Blackbeard’s anchor recovered

Thanks to Irwin Bryan for the passing the article along.

Captain William Kidd

The notorious pirate Captain William Kidd was executed three hundred and ten years ago this month, yet is far from forgotten.  A new exhibit is opening on May 20th at the Museum of London Dockyards – Pirates:  The Captain Kidd Story.   Also the wreck of the Quedagh Merchant, abandoned by Captain Kidd, is being dedicated as a “Living Museum of the Sea” by Indiana University and the government of the Dominican Republic.

Museum of London Docklands to host new Pirate exhibition

The exhibition, which is timed to coincide with Kidd’s execution on 23 May 1701 in Wapping, will explore the myths and mysteries surrounding common perceptions of pirates.

Exhibits in display will include Kidd’s last letter with the promise of hidden treasure, a Vivienne Westwood outfit from her 1981 ‘Pirates’ collection and images of the Quedah Merchant ship wreck, the vessel captured by Kidd on January 30, 1698.

Tom Wareham, Curator of Maritime History at the Museum of London Docklands, said the exhibition “will help people understand the close connection between the pirates of the high seas and the London that funded their activities.

“The skull and crossbones may not have fluttered over ships in the Thames, but many of the pirates themselves were here at one time or another. Our most famous pirate, Captain Kidd, was enmeshed in intrigue that involved corrupt MPs and the mighty East India Company. This exhibition will not only tell Kidd’s story but use some of his actual letters and documents to help bring him back to life.”

Pirates: The Captain Kidd Story opens on Friday 20 May 2011 at the Museum of London Docklands and runs until Sunday 30 October 2011.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the article along.

Capt. Kidd shipwreck site to be dedicated ‘Living Museum of the Sea’ by Indiana University

Nearly three years after the discovery of the shipwreck Quedagh Merchant, abandoned by the scandalous 17th century pirate Captain William Kidd, the underwater site will be dedicated as a “Living Museum of the Sea” by Indiana University, IU researcher and archeologist 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 hanging in London for his ‘crimes of piracy.’

Somali pirate: I made $2.4 mln from ransoms in 2010

Only two years after deciding to join in the piracy rampant off the Somalian coast, Saeed Yare is a dollar multi-millionaire.

“It is not an easy job being a pirate. You gamble with your life, but I enjoy being a piracy tycoon,” says the slim 27-year-old, dressed in a sharp suit he says is Italian.

“The piracy business is like a presidential seat, you don’t want to give it up once you taste its sweetness. A friend of mine died in the recent navy operation — but he left one million dollars!” Yare said, referring to a botched rescue attempt that left four U.S. citizens dead.

Yare said he made $2.4 million in 2010: $1.2 million for investing in the venture that led to the hijacking of the British-flagged Asian Glory, another $700,000 for Saudi tanker Al Nisr Al Saudi and $500,000 for Bulgarian vessel Panega.

“I earned more cash after investing in two operations and personally participating in a separate hijacking, all were successful,” he said.

“I spent some of the cash on weapons, private bodyguards, luxury cars, trucks, a boat and three villas. And I still have enough to use until another ship is hijacked.”

Armed pirate gangs have made millions of dollars striking at ships in the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean, as far south as the Seychelles islands and eastwards towards India.

Yare abandoned a lucrative trade in khat, a sure-fire route to amassing riches in the Horn of Africa country, when he saw former fishermen getting even richer by piracy.

He befriended a pirate who advised him to “invest” $80,000 to help carry out a hijacking and expect a 50 percent return of $120,000 once ransom was paid.

“I got inspired to be a pure pirate in 2009. First, I set off into the sea with them and captured a Saudi oil tanker that made us lick our fingers — a hell of a lot of cash!”