In November 1717 Edward Teach by nickname Blackbeard captured a French slave trading ship off the coast of Saint Vincent and made it his flagship. The ship's original name was (Concorde) and was a 14-gun French merchant ship with a displacement of more than 200 tons. By this time, the ship had successfully made three voyages to the shores of Guinea.

Blackbeard named his flagship (Queen Anne's Revenge), probably as a memory of military service during the reign of Queen Anne. Teach gave Pierre Doss, captain of Concorde, his sloop and, in addition, all the slaves he had, with whom he safely reached Martinique.

When the pirates captured the ship, it was a three-masted ship with square sails. In accordance with pirate tradition, starting from practical needs, Teach remade the ship. He cut additional gun ports and added 26 more to the 14 existing guns. Apparently, he needed an additional gun platform and, unlike most pirate ships, Teach did not touch the quarterdeck, onto which he managed to squeeze about 10 guns. Finally, Blackbeard cut off the tank, thus revealing the cannons that stood there. Apparently to create additional firepower, the pirates installed swivel guns on the poop along the gunwale, the exact number of which is unknown. From archaeological finds it should be concluded that there were at least four cannons on each side. With 40 cannons on board, Teach had some of the strongest ships in American waters, and he was able to take full advantage of his ship's capabilities. The only one a pirate ship, larger in size than Tich's ship, was the ship Royal luck (Royal Fortune) Bartholomew Roberts. Ship owners recruited too few crews for merchant ships, skimping on sailors' wages and provisions. For example, on board a 180-ton ship that perished in 1700 off the coast of Florida Henrietta Mary (Henrietta Marie), engaged in the transportation of slaves, had a crew of only 20 people, and was armed with eight 3/4-pounder guns. As a rule, pirate ships had an overwhelming numerical superiority over any merchant crew. Even a small pirate sloop with a crew of 30 people could board a large merchant ship. And when meeting with a ship like , the merchant ship had no chance of salvation. Large pirate flagships required a large crew. In Her Majesty's Royal Navy at the beginning of the 18th century, a 40 or 50-gun ship of the 4th rank had a crew of 250 people. The crew of one gun consisted of 6/8 people. Even if we take into account that the ship was firing from only one side at a time, it becomes clear that only individual sailors controlled the ship in battle. For pirates, this ratio was approximately the same, and in addition to the gunners, the crew also included members of the boarding party. Merchant ship captain who survived the attack Blackbeard in December 1718, in his report he reported to the colonial authorities: The pirate ship was a ship of French slave traders, its armament consists of 36 cannons, the ship’s crew is very large, apparently three hundred. The pirates apparently do not experience any shortages of provisions.

Peaks of success Blackbeard reached in May 1718, when he managed to blockade the port of Charleston on the coast of South Carolina. Local residents reported: The squadron under the command of Teach himself consisted of a 40-gun ship and three sloops. The total number of crews exceeded 400 people.

The next month, he led to Topsail Bay, currently located here is the city of Beaufort (North Carolina). Here his flagship ran aground.

In 1997, archaeological work began at the site of the shipwreck. The debris is located at a depth of 7 meters. At the moment, scientists have discovered the remains of the ship itself, naval artillery (21 cannons) and ship accessories. The discovered guns were made in different countries, although the majority were made in England. The archaeological team hopes to continue the work. Musket balls, cannonballs and small arms recovered from the wreck indicate that the ship was exceptionally well armed. A ship's bell dating back to 1705, a lead syringe and other finds were discovered at the shipwreck site.

Recent archaeological research allows us to confidently say about naval artillery. Most of the pirate ship cannons were British made, cast at Wheeldon, Sussex. Among the cannons, 5 were cast in other countries, primarily in France. All non-English cannons were cast iron. Bronze cannons by that time were rare and expensive. The reliability of cast iron cannons increased noticeably in the second half of the 17th century, so bronze cannons began to fall out of use. If there were bronze cannons on the ship, they were placed in the area of ​​the ship's compass so that large masses of iron would not interfere with the operation of the device. In addition to cannons, the arsenals of pirate ships were filled with a variety of small arms, gunpowder and hand grenades.

The image of the ship is actively used in modern films about the pirate era, for example, in the fourth part Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides .

Ship reconstruction

1. Stern light. 2. Blackbeard's flag. 3. Mizzen yard. 4. Rhea. 5. Mizzen mast. 6. Mainmast. 7. Utah deck. 8. Quarterdeck. 9. Mignon (4 pounds). 10. Additional gun port. 11. Swivel cannon (1 pound). 12. 8-pounder gun. 13. Saker (6 pounds). 14. Deck beams. 15. Waist. 16. Main gun port. 17. Cut tank. 18. Foremast. 19. Sprint topsail. 20. Bowsprit. 21. Place of the figurehead (lost in a storm even before the ship was captured by pirates). 22. Cat-beam. 23. Nose. 24. Anchor (one of three). 25. Coil of cable. 26. Capstan. 27. Crew quarters. 28. Cockpit hatch. 29. Ballast (stones and spare gun barrels). 30. Water supplies. 31. Hold (archaeologists found traces of golden sand here). 32. Locker with ammunition. 33. Crew chamber. 34. Pump. 35. Ladder. 36. Capstan. 37. Rum storage and arsenal. 38. Dried food warehouse. 39. Captain's cabin. 40. Blackbeard's cabin. 41. Aft windows. 42. Stern gallery.

Fifteen people on Dead Man's Chest

Queen Anne's Revenge- the only real sailing ship from the film series "Pirates of the Caribbean", the pirate's flagship Edward Teach(Edward Teach or Edward Thatch) nicknamed Blackbeard(Blackbeard).

The sailing ship was built in 1710 in Great Britain, when in 1713 it was bought by the Spanish fleet, the ship bore the proud name “Concord” (La Concorde) and was a three-masted ship measuring approximately thirty-six by eight meters, with a displacement of three hundred tons, armed with twenty-six cannons. Neither exact information about the appearance and structure of the sailboat, nor illustrations of it were found. The only image of a sailboat is in the monograph by J. Boudriot. After the Spaniards, the ship was bought by the French. And for several years, Concorde was transporting slaves in the Caribbean. In 1717, the sailing ship was captured by pirates led by Blackbeard.

Edward Drummont(Edward Drummond), that was actually Tich's name, was an Englishman, presumably born in the 80s of the seventeenth century. During the war between England and France, the so-called "Queen Anne's War", he was a privateer and robbed French and Spanish ships in Caribbean Sea with Benjamin Hornigold. It was no coincidence that he received his nickname, since he really was the owner of a luxurious black beard, into which he wove black ribbons. He did everything to live up to the image of the most terrible pirate in the Caribbean. There was a song about him "Fifteen Men on Dead Man's Chest"- that was the name of the small island of the Caribbean Sea, where he landed 15 people from his team for an organized riot, leaving them only rum and sabers, in the hope that, after getting drunk, they would go crazy and kill each other.

The Concorde crew surrendered Blackbeard virtually without a fight. Two small sloops captured an almost three-ton ship. So great was Blackbeard's fame among Caribbean sailors. What is noteworthy is that the pirates did not kill the crew of the sailing ship, but simply landed everyone on the nearest island, leaving them with one of their sloops.

Renamed Concorde to "Queen Anne's Revenge" and made it his flagship. The ship was partially rebuilt and its armament increased to forty guns. The number of the ship's pirate crew was up to 150 people.

In two years Blackbeard robbed about forty ships, and now led a whole flotilla of pirate ships (another famous ship of Edward Teach - “Adventure”).

The most famous of all Teach's antics was the blockade of the entrance to the harbor of Charleston (South Carolina) in May 1718. And already in June of the same year "Queen Anne's Revenge" ran aground and then sank in Topsail Bay off the coast of North Carolina (the area of ​​what is now Beaufort Bay).
According to some sources Blackbeard was shipwrecked while trying to hide from his pursuers; according to another version (which is more likely), the ship was scuttled on purpose, since the pirate no longer needed this sailing ship, widely known among seafarers. He himself was killed on November 22, 1718 by the English lieutenant Robert Maynard, who was hired specifically for this by the Governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood.

Since then about adventures Blackbeard and its famous sailing ship is the stuff of legends; its prototype is in the works of Daniel Defoe and Robert Stevenson. But the pirate and the ship became most famous thanks to the film

It so happened that more than two centuries later, exactly on the day of Teach’s death, on November 22, 1996, divers of the Intersol group in Beaufort Bay (North Carolina) found an anchor claw sticking out of the silt.

Anchor of the sailboat “Queen Anne's Revenge”

After the examination, it became known that the anchor belonged to the legendary sailing ship "Queen Anne's Revenge". The search continued, and the collection of the North Carolina Maritime Museum was replenished with many exhibits from the famous sailing ship. These are several cannons, weapons, a ship's bell (dated 1709), a large number of cannonballs, and navigational instruments. In the spring of 2012, work began on raising the wreck of the ship.

Model of a sailboat at the North Carolina Museum

Added: 01/17/2012

Queen Anne's Revenge. Model from the North Carolina Maritime Museum

Queen Anne's Revenge

Thanks to the vigorous activity of the film industry, this ship has recently become widely known even in circles far from historians of sea piracy. However, unlike other ships of the pirate epic, Queen Anne's Revenge is a real ship, the flagship of the well-known pirate Edward Teach or Edward Thatch, nicknamed Blackbeard.

To be fair, it must be said that Blackbeard, as a fictional character, became widely known long before Pirates of the Caribbean. Both D. Defoe and Stevenson (the prototype of Flint) wrote about him. This is not to mention the countless myths and legends.

Everyone knows "...fifteen people for a dead man's chest...".
More correctly, “...on Dead Man’s Chest...” - an island in the Caribbean Sea measuring 200 square meters. meters, where, according to legend, Teach landed 15 people from his team, who rebelled against the cruelty and extravagance of the captain. Having provided them only with sabers and rum - a bottle per brother - Blackbeard hoped that the rebels would go crazy from thirst, hunger, heat and kill each other.
The legend says - everyone survived.
By the way, the English “Yo-ho-ho” is not our “O-ho-ho”, but rather “One-two-take”

Edward Teach, Antique engraving

Edward Teach (real name Edward Drummond) was born in England around 1680. During the Anglo-French "Queen Anne's War" (1702-1713) he traded in privateering, and later joined Benjamin Hornigold, who robbed French and Spanish ships in Caribbean Sea.

Queen Anne's Revenge was previously a three-masted French ship, La Concorde, whose crew was actively involved in the slave trade.

In November 1717, a detachment of pirates under the command of Blackbeard on 2 small sloops captured Concord, a well-armed 300-ton ship.

A little later, when Hornigold, in the hope of an amnesty, retired, Blackbeard led the pirates who joined him, making Concorde his flagship and renaming her Queen Anne's Revenge. According to eyewitnesses, it was a ship that had excellent seaworthiness, initially having 26 guns, it was re-armed by Tich and carried up to 40 guns and 150 crew.

By the way, during the expropriation of Concord, the French suffered only “financial and moral losses” - they, along with their slaves, were landed on the nearest shore and, moreover, one of the pirate sloops was allocated to them as compensation.

Restored cannon. Exhibit at the North Carolina Maritime Museum

1717 and almost all of 1718 were very successful for Blackbeard - his flotilla grew to 4 ships (another famous ship of Edward Teach - "Adventure"), the crew numbered more than 300 pirates. They robbed over 40 ships, undertook coastal raids and naval blockades (the famous blockade of Charlestown in South Carolina). However, by this time, the governors of the Bohamian Islands and especially Virginia were taking a number of measures to combat coastal piracy.

In June 1718 Queen Anne's Revenge ran aground and then sank in Topsail Bay - the area of ​​​​present Beaufort Inlet. According to one version, Blackbeard tried to hide from his pursuers in secluded places in North Carolina and could not cope with the difficult shipping situation in this water area. According to another, Teach intentionally ran the ship aground, because... After this incident, abandoning his crew, he disappeared with a small group of pirates and all the loot on a small sloop. And he no longer needed Queen Anne's Revenge herself, since she was too noticeable and too famous in these waters.

In the summer and autumn of 1718, Blackbeard undertook a number of pirate forays, but on November 22, English Lieutenant Robert Maynard, hired by the Governor of Virginia, Spotswood, overtook Teach's ship. The pirate leader was killed in hand-to-hand combat.

Exactly 278 years later, on November 22, 1996, a rusted anchor was discovered under water in the Beaufort area, and then the remains of an ancient ship. Subsequent underwater work and laboratory studies of artifacts raised from the bottom allow us to assert with increasing confidence that the found ship was precisely Queen Anne's Revenge - Queen Anne's Revenge(although a huge number of ships and vessels - several hundred! - were wrecked in these waters at various times)

Work on this find continues to this day. Underwater research, laboratory research, work in archives... And as usually happens in such cases, a new discovery gives rise to new questions...

What did he look like? La Concorde - Queen Anne's Revenge?
The answer to this question has not yet been found. However, it is unlikely that his appearance corresponded to the cinematic one. Researchers such as David Moore, an employee of the North Carolina Maritime Museum, prefer an image more consistent with that presented in the monograph by J. Boudriot (J. Boudriot Monographie LE MERCURE - Navire marchand 1730)

If you would like to keep up to date with the latest research developments Queen Anne's Revenge We recommend visiting the site

Concept art for the film “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”.

Captain Edward Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard:

Blackbeard's Saber - Sword of Triton.
Interesting note, the design of the Sword of Triton features a trident throughout. In the fifth film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Jack, according to the plot, will have to find the Trident of Poseidon, which gives power over the seas. Let us remember that Blackbeard’s saber is now in Barbossa’s possession. I wonder what the creators are preparing for us, and how it will all be connected?

This photo, taken by Peter Mountain, shows Blackbeard (Ian McShane) lifting the supernatural Sword of Triton. The sword was designed by artist Miles Teeves.
With Triton's sword, Blackbeard is able to animate his ship, creating what the film's screenwriters Ted Eliot and Terry Rossio described as "a massive web of ropes and rigging, intersecting here and there, all the pirates ensnared, tied up, caught like flies." This can be seen in the illustration below by Wil Medoc Riis.

Blackbeard's captain's cabin on the ship "Queen Anne's Revenge":

Stained glass depicting hellfire:

"We thought it would be cool if Blackbeard's cabin had a stained glass window at the rear of the ship, lit by a huge lantern from the outside," says John Mair. “For me it was the light that created the atmosphere of the cabin - an angry, agitated flame moving in the window.”

The interior of Blackbeard's cabin, as sketched by Dean Tschetter, was built in "Sound B" at Pinewood Studios in London and included a large section with a window. “We had a lot of fun designing the set,” says Mair, “because in our version Blackbeard had supernatural powers, so we threw a lot of occult stuff around as well as normal navigational gear. You have all his power and wealth and spoils, but also a fantastic layer of magic and alchemy.”

Blackbeard's ship "Queen Anne's Revenge":

A colossal, eerily beautiful, brutal beast of the seas, the Queen Anne's Revenge, as depicted by illustrator Wil Madoc Riis, is Blackbeard's vessel and the embodiment of his own dark version of life... and death. “It’s amazing to work on a pirate film and design the ship,” enthuses John Mair. “Because the Black Pearl is not physically featured in the story, Disney asked us to use the ship as the basis for Queen Anne's Revenge.” So we literally just cut off the top of the ship and were then free to do whatever we wanted.

I wanted Queen Anne's Revenge to look like the most commanding ship on all the seas. Designing something like Queen Anne's Revenge is what I love most about working on films. I started painting all these beautiful baroque details for the ship, which gave it a rich and elegant look. We showed the drawings to Jerry Bruckheimer and the film's director, Rob Marshall, and they liked them. But Jerry said something interesting: that "Blackbeard has to be the scariest pirate ever in a PKM movie." Jerry said that since the most famous pirate flag is a skull and crossbones, we should figure out how to weave skulls and skeletons into the ornaments, decorations and design of the ship. And I agreed: “Yes, what a great idea!” I remember Ossuary, the famous “Church of Bones” in Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic. This is an amazing church, which is decorated with bones. And I thought, "Wow, what if, instead of doing all these complicated carvings, I just used the bones of Blackbeard's victims as the design for Queen Anne's Revenge?" So we made moldings from arm bones, leg bones, jaw bones, and a wall of skulls, based on the idea of ​​Blackbeard burning his victims in a giant lantern at the bow of the ship."

“The carving placed above the breakwater of Queen Anne's Revenge is based on Blackbeard's real-life flag, a horned skeleton holding a wine sponge in one hand and a spear in the other, as if he were toasting the victims,” notes John Mair.

The famous ossuary of the Czech Republic.
When coming to the Czech Republic, many tourists first go to the famous ossuary in the city of Kutna Hora. This unique chapel fascinates and at the same time frightens with its mystical appearance.
It has existed for several hundred years. The uniqueness of this chapel is that it is essentially a cemetery for 40 thousand people. Its existence began when in the 13th century one of the abbots of a nearby monastery, after a trip to Jerusalem, brought a handful of earth from there and scattered it in the cemetery. It was after this that this land also began to be considered sacred and all the dead were brought here for burial. During these years, a plague epidemic broke out in the Czech Republic and people began to die out in the hundreds. There was not enough space in the cemetery, and human remains were dug up and stored in the basement of the chapel. Thus, more than 40 thousand deaths have accumulated. Then the owner of this land commissioned one of the craftsmen to decorate the interior with human bones. Bones were used as building material. They have been carefully processed, bleached and disinfected. This kind of ossuary has survived to this day. Over time, the chapel was restored several times. The last changes here took place in the 19th century. Now it is made in the Gothic Baroque style.

Absolutely every interior detail in the chapel is made of bones, from the ceiling to the vases and chandeliers. Visiting this place, many tourists are breathtaking from the beauty and at the same time fear from the human remains. The whole meaning of this structure lies in the inevitability of death and its mercilessness.

Famous designers worked on the overall interior, combining the naturalness of bones with high art. Particular emphasis here is placed on the crosses, altar and wall inscriptions. All this is brought together and forms a complete picture, which bears the appearance of death.

Blackbeard's flag. Concept development:

The real flag of the Blackbeard Pirates:

The flag depicts a skeleton holding an hourglass (a symbol of the inevitability of death) and preparing to pierce a human heart with a spear. The flag was supposed to warn oncoming ships about the danger of resisting pirates - in this case, all prisoners would face a cruel death. For some time, instead of a skeleton, the flag depicted a pirate.