amuel Bellamy was born February 23, 1689 in Hittisleigh, Devonshire, England to Stephen and Elizabeth Bellamy
according to parish records. He was the youngest of six children. Nicknamed "Black Sam" because he eschewed the fashionable powdered wig in favor of tying back his long, black hair, Bellamy became known for his extraordinary mercy and generosity toward those he captured. This reputation earned him the title of the "Prince of Pirates."
As a young man, Bellamy joined the Navy and in 1715
traveled to Cape Cod where he met a beautiful, young
woman named Maria Hallett. He fell in love and
soon left the Cape so he could earn his fortune
to return to her a rich man by salvaging
treasure from the Spanish Fleet sunk off
the coast of Florida. He was accompanied
by his friend Paulgraves Williams.
They were not successful.
Bellamy did not want to return to Maria penniless so changed his career
from Treasure Hunter to Pirate. He joined Captain Benjamin Hornigold on his ship "The Marianne" and very successfully "went on the account"
throughout the Caribbean. He was elected Captain over Hornigold
and the infamous Blackbeard by the krewe in June of 1716.
He made his Pirate's Lair on Bellamy Cay which still exists today.
It was formerly known as Blanco Island in Trellis Bay, just north of
Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. From here, Bellamy could
easily prey on heavily laden ships in the Sir Francis Drake Channel.
For the next year, Bellamy plundered the riches of
over 50 ships. In February 1717, he spotted the most
beautiful ship he had ever seen "The Whydah Gally"
and chased it 3 days until the ship surrendered. It was
carrying a cargo of ivory, indigo and thousands of silver
and gold coins. He released "The Sultana" to Captain
Lawrence Prince and Crew in return.
Bellamy finally decided he had enough wealth and headed north to return to his Maria with his heavily laden Fleet. On April 26, 1717 near Marconi Beach on Cape Codd, Bellamy ran into a bad storm and the beautiful ship was torn apart.
There were only 2 survivors. While on trial, the pirates swore
that Bellamy's new flagship was laden with over 3 million
dollars worth of booty (equalling 120 million now),
making him the most successful pirate of all time.
The "Whydah" wreck remained undiscovered for over 267 years.
Barry Clifford had been told the story as a boy and dreamed of
finding it one day. He discovered what is still the only authenticated pirate ship in the world in 1984.
Fifty ship cannons, piles of gold coins, jewelry, weapons,
and even the cabin boy's sock, shoe and legbone have
been found. Thousands of artifacts have been
painstakingly restored. The items salvaged are on
display in the "Whydah" museum in Provincetown,
Massachusetts or currently travelling with the
"Real Pirates" exhibition organized through The
National Geographic Society.
Barry Clifford is certain that there is still a huge
amount of treasure and artifacts to be found at
the Shipwreck Site and plans to continue his
underwater exploration for the foreseeable future.
National Geographic "The Pirate Code"
The Prince of Pirates
