| dc.description.abstract | Queen Anne’s Revenge is one of the most infamous pirate vessels from the Golden Age of Piracy and represents multiple historical narratives due to its varied career in the first two decades of the 18th century. The vessel wrecked in 1718 off the coast of North Carolina when it was under the command of Blackbeard, who had used the vessel to blockade the port of present-day Charleston. Before the vessel was used as a pirate flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge served as a French slaver, and possibly a privateer. This varied career, during which the vessel extensively traveled the Atlantic, endowed the wreck site with a distinctive artifact assemblage that demonstrates the fluidity of national borders, trade routes, and traditions of Atlantic seafaring during the first decades of the 18th century. A small assemblage of rigging elements was recovered from the wreck, and while the quantity of diagnostic rigging components recovered thus far is smaller than other assemblages from contemporary wrecks, it is still possible to derive useful information to assist in the study of an early 18th century slaver and pirate flagship. The following thesis presents a study of the rigging assemblage of Queen Anne’s Revenge, as well as a basic reconstruction of the rig, and an overview of the relevant iconographical data. Together, this information describes a vessel that represents a blending of national traditions and demonstrates the changeable nature of a ship’s rig from the Golden Age of Piracy. | en |
