In the not too distant future, visitors to the Dominican Republic will be able to see for themselves the sunken marvel of one of the most important pirate ships in history.
Resting in less than 10ft of Caribbean seawater, the wreckage of Quedagh Merchant, the ship abandoned by the scandalous 17th century pirate Captain William Kidd as he raced to New York in an ill-fated attempt to clear his name, has escaped discovery – until now.
The wreck has remained undiscovered all these years just 70ft off the coast of Catalina Island in the Dominican Republic and the find is valuable because of the potential to reveal important information about piracy in the Caribbean and about the legendary Captain Kidd.
An underwater archaeology team from Indiana University announced the discovery of the remnants and the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Culture signed a collaborative work agreement with Indiana University, supported by USAID to establish a new National System of Special Protected Areas, with the Captain Kidd Shipwreck being the premiere site, a step that makes the opening of the site to the general public even nearer.