,216 a mysterious wreck that has eluded historians for over 300 years. 220 00:18:37,978 --> 00:18:42,224 Called the Quedagh Merchant, it was a pirate super-ship 221 00:18:43,674 --> 00:18:48,472 with a towering stern castle and covered with intricate carvings. 222 00:18:49,714 --> 00:18:52,476 Some believe it might have been stuffed with treasure 223 00:18:52,510 --> 00:18:58,102 when it disappeared in 1699 off a small island 224 00:18:58,137 --> 00:19:00,760 near the south coast of the Dominican Republic. 225 00:19:03,107 --> 00:19:08,354 Charlie is on his way to the last known location of Kidd's famous flagship. 226 00:19:10,356 --> 00:19:13,013 DR BEEKER: There is a shipwreck here, we know that. 227 00:19:13,048 --> 00:19:16,155 Whether or not it's Captain Kidd, we'll see, but we'll take a look at it, 228 00:19:16,189 --> 00:19:18,191 try and get some footage of it. 229 00:19:18,226 --> 00:19:21,608 Do our first preliminary assessment of what we think might be there. 230 00:19:23,679 --> 00:19:25,198 NARRATOR: This close to the shore, 231 00:19:25,233 --> 00:19:28,650 Charlie fears the waves may have destroyed key evidence 232 00:19:28,684 --> 00:19:30,652 to link this wreck to Captain Kidd. 233 00:19:34,483 --> 00:19:38,487 But even from the surface, he can make something out. 234 00:19:38,522 --> 00:19:40,213 DR BEEKER: Well, you know, if it's Captain Kidd's shipwreck, 235 00:19:40,248 --> 00:19:42,940 there's been people looking for this site for 300 years. 236 00:19:42,974 --> 00:19:45,011 It'd be really quite exciting to see what we've got. 237 00:20:02,994 --> 00:20:04,893 Cannons, lots of cannons. 238 00:20:08,586 --> 00:20:11,693 NARRATOR: Finding 17th century cannons at the site 239 00:20:11,727 --> 00:20:14,420 encourages Charlie to gather more information 240 00:20:18,769 --> 00:20:21,150 scouring the seafloor for clues. 241 00:20:27,018 --> 00:20:33,611 And by using the data he collects, it's possible for us to drain this rocky shore, 242 00:20:36,476 --> 00:20:39,962 to reveal an extraordinary wreck site, 243 00:20:39,997 --> 00:20:43,863 one that's survived centuries of breaking waves. 244 00:20:45,244 --> 00:20:52,837 Among the relics, more cannon, carefully stacked almost seven feet high. 245 00:20:55,840 --> 00:21:00,638 Beneath them, flukes of three large anchors poke out 246 00:21:04,780 --> 00:21:10,061 and another smaller pile of cannon, making 26 in total. 247 00:21:12,926 --> 00:21:19,519 This ship was certainly well armed, but did it belong to Captain Kidd? 248 00:21:23,937 --> 00:21:28,321 Charlie needs more evidence so he heads to a local archive. 249 00:21:30,530 --> 00:21:35,639 Buried deep in the files he finds an account written by Captain Kidd himself. 250 00:21:37,882 --> 00:21:40,540 DR BEEKER: This is William Kidd's signature. 251 00:21:40,575 --> 00:21:43,992 It says here there are 20 some cannons in the hold. 252 00:21:44,026 --> 00:21:49,653 We have 25, 26 cannons on the site. 253 00:21:49,687 --> 00:21:50,688 NARRATOR: It's a close match 254 00:21:53,553 --> 00:21:58,662 but to be certain that he's found Captain Kidd's infamous pirate flagship, 255 00:21:58,696 --> 00:22:01,147 Charlie needs something more conclusive. 256 00:22:04,115 --> 00:22:07,809 And then he makes a stunning breakthrough. 257 00:22:13,608 --> 00:22:18,164 NARRATOR: The rocky shore of an island near the Dominican Republic, 258 00:22:18,198 --> 00:22:21,995 maybe the final resting place of the Quedagh Merchant 259 00:22:24,308 --> 00:22:29,934 commanded by the infamous pirate, Captain William Kidd. 260 00:22:31,211 --> 00:22:33,248 So is it? 261 00:22:38,564 --> 00:22:41,083 Returning to the drained Caribbean seafloor 262 00:22:44,811 --> 00:22:49,609 the two cannon piles give a clue to where the ship's hull would have been. 263 00:22:52,957 --> 00:23:00,551 Buried beneath the canon pile and preserved in the seabed, precious clues, 264 00:23:01,518 --> 00:23:04,279 surviving fragments of wood. 265 00:23:09,491 --> 00:23:15,842 It's such a rare discovery that Charlie Beeker hopes it can help him close this case 266 00:23:15,877 --> 00:23:17,430 and name the wreck. 267 00:23:19,398 --> 00:23:23,332 DR BEEKER: What's unusual about the hull was it's single plank, just exterior only. 268 00:23:25,507 --> 00:23:30,063 NARRATOR: The fragment from the wreck's hull reveals it was all joined together 269 00:23:30,098 --> 00:23:35,310 with an interlocking tongue and groove technique known as rabbeting. 270 00:23:36,380 --> 00:23:39,556 DR BEEKER: I knew we had it. I knew we had a very unique constructed vessel. 271 00:23:39,590 --> 00:23:40,936 You know, it may not mean much to the 272 00:23:40,971 --> 00:23:42,559 to the layman, but I have to tell you, 273 00:23:42,593 --> 00:23:44,837 that's not how we build ships in Europe, 274 00:23:44,871 --> 00:23:51,464 it's not how we build ships anywhere in the Americas in the 17, 18, 19th century. 275 00:23:51,499 --> 00:23:54,260 NARRATOR: The workmanship is extremely precise 276 00:23:57,608 --> 00:23:58,747 and labour-intensive, 277 00:24:01,336 --> 00:24:04,650 so where has this mystery ship come from? 278 00:24:06,859 --> 00:24:09,551 Charlie examines the fragment more closely. 279 00:24:10,897 --> 00:24:16,075 DR BEEKER: Most exciting, this piece that was brought up is teak. 280 00:24:16,109 --> 00:24:22,046 NARRATOR: Teak is the most durable and water resistant species of wood, 281 00:24:22,081 --> 00:24:29,053 but in the 17th century its most likely origin is India, some 8,000 miles away. 282 00:24:31,711 --> 00:24:35,335 What is an Indian ship doing in the Caribbean? 283 00:24:37,890 --> 00:24:41,514 Charlie digs deeper into the story of the Quedagh Merchant. 284 00:24:46,105 --> 00:24:50,281 Back in the archives he finds that, just like Henry Morgan, 285 00:24:50,316 --> 00:24:57,565 Captain Kidd was a privateer, working for the English king in 1698. 286 00:24:57,599 --> 00:25:03,640 His mission, to prey on foreign vessels in the Indian Ocean. 287 00:25:05,642 --> 00:25:10,923 There, Kidd spies an unusual ship, the Quedagh Merchant. 288 00:25:10,957 --> 00:25:15,652 DR BEEKER: It had a very high stern castle, very ornate, lots of carvings on it. 289 00:25:15,686 --> 00:25:19,552 This wasn't a European-built vessel, this was something built in India. 290 00:25:21,105 --> 00:25:24,799 NARRATOR: Kidd sees the vessel is flying a foreign flag, 291 00:25:24,833 --> 00:25:27,974 making her fair game for a British privateer. 292 00:25:30,943 --> 00:25:40,228 He captures her and discovers she is full of treasure silks, sugar and gold. 293 00:25:40,262 --> 00:25:44,888 He likes this beautiful, powerful prize so much that he decides to use her 294 00:25:44,922 --> 00:25:49,409 as his own flagship and so he sails her back to the Caribbean. 295 00:25:52,309 --> 00:25:56,382 But then his fortunes change dramatically. 296 00:25:57,625 --> 00:26:03,009 DR BEEKER: He and his men were claimed to be pirates. 297 00:26:03,044 --> 00:26:05,736 In the first stop he finds, the governor says, 298 00:26:05,771 --> 00:26:07,635 "Oh, you're being accused of being a pirate" 299 00:26:07,669 --> 00:26:10,879 and he says, "Why am I a pirate?" 300 00:26:10,914 --> 00:26:13,330 NARRATOR: Because he's working for the English king, 301 00:26:13,364 --> 00:26:18,542 Captain Kidd believes the captured ship is a legal prize. 302 00:26:18,577 --> 00:26:23,651 What he doesn't know is that the treasure on board 303 00:26:23,685 --> 00:26:27,689 belongs to a nobleman in the court of the Indian Mughal Emperor. 304 00:26:31,831 --> 00:26:35,455 Kidd's theft triggers a crisis that threatens Britain's trade 305 00:26:35,490 --> 00:26:37,941 along the African and Indian coasts. 306 00:26:39,770 --> 00:26:45,983 That means he is now a very big problem to powerful people in London and a wanted man. 307 00:26:47,364 --> 00:26:53,094 DR HANSELMANN: And he's sailing around the Caribbean in this really foreign ship 308 00:26:53,128 --> 00:26:56,649 from the Indian Ocean, so it's not like he's inconspicuous. 309 00:26:58,133 --> 00:27:02,759 NARRATOR: Kidd decides to leave his ship in the hands of a merchant 310 00:27:02,793 --> 00:27:05,037 and heads to Boston to clear his name. 311 00:27:06,659 --> 00:27:09,835 But there he's arrested and sent to London. 312 00:27:09,869 --> 00:27:15,288 By now he's a pawn in an international power game and expendable. 313 00:27:16,255 --> 00:27:20,224 Found guilty of piracy 314 00:27:20,259 --> 00:27:22,261 he's sentenced to death. 315 00:27:23,020 --> 00:27:25,505 DR BEEKER: When they hanged him up the first time, the rope broke. 316 00:27:25,540 --> 00:27:28,957 He lands on the ground, and of course, I would think that might be a sign from God 317 00:27:28,992 --> 00:27:31,063 or someone else that maybe we ought to talk about this. 318 00:27:31,097 --> 00:27:32,996 No, they just strung him up a second time 319 00:27:35,136 --> 00:27:37,690 and then took a gibbet and put is body into a steel cage 320 00:27:37,725 --> 00:27:41,280 and hung that up to warn everyone else not to turn pirate. 321 00:27:43,213 --> 00:27:47,527 NARRATOR: But what happened to the beautiful prize that cost a pirate his life, 322 00:27:47,562 --> 00:27:51,255 the Quedagh Merchant? 323 00:27:51,290 --> 00:27:56,226 The drained wreck site contains one final piece of information. 324 00:27:56,260 --> 00:28:01,024 On some of the wood, tiny burn marks. 325 00:28:01,058 --> 00:28:06,098 Charlie pieces this together with the matching number of cannon, 326 00:28:06,132 --> 00:28:13,346 the last known sighting of the ship and its unique teak construction to confirm 327 00:28:13,381 --> 00:28:18,248 that this really is Captain Kidd's ship and discovery its fate. 328 00:28:20,319 --> 00:28:25,669 Even before Kidd's trial, the merchant looking after his ship starts to panic. 329 00:28:25,704 --> 00:28:29,466 The beautiful Quedagh Merchant is now a floating liability. 330 00:28:31,054 --> 00:28:34,851 And so, not wanting to share Kidd's fate, 331 00:28:34,885 --> 00:28:40,753 he takes off what treasure he can and sets her ablaze. 332 00:28:42,651 --> 00:28:48,657 She drifts gently down wind, before settling into her final resting place. 333 00:28:55,734 --> 00:28:59,634 Charlie has his own pirate prize. 334 00:28:59,668 --> 00:29:04,259 Captain Kidd's famous flagship positively identified. 335 00:29:05,329 --> 00:29:08,505 DR BEEKER: So to actually find a pirate ship and prove a pirate ship, 336 00:29:08,539 --> 00:29:10,093 it just doesn't get any better than that. 337 00:29:10,127 --> 00:29:12,992 I mean, this is the real thing. 338 00:29:13,027 --> 00:29:21,794 NARRATOR: With her towering stern castle, intricate carving and 30 guns, 339 00:29:21,829 --> 00:29:26,661 the Quedagh Merchant was an irresistible, but deadly temptation. 340 00:29:29,871 --> 00:29:35,083 Kidd's fate marks a sea change in Caribbean pirate history. 341 00:29:35,118 --> 00:29:38,880 DR HANSELMANN: Eventually they cease giving these privateering commissions 342 00:29:38,915 --> 00:29:41,814 but what happens is you have a large group of men 343 00:29:41,849 --> 00:29:43,885 who are used to making a certain amount of money, 344 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:46,508 having some income, having some coin in their pocket 345 00:29:46,543 --> 00:29:48,821 and all of a sudden they can't do that anymore. 346 00:29:48,856 --> 00:29:54,137 They're not gonna go back to being normal sailors, getting paid lousy wages. 347 00:29:54,171 --> 00:29:55,794 They're gonna become pirates. 348 00:29:56,725 --> 00:30:02,973 NARRATOR: The fall of Captain Kidd heralds the golden age of piracy 349 00:30:03,008 --> 00:30:10,809 as dozens of ex privateers now go way beyond the law, inspiring countless legends, 350 00:30:10,843 --> 00:30:14,088 from Long John Silver to Jack Sparrow. 351 00:30:14,122 --> 00:30:19,507 A character reminiscent of the most feared and famous pirate of them all, 352 00:30:19,541 --> 00:30:25,478 the infamous Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. 353 00:30:28,896 --> 00:30:35,005 And now, archaeologists may be about to solve an enduring mystery. 354 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:39,251 What happened to his flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, 355 00:30:39,285 --> 00:30:42,668 the most feared pirate ship of them all. 356 00:30:48,985 --> 00:30:53,127 NARRATOR: June 10th, 1718. 357 00:30:53,161 --> 00:30:59,754 The Queen Anne's Revenge, one of the most terrifying pirate ships of all time, 358 00:30:59,788 --> 00:31:02,895 is prowling the Atlantic coast of North America. 359 00:31:05,622 --> 00:31:10,316 She's fresh from one of the most daring raids in pirate history, 360 00:31:10,351 --> 00:31:13,768 blockading the port of Charleston, South Carolina 361 00:31:15,943 --> 00:31:19,878 when, our of nowhere, she runs aground. 362 00:31:22,777 --> 00:31:24,883 The captain orders, "abandon ship." 363 00:31:28,507 --> 00:31:33,029 He leaves some of his crew on a nearby island, then disappears. 364 00:31:35,617 --> 00:31:38,586 A few months later, he is dead. 365 00:31:42,038 --> 00:31:44,833 His name, Blackbeard. 366 00:31:47,457 --> 00:31:49,873 The way Blackbeard has been portrayed in movies 367 00:31:49,908 --> 00:31:55,534 and TV shows has shaped our idea of what a pirate looks and sounds like. 368 00:31:55,568 --> 00:31:56,949 BLACKBEARD: Ahhaarr. 369 00:31:56,984 --> 00:31:59,365 DR BRIGGS: I like to think of Blackbeard kind of 370 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:02,679 as the Jimi Hendrix of the pirate world. 371 00:32:02,713 --> 00:32:05,889 He changed the face of piracy forever. 372 00:32:05,924 --> 00:32:10,652 Blackbeard captured dozens of prizes, sank tons of ships 373 00:32:10,687 --> 00:32:13,897 and really terrorized the Caribbean. 374 00:32:15,381 --> 00:32:21,525 NARRATOR: Even in his own lifetime, Blackbeard is a living legend. 375 00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:27,876 Contemporaries describe him as tall with a long frock coat packed with pistols, 376 00:32:27,911 --> 00:32:33,986 blazing eyes and a giant beard, stuffed with burning cannon fuses 377 00:32:34,021 --> 00:32:36,092 which fizzle as he walks. 378 00:32:39,923 --> 00:32:43,996 After 300 years of mystery and legend, 379 00:32:44,031 --> 00:32:47,448 what can this strange pile of metal reveal 380 00:32:47,482 --> 00:32:50,969 about the fate of Blackbeard and his ship? 381 00:32:53,695 --> 00:32:59,046 In 1996, in Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, 382 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:04,258 a professional diving company called Intersal comes across something unexpected. 383 00:33:05,328 --> 00:33:09,780 DAVID: They picked up a disturbance in the Earth's magnetic field 384 00:33:09,815 --> 00:33:12,024 and so, when they picked that target up, the divers 385 00:33:12,059 --> 00:33:17,374 were sent down to see what created that signature on the magne-tometer. 386 00:33:18,617 --> 00:33:21,896 NARRATOR: They ask a team of archaeologists to investigate. 387 00:33:22,862 --> 00:33:26,245 Among them, Dr. Lisa Briggs. 388 00:33:26,280 --> 00:33:28,627 DR BRIGGS: If I'm honest it's kind of terrifying to dive on. 389 00:33:28,661 --> 00:33:32,044 The water is really murky, it's a sand tiger shark breeding ground. 390 00:33:39,914 --> 00:33:44,298 NARRATOR: As Lisa searches through the murky waters, 391 00:33:44,332 --> 00:33:48,026 she discovers unusual looking shapes on the seabed. 392 00:33:49,130 --> 00:33:53,790 DR BRIGGS: The first thing you're confronted with is this massive pile of artefacts, 393 00:33:53,824 --> 00:33:58,070 but it's covered in sea urchins and lots of marine life 394 00:33:58,105 --> 00:34:03,041 and you really have to try to interpret what it looked like in the past. 395 00:34:04,870 --> 00:34:09,392 NARRATOR: Could these mysterious objects be from the Queen Anne's Revenge? 396 00:34:14,017 --> 00:34:21,231 Using the dive scans made by Lisa and the team of investigators, 397 00:34:21,266 --> 00:34:28,894 we can now drain away these murky waters to reveal a monster. 398 00:34:32,622 --> 00:34:40,147 A mysterious pile of jagged metal, made of several cannon 399 00:34:40,181 --> 00:34:43,805 and at least two giant anchors stuck together. 400 00:34:47,188 --> 00:34:53,056 Nearby, scattered about, even more cannon, at least 24 in all. 401 00:34:55,645 --> 00:35:00,615 Across the whole site, metal balls of various shapes and sizes. 402 00:35:03,687 --> 00:35:07,691 DR BRIGGS: We're talking hundreds if not thousands of cannon balls. 403 00:35:07,726 --> 00:35:11,074 This ship, it was armed to the teeth. 404 00:35:11,109 --> 00:35:16,217 It had dozens of cannons, it had swivel guns on the decks 405 00:35:16,252 --> 00:35:20,946 and it had over a quarter of a million pieces of lead shot. 406 00:35:22,189 --> 00:35:25,019 NARRATOR: This is the kind of weaponry you'd expect 407 00:35:25,053 --> 00:35:28,402 from the Caribbean's most fearsome pirate, 408 00:35:28,436 --> 00:35:32,820 though it's not conclusive evidence that this is Blackbeard's ship. 409 00:35:34,891 --> 00:35:37,065 But on the wreck site there's another clue. 410 00:35:41,518 --> 00:35:46,730 A distinctive wooden structure and on it, 411 00:35:46,765 --> 00:35:49,457 remarkably preserved, markings. 412 00:35:50,009 --> 00:35:56,119 DR BRIGGS: A V and an I which in Roman numerals is a five and a one which is six. 413 00:35:56,154 --> 00:36:00,365 This is a common marker for the depth of the stern post. 414 00:36:01,262 --> 00:36:03,057 NARRATOR: The stern post is the piece of wood 415 00:36:03,091 --> 00:36:05,956 at the back of the ship that holds the rudder. 416 00:36:07,061 --> 00:36:09,719 The number corresponds to its height. 417 00:36:10,720 --> 00:36:12,618 DR BRIGGS: When we actually measured it though, 418 00:36:12,653 --> 00:36:16,657 we realized that this did not equate to six English feet, 419 00:36:16,691 --> 00:36:20,281 this equated to six French feet. 420 00:36:20,316 --> 00:36:23,526 NARRATOR: In the 18th century, the French and English 421 00:36:23,560 --> 00:36:27,633 don't agree on anything, even the length of a foot. 422 00:36:27,668 --> 00:36:31,637 DR BRIGGS: So, the stern post and probably the majority of the vessel 423 00:36:31,672 --> 00:36:35,054 was constructed in France. 424 00:36:35,089 --> 00:36:39,714 NARRATOR: Its French origins are a key piece of evidence. 425 00:36:39,749 --> 00:36:42,786 Naval records reveal that Blackbeard's ship began 426 00:36:42,821 --> 00:36:46,514 its life as a French frigate called La Concorde. 427 00:36:47,688 --> 00:36:51,243 DR BRIGGS: We have archival evidence form the captain of La Concorde 428 00:36:51,278 --> 00:36:53,866 who was making a case to his boss and said, 429 00:36:53,901 --> 00:36:57,698 "Hey, I'm really sorry I lost the ship but this very terrifying pirate, 430 00:36:57,732 --> 00:37:00,321 Blackbeard, took it from me." 431 00:37:03,048 --> 00:37:08,433 NARRATOR: The location of the wreck, the overwhelming fire power 432 00:37:08,467 --> 00:37:13,817 and the confirmed French origin all point to one conclusion. 433 00:37:15,371 --> 00:37:18,995 DR BRIGGS: I'd say with probably a 99 percent accuracy 434 00:37:19,029 --> 00:37:22,723 that this is the Queen Anne's Revenge, this is Blackbeard's ship. 435 00:37:24,863 --> 00:37:31,076 NARRATOR: After 300 years, the most famous pirate ship of them all has been found. 436 00:37:32,940 --> 00:37:39,015 And the archaeological evidence allows us, for the very first time, 437 00:37:39,049 --> 00:37:44,400 to reconstruct Blackbeard's flagship in all her fearsome glory. 438 00:37:46,471 --> 00:37:48,300 DAVID: She was a fast sailing warship, 439 00:37:48,335 --> 00:37:52,718 a French light frigate, designed for speed. 440 00:37:52,753 --> 00:37:55,859 And by the time Blackbeard got hold of her, 441 00:37:55,894 --> 00:37:59,346 she literally would have been bristling with guns. 442 00:38:01,796 --> 00:38:06,594 NARRATOR: This is a ship to strike fear into all who sailed the seas. 443 00:38:12,082 --> 00:38:16,086 So why does Blackbeard abandon her and her crew? 444 00:38:22,369 --> 00:38:25,372 The answer lies in British archives. 445 00:38:29,859 --> 00:38:34,967 In 1718, with piracy plaguing the Caribbean, 446 00:38:35,002 --> 00:38:37,694 the authorities launch a crackdown. 447 00:38:42,389 --> 00:38:46,462 Blackbeard steers clear and heads north to escape. 448 00:38:49,913 --> 00:38:55,263 But in the end, he realizes he can run but he can't hide. 449 00:38:55,885 --> 00:39:00,407 DAVID: Continuing to operate a vessel the size and with the reputation 450 00:39:00,441 --> 00:39:03,755 of Queen Anne's Revenge, he saw the writing on the wall. 451 00:39:07,206 --> 00:39:11,003 NARRATOR: For all her firepower, the Queen Anne's Revenge is too small 452 00:39:11,038 --> 00:39:15,732 to take on the might of the British Navy and yet too big to lie low. 453 00:39:16,457 --> 00:39:20,288 Lisa concludes that is why Blackbeard runs her aground. 454 00:39:21,876 --> 00:39:23,671 DR BRIGGS: This was a deliberate act, 455 00:39:23,706 --> 00:39:26,778 not only getting rid of a ship that could have gotten him busted 456 00:39:26,812 --> 00:39:31,369 further up the coast, but to keep a larger share of the treasure to himself 457 00:39:31,403 --> 00:39:34,441 and get rid of over 100 pirates in the process. 458 00:39:35,649 --> 00:39:39,204 NARRATOR: But Blackbeard can't shake the pirate life. 459 00:39:40,032 --> 00:39:45,003 Six months later he's back, hoping for one final pay day 460 00:39:45,728 --> 00:39:51,009 and this time the Royal Navy makes sure they do track him down and kill him. 461 00:39:56,670 --> 00:40:03,021 With the death of Blackbeard, the golden age of piracy is drawing to a close. 462 00:40:06,542 --> 00:40:09,268 Over 900 miles to the southeast, 463 00:40:09,303 --> 00:40:13,859 on a remote reef in the Turks and Caicos Islands, 464 00:40:13,894 --> 00:40:20,245 can these abandoned anchors help explain how Caribbean piracy finally ends. 465 00:40:28,495 --> 00:40:34,432 NARRATOR: To the southeast of Blackbeard's former pirate stronghold in the Bahamas, 466 00:40:34,466 --> 00:40:38,574 is the remote archipelago of the Turks and Caicos Islands. 467 00:40:41,231 --> 00:40:46,374 Michael Pateman is a historian who's become fascinated by a local legend 468 00:40:46,409 --> 00:40:51,379 about an 18th century shipwreck on a reef far out to sea. 469 00:40:51,414 --> 00:40:55,901 MICHAEL: Everyone talks about this is the most fascinating wreck to see. 470 00:40:55,936 --> 00:40:58,007 This is the best wreck in the Caribbean. 471 00:40:59,526 --> 00:41:03,115 What was the ship, what was it doing there, how did it wreck? 472 00:41:03,150 --> 00:41:04,738 Who, who was on this ship? 473 00:41:07,499 --> 00:41:12,297 NARRATOR: The wreck is nearly two hours away. 474 00:41:12,331 --> 00:41:13,919 It's a risky journey. 475 00:41:14,782 --> 00:41:18,959 This is hurricane season and the weather could change at any time. 476 00:41:20,305 --> 00:41:23,411 MICHAEL: It can be perfectly calm in the harbour but we go out there 477 00:41:23,446 --> 00:41:26,138 and it's rough and it's very isolated. 478 00:41:29,176 --> 00:41:33,214 NARRATOR: Michael arrives at a spot around seven miles southwest 479 00:41:33,249 --> 00:41:35,389 of the remote Big Sand Cay. 480 00:41:40,394 --> 00:41:42,845 The swell keeps down just enough. 481 00:41:50,922 --> 00:41:58,619 Forty feet beneath the waves, to one side of a jagged ridge of corral, are giant anchors. 482 00:42:01,829 --> 00:42:04,625 Nearby, a cluster of cannon. 483 00:42:06,593 --> 00:42:11,494 But with no surviving hull, it's impossible to know what ship this is. 484 00:42:16,430 --> 00:42:22,332 Using Michael's scan data to drain this remote reef, 485 00:42:22,367 --> 00:42:28,960 reveals a stunning underwater landscape, rich with clues. 486 00:42:31,928 --> 00:42:37,485 To the side of an outcrop of coral, at least 28 cannon in a rough line. 487 00:42:38,590 --> 00:42:42,421 A large pile of rectangular objects is ballast. 488 00:42:44,251 --> 00:42:47,288 To the other side of the rock, anchors. 489 00:42:49,014 --> 00:42:55,745 Each of these measure 15 ft in length and weigh 4500 lbs. 490 00:42:58,714 --> 00:43:02,096 The ship wrecked here must have been large. 491 00:43:05,513 --> 00:43:10,346 And what's more, the cannon all seem identical to each other. 492 00:43:13,452 --> 00:43:17,664 To Michael's eye, the wreckage is at least 200 years old. 493 00:43:22,530 --> 00:43:26,880 He consults the Turks and Caicos government records in the archives 494 00:43:26,914 --> 00:43:28,571 of the national museum. 495 00:43:35,405 --> 00:43:39,996 They confirm that in 1790, a vessel sinks in exactly 496 00:43:40,031 --> 00:43:42,620 the spot where this wreck is located. 497 00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:46,313 The casualty of a great storm. 498 00:43:48,660 --> 00:43:56,426 She belongs to the British Royal Navy and her name is HMS Endymion. 499 00:43:58,877 --> 00:44:04,262 HMS Endymion is 115 ft long. 500 00:44:04,296 --> 00:44:09,681 Navy designers have managed to fit in not one but two gun decks, 501 00:44:09,716 --> 00:44:14,997 doubling the number of cannons she's able to carry to an impressive 44. 502 00:44:16,170 --> 00:44:19,622 She's unusually powerful for a ship of her class. 503 00:44:22,452 --> 00:44:24,627 PROF GROVE: She's not meant to fight in the line of battle, 504 00:44:24,662 --> 00:44:26,387 she's meant to operate in shallow waters 505 00:44:26,422 --> 00:44:29,425 and operate against relatively small vessels. 506 00:44:29,459 --> 00:44:32,911 She's a fast, well armed trade defence vessel. 507 00:44:32,946 --> 00:44:34,844 She was the policeman on the beat. 508 00:44:35,983 --> 00:44:39,780 NARRATOR: In other words, Endymion was a pirate stopper. 509 00:44:41,471 --> 00:44:47,650 In the 60 years since Blackbeard, Britain's Royal Navy has become more powerful. 510 00:44:47,685 --> 00:44:51,343 Beating other European powers for control of the seas, 511 00:44:51,378 --> 00:44:54,830 it's now on a mission to stamp out piracy. 512 00:44:55,382 --> 00:44:57,522 MICHAEL: Well, the Endymion is just a perfect example 513 00:44:57,556 --> 00:45:01,733 of how the British controlled the seas in the Caribbean. 514 00:45:01,768 --> 00:45:07,290 So you can just see this powerful vessel sailing around, escorting ships, 515 00:45:07,325 --> 00:45:09,499 attacking pirates if there were pirates. 516 00:45:11,950 --> 00:45:13,745 NARRATOR: Michael's research can now reveal 517 00:45:13,780 --> 00:45:16,886 what caused the British Navy ship to sink. 518 00:45:20,200 --> 00:45:27,310 On August 23rd, 1790 HMS Endymion is sailing alone in the open sea, 519 00:45:27,345 --> 00:45:32,488 after protecting merchant ships from pirates, when she hits this uncharted reef. 520 00:45:36,630 --> 00:45:39,391 But there are plenty of others ready to take her place. 521 00:45:41,083 --> 00:45:47,952 Endymion was just one of dozens of vessels the Royal Navy had at its disposal, 522 00:45:47,986 --> 00:45:52,404 all ready to take on the pirates of the Caribbean. 523 00:45:53,854 --> 00:45:57,202 PROF GROVE: To lock this place down, you've got to exert overwhelming force. 524 00:45:57,237 --> 00:46:00,205 You've got to show that you can outpirate the pirates. 525 00:46:03,795 --> 00:46:07,661 NARRATOR: It's the end of the pirate's paradise. 526 00:46:07,695 --> 00:46:10,837 Gone are the land grabs of Henry Morgan and the hit 527 00:46:10,871 --> 00:46:14,254 and run antics of Captain Kidd and Blackbeard. 528 00:46:16,083 --> 00:46:22,987 Now, the Caribbean's lawlessness is replaced by the rise of the British Empire 529 00:46:23,781 --> 00:46:28,302 and then the emergence of the new United States of America. 530 00:46:28,337 --> 00:46:30,753 MICHAEL: So, the Caribbean stopped being such a lawless environment 531 00:46:30,788 --> 00:46:33,756 really after the European powers stopped fighting each other. 532 00:46:33,791 --> 00:46:35,447 BLACKBEARD: Fire! 533 00:46:35,482 --> 00:46:37,933 NARRATOR: The golden age of piracy is over. 534 00:46:41,453 --> 00:46:45,181 But we've still not seen the last of them. 535 00:46:45,216 --> 00:46:47,908 DR DELGADO: As long as there's crime, there's going to be crime on the water. 536 00:46:47,943 --> 00:46:52,913 Any place where you have people passing through, isolated, vulnerable, 537 00:46:52,948 --> 00:46:54,915 then a pirate's going to be there. 538 00:46:54,950 --> 00:46:55,951 Captioned by SubTitlePro LLC