Abstract:
For almost 300 years an 18th-century shipwreck has rested on the ocean floor just off North Carolina's coast. Whether investigations confirm it to be Blackbeard's flagship, the QUEEN ANNE'S REVENGE, or not, the wreck is a significant historical find discovered in 1996. Since then 16,000 artifacts have been brought up and sent to the QUEEN ANNE'S REVENGE Conservation Lab at East Carolina University. A few, including the ship's bell, have been properly cleaned, restored, and readied for display, though many others continue to soak in sodium carbonate-filled conservation tanks and will for years.