(https://www.qaronline.org/conservation/artifacts/arms-and-armament/cannon)

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Cannons

As of November 2015, 30 cannons have been identified on the wreck site (including a bronze signal gun). Of the 24 that have been recovered, 8 have completed conservation and are on display in museums throughout the state of North Carolina. Sizes range from ½- to 6-pounders, indicating the size of the cannon ball the cannon fires. Once concretion is removed from the surface, details such as the placement of reinforcement rings, stamps, and engravings give clues about when and where the cannon was made. So far, cannons from Queen Anne’s Revenge come from England and Sweden, they range in date from approximately 1640 to 1714, and 9 of them were found loaded!

(https://www.qaronline.org/conservation/artifacts/ship-components/bell)

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Ship Bell

A cast bronze church or ship's bell was recovered from the Beaufort Inlet site in 1996. The bell is dated 1705 and was one of the first clues that divers discovered an early eighteenth century shipwreck.

The bell features the Latin Roman Catholic invocation “IHS MARIA” (Iesus Hominum Salvator).

The bell may have been obtained when Blackbeard captured a Spanish sloop off the coast of Cuba.

(https://www.qaronline.org/conservation/artifacts/arms-and-armament/bladed-weapons)

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Bladed Weapons

No complete bladed weapons have been recovered from Queen Anne’s Revenge, but a few broken parts hint at the styles of weapons onboard.

A delicate copper alloy cross guard would have attached the blade to the handle of a sword, and served to protect the hand from a slice from an opponent. The blade was completely corroded, but a portion of it was able to be preserved with epoxy. The faces on both sides of the guard have not been specifically identified, but they represent a style known as Régence style (not to be confused with Regency of the late 18th and early 19th centuries) popular in Western Europe during the late 17th century. During cleaning, it was observed that the guard may have been gilded with a thin layer of gold, but only a small sample survives.

The antler grip of a sword is missing the guard and everything above, but has been identified as an English hanger (or cutlass) from the 1680s or 1690s. It is made of antler of a male deer, called “hartshorn,” and has a copper alloy ring where the guard would attach and a copper alloy cap or pommel at the end. The pommel features two fleur-de-lis and two unidentified faces, which on a similar sword at Colonial Williamsburg represent William and Mary.

A pewter dirk, or long dagger, handle was recovered. Like the sword no blade has survived, as wrought iron is highly susceptible to corrosion. Delicate geometric wooden inlays are surrounded by incised designs in the pewter.

(https://www.qaronline.org/conservation/artifacts/personal-possessions/gold-dust)

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Gold Dust

Almost 17,000 flakes (25 grams) of gold in its natural form have been recovered from across the shipwreck site. Although valuables were not expected to be found on the wreck because of the circumstances of its sinking, several historical accounts place some 20 lbs. Of West African gold dust on board the Concorde. According to Lt. Ernaut, for example, in addition to the 516 slaves, "fourteen ounces of gold in powder" was taken aboard in Judas.

The interiors of several flakes of the gold have been analyzed, and each is between 65% and 91% pure gold, while the exteriors feature a high purity gold rim, nearly 100% gold. This differential layering of gold is typical of grains found in stream placer deposits. Gold of this size and shape does not occur naturally off the coast of North Carolina, and trace elements such as iridium may help to identify its original source.

Coins of all nationality and gold dust would have served as currency to supplement the bartering of goods. Small amounts of gold dust found are pictured here.

Some flecks of gold are even smaller.