Captain Kidd shipwreck becomes a Museum of the Sea

Past Horizons: Captain Kidd shipwreck becomes a Museum of the Sea

Nearly three years after the discovery of the shipwrecked Quedagh Merchant, abandoned by the notorious Captain William Kidd, the underwater site will be dedicated as a “Living Museum of the Sea” by Indiana University archaeologist Charles Beeker, and the government of the Dominican Republic.

The dedication as an official underwater museum will take place off the shore of Catalina Island in the Dominican Republic on May 23, the 310th anniversary of Kidd’s execution in London for his alleged ‘crimes of piracy.’

Living museum of the sea
Underwater plaques will help guide divers around the shipwreck site as well as relics and rare corals at two other shipwreck sites.

The US Agency for International Development awarded Indiana University $200,000 to turn the Captain Kidd shipwreck site and two nearby existing underwater preserves into no-take, no-anchor Living Museums of the Sea. The ultimate aim is to protect history, protect corals, and preserve biodiversity in the surrounding reef systems.

The underwater science team led by Beeker, has been working to preserve, analyse and document the Kidd shipwreck since its discovery in 2007. This unique museum, resting in less than 10 feet of water and a mere 70 feet from shore, will give divers the opportunity to see the 17th century ship remains, including several anchors, along with dozens of cannons, which now rest on the ocean’s floor and serve as home to coral and sea creatures. Above water, terrestrial museums will benefit from artefacts that are on loan to Indiana University by the Dominican Republic government for the purpose of study and research.

“As this ongoing multidisciplinary research continues,” Beeker said, “interest in the project has grown and new partnerships are developing, including the Peace Corps assigning their volunteers to the project, and the Consorcio Dominicano de Competitividad Turistica promoting the project as a sustainable tourism destination.”

As the interest in eco-tourism and unique vacation destinations continues to grow, this Living Museum of the Sea is predicted to be a sought-after destination for those seeking underwater adventures combined with significant 17th century maritime history representative of the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean.

Pirate or privateer
There is still of course a debate on the status of Captain Kidd himself. In the 16th and 17th centuries, privateers enjoyed a successful trade around the world on warships that were privately owned, but had government approval and backing to attack enemy ships. The privateer would then share any booty with the government.

William Kidd was born in Dundee, Scotland, in 1654, the son of John Kidd a seaman, and his wife Bessie Butchart.

During the war between England and France in the 1690′s, Kidd became a successful privateer in charge of the vessel Blessed William, defending trade routes with the West Indies. He was then commissioned by the English government to take charge of an expedition against pirates in the Indian Ocean. Kidd’s public mission was to clear the sea there of pirates, but it was probably understood by his backers that he would also take every opportunity to capture any enemy ships that had valuable cargo.

In February 1698, almost a year after he had been expected to return from his mission, Kidd finally struck lucky in heavy seas off the Indian coast, north of Cochin, with the Quedagh Merchant, a 500 ton Armenian merchant ship laden with gold, jewels, silver, silks, sugar and guns. Kidd considered this prize, together with previous smaller prizes, as ample compensation for his late return, and reward enough for his backers. The prize though was a legal nightmare. Owned by Indians, carrying a Persian cargo, crewed by Moors, and with an English Captain named Wright they all sailed together, allegedly under a French pass. Kidd decided that this was a legitimate target and took her.

However, by this time, tales of his supposed piratical exploits were causing serious embarrassment back in London, and he was arrested soon after returning to New York, after leaving the Quedagh Merchant at Catalina Island.

Despite his defence of being a privateer, Kidd was tried in London and hung in 1701

Despite his defence of being a privateer, Kidd was tried in London and hung in 1701. The papers that might have proved his innocence disappeared and his logbook was burned. His corpse was displayed in an iron cage on the dock at the Thames Estuary for several years as a warning to other would-be pirates.

A remarkable discovery
Diver at one of the shipwreck cannons. Courtesy of Indiana University.
Beeker said it was remarkable that the wreck had remained undiscovered all these years given its location, just 70 feet off the coast of Catalina Island in the Dominican Republic.

Anthropologist Geoffrey Conrad, director of IU Bloomington’s Mathers Museum of World Cultures, said the men Kidd entrusted with his ship reportedly looted it, and then set it ablaze and adrift down the Rio Dulce. Conrad said the location of the wreckage and the formation and size of the canons, which had been used as ballast, are consistent with historical records of the ship. They also found pieces of several anchors under the cannons.

“All the evidence that we find underwater is consistent with what we know from historical documentation, which is extensive,” Conrad said. “Through rigorous archaeological investigations, we have conclusively proven that this is the Captain Kidd shipwreck.”

Beeker, who has been conducting research in the Dominican Republic for nearly 20 years, was asked to examine the shipwreck in 2007 while on another research mission involving the search for the lost ships of Christopher Columbus.