In 2007, a shipwreck was discovered just off the coast of Catalina Island in the Dominican Republic. Fortunately, it was reported to the authorities who promptly asked a team of marine archaeologists to investigate. After a quick survey, the team proposed that the wreck, which had numerous cannons, was from the mid-seventeenth to early eighteenth centuries. This matched the time period and last known location of the Quedagh Merchant, a ship abandoned by Captain William Kidd in 1699, while he returned to Boston to answer charges that he was a pirate. The ship was believed to have been burned at about that time by Kidd’s Dominican colleagues. Kidd fared no better, as he was determined to be a pirate, sent to London, tried, and hanged. Stories of buried treasure abounded, and the wreck of the Quedagh Merchant was much sought after but never found. Until 2007.
This engaging volume tells the story of professional marine archaeologists from Indiana University who mapped and studied the wreck using the latest techniques and technology. They also made extensive use of historical documents, largely from Kidd’s trial, to match the wreck to descriptions of the ship and its contents. The historical documentation and the features of the wreck were determined to closely match the Quedagh Merchant, making a very high probability that this is the ship. Kidd left no treasure behind on the ship, taking it with him to New England, thus making the wreck an unlikely target to treasure hunters who destroy many shipwrecks. The next challenge was how best to manage and preserve the wreck.
Located in thirty feet of water near the shore, the wreck of the Quedagh Merchant was an excellent candidate for preservation in place and the subsequent development of an underwater museum accessible to the general public. The Dominican Republic is actively promoting tourism, and this wreck was an opportunity to further that development, while also preserving an important historical site. The author carefully explains the legal and practical challenges in developing this living museum. This then becomes a blueprint for turning a major historical wreck into a marine protected area for the general public and the preservation and educational programs that goes with it. In 2011, the Captain Kidd Living Museum in the Sea was dedicated. Secondary exhibits also opened in London where Kidd was hanged and in Indianapolis.
Captain Kidd’s Lost Ship covers both the theoretical issues of marine archaeology as well as its practical application. It is also a fantastic case study of the identification, investigation, and permanent preservation a wonderful piece of history.
