Whydah Gally and her treasure of captured pirate gold eluded discovery for over 260 years until 1984, when the wreck was found off the coast of Cape Cod, buried under 10 ft (3 m) to 50 ft (15 m) feet of sand, in depths ranging from 16 ft (5 m) to 30 ft (9 m) feet deep, spread for four miles, parallel to the Cape's easternmost coast. Six of the nine survivors were hanged, two who had been forced into piracy were freed, and one Indian crewman was sold into slavery. Only two of Whydah Gally 's crew survived, along with seven others who were on a sloop captured by Bellamy earlier that day. On 26 April 1717, Whydah Gally was caught in a violent storm and wrecked off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. On the return leg of her maiden voyage of the triangle trade, Whydah Gally was captured by the pirate Captain Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy, beginning a new role in the Golden Age of Piracy.īellamy sailed Whydah Gally up the coast of colonial America, capturing other ships as he went along. Whydah Gally / ˈ hw ɪ d ə ˈ ɡ æ l i, ˈ hw ɪ d ˌ ɔː/ (commonly known simply as the Whydah) was a fully rigged galley ship that was originally built as a passenger, cargo, and slave ship. Whydah was the flagship of a 5-ship fleet which included the Marianne, Mary Anne, Anne, and Fisher Recovered: More than 65, recovery ongoing Late night of 26 April 1717, Billingsgate, Cape Cod, Massachusetts Bay Colony Coordinates: 41★3′31″N 69★7′34″W / 41.892°N 69.9594°W / 41.892 -69.9594ġ985, by discovery of the ship's inscribed bell and a brass placard, both inscribed with ship's nameġ50 men at launch went down with 145 men & 1 boy (incl. Ruins under perpetual recovery and conservation private ownership and exclusive dive rights (later re-named Bellamy Cay) Caribbean Sea Crew of Captain/Commodore Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamyīlanco Islet, B.V.I.