Expedition Whydah: The Story of the World's First Excavation of a Pirate Treasure Ship and the Man Who Found Her

by Barry Clifford, Paul Perry (Collaborator)

It was the end for Black Sam Bellamy and his pirates... The sailors of the Whydah didn't know that the storm was among the worst ever, but they knew they were in a bad storm, For a few hopeful moments, they thought their hard work had turned them out to sea. Then, through the howl of the storm, someone heard the waves slapping the shoreline and the cry of "Breakers! Breakers!" went up again. Frenzy and fear became the order of the day. With a deep knowledge of the sea and the will to survive the pirates began to act on their own, as they had in so many other desperate situations deeply frightened but steadfastly professional. It was 10 P.M. on April 16, 1717, and the crew of the Whydah had only two hours to live. ...But two centuries later, it became a new beginning. Obsessed by a boyhood dream of lost pirate treasure, Barry Clifford launched a search for the pirate ship Whydah, which supposedly wrecked on the coast of Cape Cod. Very quickly he realized that he had taken on a daunting task. Others who had tried to find the ship before him had failed. Although locals came forward with gold coins and relics that could only have come from the lost pirate ship, skeptics claimed that the ship didn't really exist or had been picked over by Cape Cod's early settlers more than two hundred years ago when it sank. Ignoring claims that he was a fool and a dreamer, Clifford pressed on, until he found the Whydah ...And then the story begins. Effortlessly weaving pirate Black Sam Bellamy's history with his own story, Clifford tells a tale of pursuit and perseverance, one that shows our inseparable link to the stories of our childhood as well as our connection to the historic past. As a child, Clifford's uncle would spend long afternoons telling him the story of Black Sam Bellamy, a pirate from England who captured the heart of Cape Cod's lovely Maria Hallert. Bellamy and his crew sailed to the Caribbean to make their fortune, and make it they did, becoming among the most successful pirates of the early eighteenth century. On their return to Cape Cod, where Bellamy planned to reunite with his lover, a powerful storm wrecked the ship at Maria's very doorstep, killing almost all on board. Mesmerized by the tales of the Whydah and the riches that sank with her, Clifford embarks on a lifelong quest to find the sunken pirate ship and tell the story of her mysterious crew and the age they lived in. Expedition Whydah tells two equally enthralling stories of Bellamy's tale of hard work and crafty piracy, and Clifford's own unbelievable quest to fulfill his dream of finding the sunken ship and building a museum to house her relics. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of a long-gone era of unimaginable adventure--and brutality--and a look at two determined men, one from the past, the other from the present, who let nothing get in the way of their goals. Spirited and colorful, filled with illustrations and photographs of the ship, its treasure, and the team that found her, Expedition Whydah is a spellbinding book that will grab your imagination, just as Clifford's imagination was forever captured as a young boy, when he heard the legend of Black Sam Bellamy for the first time.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Pirates, Maritime, Archaeology, Nautical, Travel

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Emily Woodbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Bellamy is my favourite pirate, and a book about someone able to take their interest in Sam Bellamy to extreme lengths was very exciting for me. Couple my love of pirates with my intimate knowledge of archaeological digs, having spent 2 years working on a dig site, and this is another book tailored to my weirdly specific interests. I wasn't sure at the start how interested I would be in the tales of the search for the shipwreck, but I became so invested I found myself tearing up when the Vast seemed like she was beyond repair. The only negatives of this book come in the form of terms used that certainly wouldn't be chosen today, which is to be expected from a historical book written in 1999.
I'd already had hopes to visit the Whydah Museum in Cape Cod some day soon, now it's definitely a travel bucket list item!

[Mark Woodland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good book if you're interested in archaeological recoveries, shipwrecks, and a good pirate ship story to go along with it. The Whydah is one of only two authenticated pirate shipwrecks ever discovered. This book was written by one of the members of the expedition to recover artifacts from the wreck and learn as much as they could about actual life aboard a pirate ship. As such, it's not terribly well written; however, the information is interesting enough to keep you involved in the book. One of the more interesting features is how they compared what they found to the legend of the Whydah. There were quite a few surprises. The book probably has a limited audience, however; it's not compelling enough reading to attract casually interested readers, even with the legend of the ship to follow as a sort of outline to the book. It's fairly dry reading. I became interested in the book when I got word of a movie to be made on the story of the ship called Black Whydah (Whydah is pronounced WIH-dah), and it looked like I might have a shot at being in it. Alas, production has never started

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of the world’s first excavation of a pirate treasure ship and the man who found her. Since childhood, Clifford had heard tales of a pirate named Sam Bellamy who was shipwrecked off the coast of Cape Cod in 1717. It was Clifford’s ambition to find this pirate ship, the Whydah, and this book tells how and when he managed to succeed. He has now built a museum of piracy in Provincetown, MA, which displays many of the artifacts that he and his men raised from the Whydah.

[Eliel Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read of one man's life quest; finding the Whydah !

[George E. Mekeel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book after visiting The Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth, MA.

https://www.discoverpirates.com/

I enjoyed reading this book for several reasons: a sense of adventure, rich history presented on piracy, an excellent review of what I had learned at the museum, to name a few.

I would highly recommend reading this book and visiting the Whydah Pirate Museum to see relics and the deconcretation process in the lab.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting but a bit dull, you might as well read the wiki page.

[Peter de Puy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this one down. Great stories of discovery and all the trappings of research, undersea archeology, treasury, discovery, and worst of all, politics.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining read of the discovery of a pirate ship! Especially interesting to me as I live in the area and I'm also a scuba diver.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good blend of pirate history and the challenges of underwater archeology. I wish I had read it before seeing the Whydoh exhibit, not six years after.

[Lee T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling story of the discovery of the first pirate ship ever recovered. Well told and casts pirates and piracy in a respectful new light. Also new insight on Cape Cod.

[Paige Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brings the museum to life!

[Greg Graves · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I find stories of archaeology interesting, and by with pirates doubly-so, Clifford (and his co-author, Perry) did not do a good job of staying on the narrative of the excavation, and instead offer up too many criticisms of people who got in the way, and too many pats to their own backs. One of the groups that Clifford goes to great pains to criticize are the academic archaeologists who disagree with him, and in doing so takes a shit on the whole discipline of archaeology from too great of a height. While some of his complaints about them are true, the fact remains that a given site can only be excavated once. While Clifford may or may not have taken the necessary precautions, if we accepted his argument then it would be that money, not brains or a sense of curatorship, would be the ultimate arbiter of access to a site, ignoring the shared social value of historic sites.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is alright. It is in the end an adventure story, which I will be honest was simply not what I was looking for. Barry Clifford seems to have written this book in part self defense, defending his actions and telling his side of the story as there have been many questions about the wisdom of having such a valuable archaeological find in the hands of a man who is a treasure hunter and admits it. Barry Clifford write a readable book however, one that follows both the rise and fall of the fortunes of the pirates of the Whydah and the rise and fall of his own crew. He tells both in a rather romanticized fashion, but I suppose that is to be expected from a man who also admits to a fondness for Captain Blood and Treasure Island.

[Mark Woodland]

This is a documentary book about the excavation of one of only two confirmed wrecks of pirate ships (the other being the Queen Anne). It's a bit dry and tedious at times, but it incorporates the story of the ship with which few are familiar (I'd never previously heard of the Whydah). If you find underwater archaeology of any interest, you'll probably like this book. There is some interest in a movie about the Whyday, which would lean heavily on the information in this book. It depicts piracy in a wholly different light than the movies, in particular the people who became pirates and why.

[Scott Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this after seeing a special exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago. Interesting profile of the author and great story of his obsession with salvaging a sunken pirate ship. It is autobiographical and therefore only tells one side of the story, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from an exhibit about the Whydah I visited recently, and I must say this book has thoroughly captured my imagination! Barry Clifford dreamed of finding the Whydah ever since his uncle told him the tale when he was a boy. Though this book is non-fiction, it reads like a novel.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I totally enjoyed this book! If you enjoy pirates or underwater exploration, you'll enjoy this account of what was involved in discovering the Whydah -- a ship taken by the pirate Sam Bellamy and lost in a storm on the coast of Cape Cod.

[Emily Finke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging story, but some of the facts need to be cross-referenced, so you would benefit from having some knowledge of the era in order to separate fact from speculation.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was almost finished with this book and then my dog destroyed it. I'm debating whether to buy it again or just call it lost.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

More good pirate study - tells the story of Clifford's life-long obsession with the shipwreck Whydah, his journey to find and retrieve it, interspersed with pirate history.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting account of first recovery of a pirate ship. a bit repetitive in regards to the trouble the author had with employees and legal crap. would probably make a good 1 hour documentary.

[Charissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating from beginning to end!

[Elizabeth Grygo · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fascinating story told in far too many pages.

[K.M. Ellis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the first chapter. That was probably it.