YO-HO, YO-HO... In 1697, Captain William Kidd prepared his ship ~ the Adventure Galley ~ to sail the high seas and put an end to pirates who were wreaking havoc on trade routes of the East India Company. The Adventure Galley was a spectacular fighting ship, designed for speed and mobility, armed with 34 big guns and more than 100 men. But somewhere along the way, Captain Kidd began attacking merchant ships as well as pirate ships.

A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR KIDD. In February of 1698, Kidd came across the Quedagh Merchant, an Indian vessel supposedly sailing under the French flag. Kidd captured the ship and its cargo: gold, jewels, silk, sugar, and guns. This was a major embarrassment to England, who had hired Kidd. Had he turned to piracy? That seemed to be the case.

BUSY PIRATES, HAPPY PIRATES. Kidd and his crew of 150 were such busy pirates that they literally worked their ship to death. She was leaking like a sieve and the man-operated pumps were not enough to keep her from sinking. Cable had to be wrapped around the ship just to hold her together.

FAREWELL TO THE ADVENTURE GALLEY. Kidd transferred his riches to the captured Quedagh Merchant. Then Kidd sailed to Ile Ste. Marie in Madagascar, a known pirate haven. There, in the shallow harbor, the Adventure Galley remained for decades. Passing ships and Royal Navy vessels reported seeing her ghostly ribs sticking out of the water. Fianlly she sank beneath the sea.

I DIDN'T DO IT. Eventually, in the Quedagh Merchant, Kidd sailed to New York to clear his name. He was sent to England, where he was convicted of five counts of piracy, and sentenced to death.

THE MYSTERY. But what became of the Adventure Galley and the treasure? It remained hidden... until now.

EXPLORER OF THE NEW MILENNIUM. In January of 2000, explorer Barry Clifford and his team went to Madagascar, in search of the Adventure Galley. He figured the Adventure Galley "still had to be here because nothing has changed in this bay since Kidd left." Clifford launched a two week search w/a bteam of divers.

HOW TO FIND A SUNKEN PIRATE SHIP. One of Kidd's men had reported that they left the Adventure Galley in a spot "convenient to the careening area."

WORD OF THE DAY. Careening was a process for cleaning and repairing a beached ship while she lay on her side, and it had to be done on a sloping sandy beach. Clifford found the careening area.

LUCKY BARRY CLIFFORD. Then Clifford got even luckier. Ships that came to be careened were completely unloaded before being pulled onto the beach to make them lighter. Ballast, cannons, utensils, treasure... all were removed first. But this was not the case with the Adventure Galley. The sailors took their share of the loot and left, burning the ship behind them. That meant that the wreck of the Adventure Galley would contain much of interest.

SEARCHING FOR SHIP GRAVEYARDS BENEATH THE SEA. Ballast stones are usually the first sign that a wooden shipwreck has been found. Since stones do not break down in salt water, the ballast stones mark the site of an old shipwreck the way a pile of stones might mark a grave in an Old West graveyard.

JACKPOT. Barry Clifford found not only ballast stones. He found fragments of china. And within the ballast pile, his metal detector revealed that the pile was "hot," meaning it contained metal pieces. An on-site archaeologist confirmed that the porcelain was of the right period to be among Kidd's captured treasure. In fact, the ballast mound was full of what appeared to be a tipped-over china cabinet.

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! A sweep of the area also revealed: an empty rum bottle from Kidd's period, ship fittings including an entire oarlock, a large cannon , and burned (oak) wood. If Clifford could find the remains of the November, a small Dutch ship that the Adventure Galley captured and that burned beside the Adventure Galley, Clifford could be certain he had found Kidd's ship.

WHOO-HOO. February 1, he found just that. In a second expedition that June, Clifford and his team found more: some abandoned gold coins. Kidd's treasure was never found. But now, three centuries later, we have another treasure ~ a window into Captain Kidd's world.

LINK FOR MORE.

Diving for Captain Kidd's Sunken Ship.

The Legend of Captain Kidd.

Who's Who of Pirates.

Sing along with Captain Kidd.

Captain Kidd. A brief bio.

Seeking Pirate Treasure.