Whydah Gally
Galley/Slave Ship, Later Pirate Vessel · Great Britain · Lost 1717 · Cape Cod & Nantucket Shoals
A former slave ship turned pirate flagship under Captain Samuel Bellamy, wrecked in an April 1717 storm off Wellfleet and later confirmed as the only fully authenticated pirate wreck found in North America.
Bailey R. Glessner
See Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in London in 1716 as a galley for the slave trade, the Whydah Gally was captured by the pirate Samuel Bellamy in 1717 and became his flagship. Laden with plunder, she was driven ashore and wrecked in a violent storm off what is now Wellfleet, Massachusetts, with the loss of most aboard. The wreck lay undisturbed until diver Barry Clifford located it in 1984. Recovery of a bell inscribed with the ship's name confirmed the identification, and excavation has continued for decades.
Vessel
- 1716
- Not established
- London, England
- Wood
- 100 ft
- Not established
- 300
- Sail
- Sir Humphry Morice; later Captain Samuel Bellamy (as prize)
Loss
- April 26, 1717
- Storm
- Off Marconi Beach, Wellfleet, Cape Cod
- Atlantic Ocean
- Atlantic coastal waters (pirate cruise)
- Plundered treasure and goods from captured vessels
- 146
- 144
- Samuel Bellamy
The Wreck Today
- 16 ft
- Scattered and deeply buried site in a high-energy nearshore environment; artifacts recovered over decades of excavation.
- Not established
- 1984
- Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources permitted site.
Position
- 41.93° N 69.98° W
- Approximate position
- Wellfleet, Massachusetts
General nearshore area of the excavation off Wellfleet; precise site coordinates are not publicly disclosed.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (88/100)
Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources
Loss circumstances, casualty estimate, and excavation history.
Historical background and artifact recovery narrative.
