A team of filmmakers and archaeologists says it has uncovered what may be the first shipwrecks tied to the real pirates who once used Nassau in the Bahamas as a base.
The New Providence Pirates Expedition and Wreckwatch TV said in a joint announcement in early June that six wreck sites had been identified near Nassau, three of which date to the Golden Age of Piracy.
“Until now, not one of their ships has ever come to light in their home waters,” the research team said.
The Golden Age of Piracy is generally placed between the 1650s and the 1730s, a period when pirate crews roamed the Caribbean and targeted major maritime trade routes.
By the late 1600s, the Bahamas had become a major piracy hub, with the release noting that Nassau’s harbor was home to as many as 1,000 pirates and sailors at its height.
One of the wrecks produced iron cannons, lead musket balls and a sword sharpener — finds the researchers said align with pirate activity from that period.
Investigators also recovered evidence of the ships’ construction and use, including hull planks, rigging, cargo remnants, glass bottles and bricks believed to have come from a galley.
At a separate site, divers discovered clay tobacco pipes stamped with England’s royal crest, pointing to an English trading ship likely dating to the 1740s.
“The survival of the wreck, heavily smashed by urban construction, is a miracle,” the release said of the find.
“The trader’s cargo of wine in glass bottles and fancy smoking pipes sheds rare light on Nassau becoming a normal port of trade, bouncing back from the pirate anarchy.”
Project co-director Michael Pateman said “crystal-clear visibility” at one site helped researchers identify key features of an armed wreck.
“The whole wreck was laid out before us,” Pateman said in a statement. “The ship was heavily armed, especially with swivel guns, the cannon of choice for pirates. Slotted onto deck rails, these anti-personnel weapons raked devastating fire on enemy crews.”
For another wreck, Kingsley said a combination of artifacts and structural evidence suggested it was likely a pirate vessel.
EXCLUSIVE: Katia Garcia Referee Wiki: Height, Age, Husband, Marriage and Career Facts
“For one site, the smoking gun was literally its iron cannon, a swivel gun, the weapon of choice for pirates, lead musket balls and a sword sharpener,” he said.
“The absence of cargo like pottery and the narrow width of the ballast mound all point toward a wrecked sloop, the small and swift pirate ‘hot wheels’ of choice.”
Sean Kingsley, a marine archaeologist who co-directed the expedition, told Fox News Digital that no specific pirate crew has been identified, though researchers uncovered several signs of piracy.
One wreck, a large burned wooden hull discovered in Nassau Harbor, sparked speculation that it could be linked to Henry Avery, one of history’s most notorious pirates.
Kingsley said the vessel’s wooden treenails suggest it was built during the late 1600s or early 1700s, though further research is needed to identify the wreck.
“All we can say for sure is right place, right date, right size,” said Kingsley. “The ship needs a lot more science before we can prove that.”
Though pirates are often portrayed as villains, the researchers said many sailors turned to piracy to escape harsh conditions and low pay in the Royal Navy and merchant fleets.
“Piracy offered rebels a chance to escape whipping, poor food and worse on navy warships and to earn up to 1,000% more than sailing on regular merchant vessels,” the statement said.
Pateman said, “It might have been a short life, but for a brief period of mayhem, sailors found freedom and wealth unmatched anywhere on earth. That escape was the pirate dream.”
The expedition was documented by Wreckwatch TV for an upcoming documentary series.
Kingsley hopes to map the entire harbor with an underwater drone — “especially the more dangerous areas,” he said.
“We’re certain more secrets are hiding there,” Kingsley said.
“The cannon wreck needs recording with multibeam or 3D photography. The wooden hull needs digging to crack its full story and look for cargo and small finds to fine-tune its date.”
He added, “There’s so much unfulfilled potential, all the while collaborating with Bahamian custodians to help them protect their sunken history
