Pirates are an iconic part of world history. Conquerors of the seas, pirate ships were known to cause havoc for those transporting goods between countries. Over the years, many pirate ships were struck down in violent conflicts with other ships or military vessels.
These pirate ships often went down with their bounty, leading to dozens of hordes of "pirate treasure" on the ocean floor. As time has gone on, treasure hunters have dedicated their lives to unlocking the secret troves of these long-gone pirates.
There are a lot of lesser-known facts about pirates that make tracking their ships complicated. Since these marauding crews were not on any planned route, even finding their sunken ships has proven challenging.
These challenges are why this recent unexpected pirate discovery in the ocean between Morocco and Spain is so exciting. Originally found by researchers looking for an entirely different ship, the Barbary corsair (the name of the type of ship found) is providing key insight into the history of pirates in the Algiers, Algeria region.
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Discovery Of The Pirate Ship
Barbary Corsair Flag
So, how exactly does one accidentally find a pirate ship? As previously mentioned, sunken ships are hardly anything new on the ocean floor, although identifying them is often easier said than done.
Many ships, like the Andrea Gail, among others, were never found, despite evidence and records of where they last went. Such was the case of this discovery, which was the accidents byproduct of another shipwreck hunt.
The Odyssey Marine Exploration (OME) was on the hunt for the HMS Sussex when they found the exciting pirate discovery. The old English warship was believed to hold a vast collection of weapons artifacts, as well as literal treasure.
While the HMS Sussex didn't make its grand entrance during that expedition, an equally significant discovery managed to appear.
HMS Sussex
Type of Ship
80-gun English warship
Year Lost
1694
Suspected Location
Mediterranean Sea
The HMS Sussex has since been found as well, but studies on the shipwreck have been limited by arguments over the wreck's location.
Preserved Treasures Of The Surprise Pirate Ship
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Shipwrecks are some of the best places to find artifacts of the past, preserved by the icy waters and protected from many elements. Many unique and strange things have been found on the Titanic shipwreck, and it seems this Barbary corsair has protected even more archaeological treasures.
It may not have been an 80-gun warship, but there was no shortage of weaponry on the surprise Barbary corsair. The shipwreck had four large cannons, 10 swivel guns, and more than enough muskets to arm the entirety of its 20-person crew.
Weapons weren't the only thing found on the pirate ship. Numerous pots and pans from Algiers were found aboard, suggesting that the pirates may have masqueraded as a trade ship while out on their exploits.
More unique finds, like a spyglass, ceramics, and other bowls, were also found, sitting perfectly preserved in the deep ocean waters.
These exciting finds not only paint a picture of life aboard the now sunken vessel, they help scientists narrow down the time frame for the ship.
The glass artifacts in particular are very helpful in identifying a timeframe for the shipwreck. Based on the blown glass found on the Barbary corsair, the pirate ship likely roamed the ocean somewhere between 1740-1760.
Surprise Barbary Corsair Discovery
Year Originally Found
2005
Notable Artifacts Found
Cannons, Swivel guns, Muskets, Spyglass, Bowls, Pots and Pans, Ceramics
Estimated Year Lost
1760
While shipworms, the termites of the sea, have eaten away at the top levels of the Barbary corsair, limiting information, researchers believe that the pirate ship went down in a storm sometime around 1760.
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The Pirates Of Algiers
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Zooming out, the question remains, who were these pirates that left this massive ship at the bottom of the ocean?
Many Caribbean islands have a real pirate history associated with them, and indeed the "Pirates of the Caribbean" are the most famous bandits of the ocean, they were far from the only maritime robbers in history.
Famous pirates have been traced to many port cities, including Captain Black Sam, who went down in Cape Cod in the US, but the most ruthless pirates are believed to have roamed the waters between Europe and Africa.
These pirates were likely based out of Algiers in what is today Algeria. A major hub for pirates, Algiers corsairs struck dread into all of those forced to traverse the Mediterranean Sea.
In fact, the piracy business was much bigger in Algiers than it was in the Caribbean, and started much earlier as well. These pirates terrorized entire nations, pillaging coastal towns from Morocco all the way to Spain.
Algiers pirates and their heavily-armed corsairs commanded the seas from the 17th century well into the 19th century, when the Second Barbary War finally brought about their end. The ship discovered in 2005, however, seems to have been a remnant from the pirate's heyday.
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Pirates are a well-known part of maritime history, having caused terror for trade and cargo ships for centuries. While looking for the HMS Sussex off the coast of Morocco, scientists made a surprising discovery.
A Barbary corsair, or pirate ship, with ties to Algiers, Algeria, was found on the seafloor. On the ship were caches of weapons, as well as more mundane day-to-day artifacts. A unique find, the ship helps complete the picture of what life was like aboard some of the most feared pirate ships in Europe and Africa.
References: Live Science; Historic UK; Britannica