William Kidd

Shiver me shattered timbers: stiff of despoiled Captain Kidd ship discovered in Caribbean

Last updated at 15:52pm on 14.12.07

The remains of a ship plundered by legendary 17th pirate Captain William Kidd has been found in the Caribbean, according to U.S. archaeologists.

A team of underwater researchers from Indiana University discovered barnacled cannons and anchors off the coast of Catalina Island, which belongs to the Dominican Republic.

Archaeologists believe the remnants belong to the wreckage of the Quedagh Merchant, an Armenian ship loaded with satins, muslins, gold and silver - many of which was owned by the British East India Company.

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Shock discovery: Treasure hunters had been searching for the Quedagh Merchant for years

Historian Richard Zacks, who wrote a book about the seafaring privateer called The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd, said the Scotsman had captured the 500-ton ship in the Indian Ocean but left it in the Caribbean in 1699 as he travelled to New York to try and clear his name of criminal charges.

Captain William Kidd: 1645-1701

Anthropologist Geoffrey Conrad, director of Indiana University's Bloomington's Mathers Museum of World Cultures, said the men Kidd entrusted with the Quedagh Merchant reportedly looted it, before setting fire to it and letting it drift 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.

Archaeologists also found pieces of several anchors under the cannons.

After imprisonment in the U.S., Kidd returned to London and stood trial on charges of piracy and the murder of his former gunner William Moore.

Kidd was tried without representation and found guilty of all charges.

Kidd's hanging at Execution Dock in Wapping, London, in 1701 was tricky - one the first and second attempt the rope broke, but he was eventually killed on the third attempt.

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Meticulous study: Researchers from Indiana University hope to 100% prove the authenticity of the remnants

His body was dipped in tar and placed in an iron cage, which was hung over the Thames for two years as a warning to other privateers.

Charles Beeker, a scuba-diving archaeologist who teaches at Indiana University, said: "When I first looked down and saw it, I couldn't believe everybody missed it for 300 years.

"I've been on thousands of wrecks and this is one of the first where it's been untouched by looters."

"We've got a shipwreck in crystal clear, pristine water that's amazingly untouched. We want to keep it that way, so we made the announcement now to ensure the site's protection from looters."

Beeker is hoping to protect the ship from treasure hunters, who have been looking for the Quedagh Merchant for years, and the university had obtained a license from the Dominican government to study the wreckage and convert the sea floor where the cannons and anchors are marooned into an underwater preserve.

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Pirate or privateer?: Captain Kidd was hanged in 1701 after being found guilty of murder and piracy

He explained: "We believe this is a living museum. The treasure in this case is the wreck itself."

The remnants were first spotted by a local man, who reported his findings to Dominican government.

John Foster, California's state underwater archaeologist, has joined the Indiana team for the research.

He said: "I look forward to a meticulous study of the ship, its age, its armament, its construction.

"Because there is extensive written documentation, this is an opportunity we rarely have to test historic information against the archaeological record."

The Adventure Galley: Captain Kidd's main vessel