Published: October 23, 2009
Op-Ed Contributor
Divers Recover Blackbeard's Anchor
By Robert Paul Reyes
"An anchor from the shipwreck believed to be Blackbeard's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, has been raised and can be viewed by the public Thursday before conservation of the artifact begins.
The four-and-a half-foot grapnel, a small four-pronged anchor, has been resting loosely in the sand on the ocean's bottom and was considered too vulnerable to leave exposed to possible storms until the full-scale expedition, state officials said." Read More
Blackbeard was one of the most notorious pirates in history, he plundered ships great and small in the Caribbean Sea during the early 18th century. Blackbeard had lit matches woven into his beard during battle to intimidate his enemies.
Blackbeard was such an intimidating figure that parents used to warn their children to be good or Blackbeard was going to kidnap them.
Blackbeard has been immortalized in American popular culture in books, movies, plays and even video games. But now Blackbeard is once again being viewed as a historical person rather than an archetype or a popular figure in the entertainment realm.
Blackbeard's anchor is tangible evidence that this loathsome creature once lived and terrorized innocent persons. The anchor will be displayed at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort. I'd rather see Blackbeard's anchor than view the gazillionth sequel of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Robert Paul Reyes is a NewsBlaze writer on Politics, Pop Culture and Pointless Pontificating. Contact him by writing to NewsBlaze.
* The views of Opinion writers do not necessarily reflect the views of NewsBlaze
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