THE 12 WORST SHIPWRECKS DISASTERS OF ALL TIME by Joan Axelrod-Contrada 12 story library
1 Pirate Ship Whydah Gally Sunk by Atlantic Storm It was 1717 Pirate captain Samuel Black Sam Bellamy sailed the seas in search of ships to rob The captain called himself the Robin Hood of the Sea He stole from rich merchants He then shared the booty with his pirates Bellamy’s crew included people who had once been enslaved Black sailors worked alongside white shipmates as equals Bellamy was not a black man He The ship’s bell from the Whydah Gally is in the Houston Museum of Natural Science got his nickname Black Sam for his long dark hair He refused to powder it like other captains did In February 1717 Black Sam spotted a ship on the Caribbean Sea He thought it could be perfect for his pirate fleet The ship was huge It was also very fast Bellamy decided to go after it The ship Black Sam chased was the Whydah Gally It was a slave ship After three days Bellamy captured the Whydah Gally He took over the
Gold coins discovered off the coast of New England where the Whydah Gally sank treasure-filled vessel and steered toward New England Black Sam’s good fortune would run out In April 1717 a fierce Atlantic storm sank the Whydah Gally THINK ABOUT IT Many pirates started off working on merchant ships As seamen they were often treated badly Would you become a pirate if you thought you’d be treated better than a regular seaman Millions in gold ivory and goods fell to the ocean floor Bellamy and all but two crew members died 139 million Black Sam Bellamy’s riches in 2018 dollars Black Sam called himself the Robin Hood of the Sea The pirate captain captured the slave ship Whydah Gally A powerful storm sank the ship in April 1717
