The Whydah Pirate Museum announced Wednesday that they had discovered the remains of at least six pirates who died in a 1717 shipwreck, according to The Boston Globe.
The skeletal remains were found at the wreckage site of The Whydah, which sank off the coast of Wellfleet, Massachusetts in 1717, according to WPRI.
Barry Clifford, who in 1984 discovered the Whydah, the world’s only authenticated pirate wreck, is examining the skeletal remains, according to The Boston Globe. (RELATED: Supreme Court Hears Arguments Over Blackbeard’s Pirate Wreck)
“We hope that modern, cutting-edge technology will help us identify these pirates and reunite them with any descendants who could be out there,” Clifford said, according to The Boston Globe.
Six skeletons unearthed from wreck of pirate ship Whydah off Cape Cod coast https://t.co/KQmjw3qh6N
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) February 10, 2021
“This shipwreck is very sacred ground,” Clifford said, according to WPRI. “We know a third of the crew was of African origin and the fact they had robbed the Whydah, which was a slave ship, presents them in a whole new light. Their benevolent captain, the legendary Samuel ‘Black Sam’ Bellamy, and crew were experimenting in democracy long before the so-called civilized societies had considered such a thing.”
The remains of at least six pirates have been found off the coast of the Cape. NOW on @wbz more w/ explorer Barry Clifford. “On board this former slave ship, a third of the Whydah crew were former slaves, they were experimenting in democracy 50 years before George Washington.” pic.twitter.com/eU5DHUpqAu
— Anaridis Rodriguez (@Anaridis) February 10, 2021
The skeletons were found in several large concretions, according to CBS Boston. DNA of the ship’s captain, Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy, was tested against a human bone found in the wreck, according to the report.
“That bone was identified as a human male with general ties to the Eastern Mediterranean area,” Whydah team member Casey Sherman said, according to WPRI. “These newly found skeletal remains may finally lead us to Bellamy as we now have his DNA.”
The Daily Caller has reached out to the Whydah Pirate Museum but did not receive a response at the time of publication.