BEAUFORT – A 4 ½-foot grapnel (a small four-pronged anchor) resting loosely in the sand will be brought up from the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, Oct. 21, near Beaufort. A team of N.C. Department of Cultural Resources archaeologists and conservators will turn to recovery instead of maintenance and preservation at the site of the wreck of the presumed Queen Anne’s Revenge, Blackbeard’s flagship. The resting grapnel has become more unstable due to wave action after nearly 300 years in the sea. It is too vulnerable to be exposed to possible storms until next year when a full scale expedition is planned. There will be a Thursday, Oct. 22, morning showing of the grapnel at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort and an afternoon showing at the QAR Conservation Lab in Greenville.
WHO: Archaeologists Mark Wilde-Ramsing and Chris Southerly, Conservators Wendy Welsh and Shanna Daniel, and other team members
WHAT: Display of wrought iron grapnel – two prongs remain
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 22, 9:30 -10:30 a.m. at N.C. Maritime Museum; 1-3 p.m. at QAR Conservation Lab. MEDIA ONLY at Conservation Lab.
WHERE: N.C. Maritime Museum, Beaufort; QAR Conservation Lab, Greenville.
The QAR Shipwreck Project (www.qaronline.org) in the Underwater Archaeology Branch and the N.C. Maritime Museum are part of the Department of Cultural Resources. For additional information on the project call the Public Information Office at 919-807-7389 or the QAR lab at (252) 744-6721. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Now podcasting 24/7 with information about the Department of Cultural Resources available at www.ncculture.com.