Queen Anne's Revenge

[rawls]

Little funny story. I was at an event at my LDS today and saw one of our boat captains and one of the DM's talking to this guy. I heard the discussion was about the QAR. Since I know quite a bit about the history of Blackbeard and the QAR, I was ready to join in the conversation and correct the many mistakes people make about the captain and his boat. Come to find out the guy they were talking to was Mike Daniel...If his name doesn't ring a bell, he happens to be the guy who found the QAR Didn't get a chance to make corrections this time... but thoroughly enjoyed learning even more than I know now. Mike is a great guy and we continued to talk even after the others left. The good part is that I may be able to go and dive the QAR this week with him. Normally...a limited number of divers can dive the QAR each year for a modest fee of $500.00. Going with him costs nothing except helping out with the boat. Hopefully this chance will come to be.

 

[rawls]

I got the opportunity to dive the QAR and not only got to do the dive but was also introduced to the potential nasty politics surrounding archeological endeavours. Here I was with the guy who discovered the wreck sitting in a boat not 1/4 mile from the site and still not knowing if we would even be allowed to tie in at the site. Turns out there is pretty bad blood between Mike and the NC Archeological Division who is excavating the site. I will dare not take sides in this matter. I don't even know which side I would take because I can see both. The basics of the bad blood involves the aggresiveness or lack thereof regarding excavation of the site. In Mike's point of view the archeologists have not been aggressive enough and the archeologists resent his causing them problems. So they make him jump through alot of hoops just to get to the site. Imagine that. That's as far as I am going into that mess. There is alot of politics involved which I had no desire to be a part of. All I wanted to do was go dive the site. I must say that everyone was very cordial to me. I finally did get the chance to go dive the QAR and I couldn't freaking believe that I came upon what appeared to be a piece of blue china. I got one of the archeologists to come with me to look at it and she pullled it out of the sand and that's what it was...a half of a blue ceramic plate. It was taken aboard. Once on board I found out that the project head already knew it was coming up because the diver voiced commed him when I first showed it to her. I don't know if it was anything significant or not but Mike told me later that he was not aware of anything like that having been found on the site. And the archeos. just stood there and said nothing. Whether it was or wasn't, I found an artifact and did the right thing by not touching it and showing it to one of the archeologists...Very exciting time. Hopefully I will be able to get some follow-up regarding it's significance or lack thereof....If any of you know anything about the discovery of any blue ceramic plates, bowls or saucers on the Queen Anne's Revenge please let me know...Bobby

 

[mddyver]

Bobby:

What were the dive conditions on the QAR that day? My wife and I have a place in AB and frequently dive out of Morehead and Beufort. We've talked about QAR but the $500 is pretty steep.

Mike

 

[rawls]

Mike...The surface was like a lake but a recent storm had passed through and the visibility was 3 feet at best. But that's really not uncommon. I think the storm is why I found the plate. I think the archeo's were pretty dumbfounded Everything got very quiet when it was brought up. I never considered paying the $500 for the trip even though I am fascinated with Blackbeard and have been since I was a kid. But diving on it last week...it was a pretty moving experience. Luckily I was in the right place at the right time and got to go for free. But $500.00 is a steep price. I would call Lauren at Olympus Dive Center...252-726-9432...and talk to her. The price includes more than just the dive. Even with the visibility being bad that day it was still a great experience and I was still able to see alot of stuff...still many cannons and other stuff to see...

 

[mddyver]

Bobby. Thanks. Sounds like a great experience. Lauren had mentioned there is a orientation seminar and presentation as part of the overall experience. I'll check in next time we're in MHC. The archeologists must have been very surprised to see something overlooked! Mike

 

[rawls]

The plate I found on the wreck is now online. Go to http://www.qaronline.org/Oct06Expedition.htm

Scroll down to October 31st and it is the bottom right picture (glazed blue ceramic plate). It was great to find something like that, but what really gets to me is knowing the last time that plate was touched before I came across it was in 1718 by one of the QAR's crew. Shivers me timbers

If you are interested in the project go to http://www.qaronline.org

 

[dlndavid]

hey, just found this thread

 

[moneysavr]

Just had David Moore In 1982, he began research to locate Blackbeard's shipwrecks =he wrote the paper years back that put them on the wreck were he said it would be! up here in Wisconsin a week back tryed to get him on a Great Lake dive but the conditions did not work out,he did a talk on the QAR at the Sturgeon Bay maritime museum.

 

[dlndavid]

is that right, nice to know.

 

[rawls]

Seems like I heard Mike Daniel mention his name. It is really too bad with all the infighting going on regarding the QAR between Daniel and the archeologists. The visibility was about 3 feet when I dived on her last October...God has it almost been a year. It would be nice to see it in about 20 feet of vis. Regardless, the feeling you get diving that wreck is unforgetful...