Barry Clifford, at it again!

[Thagarr]

[imgleft]http://lh6.ggpht.com/_cQOyQjTP3GY/SzdzZcJpthI/AAAAAAAAAIU/lTv6nE8qBxo/pa-logo.gif[/imgleft]In late September, Barry Clifford will be off to an island off the east coast of Madagascar to do what he does best, explore sunken pirate ships! Clifford is headed to the small island of ÃŽle Sainte-Marie This is the first major expedition that I know of to search for pirate history in the area. It makes sense as these were some of the most pirate infested waters of the Golden Age!

Ile Sainte-Marie, or St. Mary's Island as it is known in English, became a popular base for pirates throughout the 17th and 18th centuries due to several reasons: it was not far from the maritime routes along which ships returning from the East Indies sailed in transit, their holds overflowing with wealth, it was provided with bays and inlets protected from storms and finally, it had abundant fruit and was situated in quiet waters. Legendary pirates like William Kidd, Robert Culliford, Olivier Levasseur, Henry Every, and Thomas Tew, lived in the île aux Forbans, an island located in the bay of Sainte Marie's main town, Ambodifotatra. Many of them would found a family line. A lot of vestiges of this history remains at Sainte Marie. For example, several authentic pirate vessels still lie within a few meters of the surface in the Baie des Forbans. Two of these have been tentatively identified as the remains of Captain Kidd's Adventure Galley and Captain Condent's Fiery Dragon.

The utopian pirate republic of Libertatia was also rumored to exist in this area, although the republic's existence, let alone its location, has never been proven.

Barry Clifford made a name for himself in 1984 by discovering the first authentic pirate shipwreck ever found, The Whydah! If you haven't read up on the Whydah, it is really quite fascinating, this single wreck has done more to give a picture of what real pirate life was like than almost any other source. You can read more about it HERE! This time Clifford will be looking to explore 5 sunken ships he first discovered in 1999, and he also has plans to explore some underwater tunnels in the area. This time, he will be looking for artifacts of the pirate Olivier Le Vasseur, known as "The Buzzard." I can't wait to see just what this expedition uncovers, it should be fascinating to say the least!

P'town explorer heading to pirate ships

PROVINCETOWN — Pirating the world's great sailing ships in the Indian Ocean was a career option in the early 1700s. In late September, underwater explorer Barry Clifford of Province-town will head to an island off the east coast of Madagascar to get to the bottom of it.

Clifford first discovered five antique ships sunken in the harbor of Sainte Marie Island in 1999 and 2000 along with underwater tunnels that may hold the stashes of renowned French pirate Olivier Le Vasseur, known as "The Buzzard."

"The Buzzard" was an apprentice pirate with Capt. "Black Sam" Bellamy, Clifford told the Times yesterday. Bellamy captured 50 ships in the Caribbean and the Atlantic, including the Whydah in 1717, a three-masted English slave ship with silver and gold treasure that sunk off Wellfleet three months after it was seized. Clifford discovered the Whydah wreck in 1984, shooting him to fame.

Artifacts from the Whydah are housed at Clifford's museum at MacMillan Pier in Provincetown and a National Geographic exhibition "Pirates of the Whydah," in cooperation with Clifford, is currently touring museums across the country.

The shipwrecks off Sainte Marie Island, which Clifford calls "pirate central" of the late 1600s and early 1700s, include the Adventure Galley, a ship of Scottish pirate William Kidd, and the Fiery Dragon, commanded by pirate William Condon, according to Clifford. Three other shipwrecks in the area are the Ruparrel, the Mocha Frigate and possibly the New Soldado, he said. The ship presumed to be the New Soldado may be another ship that was returning from a religious pilgrimage and possibly be loaded with religious items, Clifford said.

The pirates who holed up around Sainte Marie Island would capture ships on the high seas of the Indian Ocean, get rid of the passengers, raid the jewels, then sink the ships in the island's harbor, he said.

"The pirates had no use for porcelain or religious artifacts," Clifford said.

Clifford and his crew will work with Madagascar government officials to excavate the wrecks and investigate the tunnels in waters that are 30 feet deep and prowled by white sharks and stone fish.

A contract with a cable television network is helping to fund the trip, he said.

Clifford said he does not sell any of the artifacts that he brings to the surface. He said artifacts recovered off Sainte Marie Island would go primarily to the government of Madagascar, with some returning to the United States for Clifford's exhibitions.

An archeological observer representing the Madagascar government will participate in the exploration effort, Clifford said.

Original story here :
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100819/NEWS/8190316

 

[Bava]

Uuuuh, very interesting...thanks for the information