An article in the New York Times (8 Aug 2007) reports on new evidence brought up from the wreckage of the pirate ship Whydah.

[Barry] Clifford has spent about 25 years looking for and salvaging the remains of the Whydah, a pirate ship sailed by Samuel Bellamy, who was known as Black Sam. The ship sank off the coast of Wellfleet, Mass., during a storm in April 1717.

The mass, about 12,000 pounds, is thought to be part of the wreck and to contain at least seven iron cannons. Mr. Clifford and his team plucked it from below 30 feet of sand last week.

The cannons twisted together and probably preserved numerous artifacts. The exact contents will be determined through X-rays in the next few weeks, but Mr. Clifford expects the concretion, as the mass is called, to contain coins, weapons and perhaps bone, as others have.

The Whydah's wreckage and the tale of the pirate who captained her are on display as part of the "Real Pirates exhbit at the Cincinnati Museum Centeras part of an exhibit sponsored by the National Geographic Society.