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This is the first time archaeologists have found the remains of a pirate ship ‘in the heart of Barbary.’
The term ‘Barbary’ referred to much of the western North African coast—from modern-day Morocco to Libya—named for the Berber people who lived there.
Who and What Was Found
Underwater archaeologists from Odyssey Marine Exploration (OME), a Florida-based company that searches for sunken ships, discovered the wreck of a small 17th-century pirate vessel known as a ‘Barbary corsair.’
The archaeologists found the wreck in 2005 but couldn’t publish details until a comprehensive historical study was completed. An article outlining the findings and the ship’s fate was just published in Wreckwatch by OME founder and expedition leader Greg Stemm.
The team located the pirate ship site at about 830 meters depth while searching for the remains of the 80-gun English warship HMS Sussex, which sank in the area in 1694. The 2005 expedition also turned up remnants of ancient Roman and Phoenician vessels nearby.
Greg Stemm told Live Science that, as often happens when searching for a specific ship, the team discovered numerous previously unseen sites.
The ‘Barbary corsair’ surprised researchers by carrying a cargo of pots, pans, and other metal goods manufactured in Algeria, suggesting the pirates may have been disguising the vessel as a merchant ship. At the same time, some artifacts indicate the ship also carried stolen goods.
What Else Is Known About the Ship
The vessel measured about 14 meters long and was likely a tartan—a small ship with triangular sails on two masts that could also be propelled by oars.
Archaeologists examined the wreck with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The ROV showed the roughly twenty-man crew was well-armed, with cannons and numerous muskets. Researchers also found a rare spyglass that the pirates likely seized from a European ship.
The initial discoverers say the pirate ship may have been heading toward the Spanish coast to capture and enslave people.
From the 15th through the 19th century, Barbary pirates posed a serious threat to ships and coastal communities across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Captives taken during corsair raids were ransomed or sold into slavery, often on slave markets in Algeria.
North African corsair activity largely ended in the early 19th century after defeats in the Barbary Wars by the United States, Sweden, and the Kingdom of Sicily.
