It may indeed be the revenge of Blackbeard to be the most remembered of all American pirates. That is probably why the finding of what is believed to be his flagship Queen Anne's Revenge is intriguing and has brought thousands of people to Beaufort and the Crystal Coast.

Located by the private firm Intersal in 1996 and currently being excavated by the State of North Carolina, the wreckage is producing strong evidence that the ship found is, in fact, the notorious pirate's doomed vessel. Discovered in 20 feet of water less than 2 miles off historic Fort Macon, the find includes numerous cannon, small arms and other eighteenth-century seafaring items. Some of these items are on exhibit at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort. As far as American colonial history is concerned, the Queen Anne's Revenge recovery is classified as a major twentieth-century archaeological find.

In some ways, probably more is known of Blackbeard's main ship than of the pirate himself, who despite any legendary portrayal, is not known to have killed a single person. But he captured many a ship in the years from 1716 to 1718 in his short pirate career that ended in November 1718 with his head hanging from the bowsprit of a British ship. That Blackbeard lived in Bath, North Carolina, where he bought a house and filled it with lavish furnishings, is based more on legend than fact. Blackbeard's fierce countenance was a result of burning cannon fuses hanging from his wild beard and broad hat and three sets of pistols in his belt. This is probably the most recorded, and painted, image of the man.

But history and legend often intertwine, and separating fact from fiction is not always easy. For example, you can pick up several biographies of Blackbeard, but where dialogue begins is the end of fact and the beginning of fancy. Besides Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard also commanded several additional pirate vessels, including Stede Bonnet’s Revenge and the sloop Adventure.

The excavation for what is dubbed QAR has been actively pursued and the diving is continuing. Among the items raised are cannons, shards from large lead-glazed storage containers, salt-glazed stoneware, large iron barrel hoops and several pewter dinner plates and platters with identifying English maker's marks. They also recovered remains of bag shot, wads of lead shot of varying sizes imprinted with cloth fabric. Among the most prized artifacts found was the bronze ship's bell. It bears the date 1705 and the inscription "IHS Maria," which historians believe refers to Jesus and Mary. It is thought that the bell may have been looted from a victim ship. A second unmarked bell was recovered in 2006.

Queen Anne's Revenge was originally a slave ship named Concorde operating out of Nantes, France, as early as 1713. Prior to this there is a good chance the ship was a privateer during Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713), making for a very interesting career.

In Blackbeard's time, the days of piracy were numbered. The Caribbean and colonial governments were souring on the common practice of pirating. It had been a lovely arrangement for a while to avoid duty payments to the Crown of England. Everyone profited. Pirates sold stolen merchandise to merchants who were able to make greater profits. But when cargoes that wealthy officials and merchants had invested in were intercepted, that's when the pirates became hunted criminals.

Presumed literate, Blackbeard was a genius at marketing an image. A statuesque man, he wore a full black beard when beards weren't the style. His hair was long and he wore it thickly braided, probably like dreadlocks, at sea. For attacks, he braided his beard, which sprouted from just under his eyes. In his hair and beard, he laced fuse cords used to ignite cannons. When he appeared on the deck of Queen Anne's Revenge to demand the surrender of a halted vessel he had guns and knives strapped to himself and was surrounded by smoke like a demon from Hell. So effective was the image that more than 50 ships are known to have surrendered to Blackbeard, as well as one city — Charleston, South Carolina — from which he demanded medicine to treat his crew for various diseases. In fact, there are no recorded battles with ships of Blackbeard's fleet except for the battle at Ocracoke. Ships simply surrendered.