Cultural Resources Sec. Susan Kluttz was one of the first people in almost 300 years to see cannons used on Blackbeard’s flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, as they were recovered from the seafloor late last week. The raising of the two cannons was the culmination of the spring dive season led by state archaeologists in concert with a number of partners and supporters. She was thrilled to be able to witness such a momentous occasion. “I’m so proud for North Carolina.” Sec. Kluttz told a reporter from the Jacksonville Daily News after seeing the first cannon raised. “This is such an incredible historic day for our state, and a thrill for me to see something come up from the ocean for the first time in nearly 300 years.”
After visiting the shipwreck site, the secretary also spent time meeting with key project supporters, including Bucky and Wendy Oliver, who hosted a boat trip to the site and whose support has been key in allowing work on the project to continue.
The trip was a follow up to two trips held in previous weeks to the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort, where Sec. Kluttz got to see artifacts from the Queen Anne’s Revenge (QAR) project that have been fully conserved and participated in a live stream to nearly 500 classrooms around the country. She’s now seen three parts of the QAR process—underwater archeology, completed conservation and education—and she’s looking forward to seeing a fourth—conservation work in the lab—in the coming weeks. Though the spring dive season is coming to a close, state archaeologists will head back to the site for a fall dive beginning in August and continuing through October. Check back here and on the project website for updates!
A cannon is raised from the Queen Anne's Revenge shipwreck