Master at Sea: Navigation Aboard La Concorde/Queen Anne's Revenge

Abstract

The La Concorde/Queen Anne’s Revenge shipwreck has a diverse assemblage with research potential that offers valuable insight into life under the pirate Edward Thatch as well as its previous purpose for the transportation of slaves across the Atlantic. As new artifacts continue to be exposed through conservation efforts, the ship’s navigational instruments and possible surveying tools present an opportunity for a unique material culture study that reflects not only their origin and functionality in terms of broader 18th-century navigation methods for pirates, but also how French sailing crews aboard slave ships operated on extended voyages. Included in this collection are instruments such as lead sounding weights, writing slates, a sector, dividers, compass components, and equipment believed to be associated with coastal or terrestrial surveying. These instruments are conserved at the Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Laboratory before being curated and exhibited in the North Carolina Maritime Museum: Beaufort. Each of these instruments were evaluated to determine the navigational needs and training of the pirates who may have used them as well as the French sailors who operated the vessel before its capture by Edward Thatch.