The shipwreck found near Cape Cod and linked to Captain Samuel Bellamy is Whydah Gally. Bellamy captured the vessel in 1717 and used it as his flagship during a short but highly successful pirate career.
Whydah Gally had originally been a slave ship built in London. Bellamy seized it in the Caribbean and loaded it with goods taken from other vessels. While sailing north along the American coast, the ship encountered a powerful storm.
Whydah Gally sank off Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on 26 April 1717. Bellamy and most of his crew died, while only a small number of survivors reached shore. The wreck was discovered in 1984 by explorer Barry Clifford, making it the first confirmed pirate shipwreck found in North America.
The site yielded coins, weapons, and other artifacts. It is often confused with Queen Anne’s Revenge, another famous wreck, but that vessel belonged to Blackbeard and lies off North Carolina.