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In June, 1718, a ship called the Queen Anne's Revenge ran aground about one mile offshore of the small port town of Beaufort, North Carolina. For over a year, it had sailed the waters of the Caribbean and along the Eastern Seaboard, as the flagship of the notorious pirate known as Blackbeard!

Efforts to pull the ship free failed, and she eventually listed and settled into the shoaling sands. For 278 years, the remains of the QAR lay covered by the sands of the Atlantic. In 1996, after hurricanes and nor'easters scoured the sands away, divers from Intersal, Inc., searching for other shipwrecks around the inlet found the wreck site. Since then, the North Carolina Division of Archives and History, in a coordinated and long-term research project, has conducted underwater archaeological investigations at the site of Blackbeard's Flagship.

QAR DiveLive was a week-long event - October 1-5, 2001 - with underwater videocast from the wreck site and from the QAR Project's conservation laboratory, where the artifacts from the ship are being preserved. We are currently editing an archive of select portions of this broadcast and expect to have it available from this page by October 22nd, 2001.

Access the video archives below.

On the Web from QAR
	Queen Anne's Revenge Project

The Play Now buttons below will give you acces to video archives streaming at 300 Kbt. This will require a fast Internet connection. You can also view the archives with a 56K modem here.
	QAR Shipwreck Project- This is a brief introduction to the site believed to be Blackbeard's flagship the Queen Anne's Revenge. Learn about where the site lies on the coast of North Carolina, how she ended up on the bottom, and her discovery 278 years later. Underwater Archaeology Branch Chief Archaeologist Richard Lawrence takes us to explore the Queen Anne's Revenge.

Wreck site Tour- Now that you have learned a little of the history of Blackbeard and his ship come see it for yourself. In this segment come dive with QAR DiveLive Coordinator Kim Eslinger as she shows you the remains of the site, and the primary features associated with the wreck including cannons, anchors, ballast stones, and fish.

North Anchor - On the site map the North Anchor is simply labeled A3, take a swim out with archaeologists and view it for yourself. Unlike the anchors on the main ballast pile this anchor rises out of the sand, then swim back through the murk to the main pile and learn how archaeologists use the pile to reference the rest of the site.

Gradiometer - How do the archaeologists know where to look for cannon and anchors on the site? Come along as they show you how they probe the sands without disturbing the artifacts. Learn how they use a gradiometer to locate more artifacts on the site as QAR Project Archaeologist Michael Plakos explains.

Questions and Answers - Students and people from around the world have questions about the QAR site, odds are good that they asked the same questions you want to ask. Stop through as the archaeologists talk about the ship, the wreck, the crew and cannons.

Boat Fun - Underwater archaeologists on the Queen Anne's Revenge site work in a world very different from the world we normally work and breathe in. They rely on scuba tanks to breathe and wet suits to keep them warm, but does the ocean ever get in the way of their work? Come find out as Project Videographer Rick Allen and UAB Chief Archaeologist Richard Lawrence talk about tides, currents, and how the ship sank where it did.

Internet Technology - Getting the images from the boat and underwater back to shore and to your computer can be a little tricky. Bill Lovin of Marine Grafics takes us to see how he uses the technology to bring our project to your computer. Learn how television broadcast technology, microwaves, computers, and the internet combine to make this all possible.

A Little History - The discovery of the Queen Anne's Revenge began in a library long before her resting place was discovered in North Carolina. As an archaeological site the Queen Anne's Revenge is priceless, but without historical grounding we would know nothing about this site or Blackbeard. QAR Project Historian Dr. Lindley Butler tells us a little about the age of piracy, Blackbeard, and the sinking of the Queen Anne's Revenge.

Lab Tour - So you want to see what happens to the artifacts once they come off the wreck site? Join QAR Project Conservator Wayne Lusardi and he gives us a tour of the large artifact facility on the Carteret Community College Campus. Come see cleaned off cannons, learn about their conservation, and discover how they are helping to shed light on the mystery of the Queen Anne's Revenge.

Radiology - When artifacts are removed from the seabed they rarely look like the artifact within. They are covered in a thick layer of concretion, so how do conservators know what is inside? Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer Garfield, and Gunnery Sergeant Higgins give us a peek inside the concretions. Come see what they find, and what no one but the pirates have seen in almost three hundred years

Geology - Everyone knows that pirates carried treasure aboard their ships, but what about the Queen Anne's Revenge? Did the pirates leave any gold behind? What can gold and lead really tell us about an archaeological site? Virginia Tech Geologist Dr. Jim Craig teaches us how to pan for gold, and how we use this precious metal to find out more about Blackbeard.

Geology - Now that we know how to pan for gold and other heavy metals how do we find out more about these metals? Can the artifacts tell us how to conserve them? Join Virginia Tech geologist Stacie Dunkle as she explains how we use pewter to tell us more about the wreck and how to conserve these artifacts