The pirate ship Whydah sank off Cape Cod in 1717.
The Whydah Gally had begun life as a British slave ship before Samuel Bellamy captured it in February 1717. Bellamy made the vessel his flagship and loaded it with treasure taken from captured ships during his short but highly successful career.
On April 26, 1717, a powerful nor’easter drove the Whydah onto a sandbar near Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The ship broke apart, and Bellamy and most of his crew died. Only two known survivors from the wreck reached shore alive.
Underwater explorer Barry Clifford located the wreck in 1984, making it the first authenticated pirate shipwreck found in North America. Artifacts recovered from the site include coins, weapons, and ship equipment.