[Discussion] 'Captain Kidd's treasure' found off Madagascar

[Love Cook]

Pretty cool piece of modern day pirate news. With some back story on the real Capt. Kidd.

55kg bar of silver found in shallow waters off Saint Marie island may have belonged to notorious 17th-century Scottish pirate Captain Kidd's treasure

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Buried treasure that may have belonged to the notorious Scottish pirate Captain Kidd has been discovered by archaeologists in Madagascar.

The office of the country’s president, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, posted the first image of divers recovering a hulk of silver on its official Twitter account on Thursday. “The discovery of a wreck and treasure in the waters,” read the message in French and Malagasy.

A joint UK-US archaeological research mission found the 55kg bar of silver in shallow waters off Saint Marie island, the office said.

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The team in Madagascar was led by Barry Clifford, an underwater investigator who in 2000 discovered some remains of William Kidd’s ship, Adventure Galley, including a metal oarlock, shards of Ming porcelain and bottles of rum three centuries old.

The president’s office said the silver may be part of a treasure haul belonging to Kidd from the same ship.

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The bar is imprinted with a T and an S as well as other smaller carvings of numbers. Soldiers have been guarding it since it was brought ashore by divers.

Rajaonarimampianina was presented with the bar at a ceremony on Thursday attended by British and US diplomats, which the president’s office said was a “symbolic” gesture.

The BBC’s Martin Vogl tweeted snapshots of the treasure and the presentation ceremony on the island.

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Timothy Smart, the British ambassador to Madagascar, told the BBC he hoped the discovery of the treasure would boost Madagascar’s tourism industry because of interest in Kidd.

The son of a Presbyterian minister, Kidd was a buccaneer and a captain for a private British ship in the Caribbean for some years, but it is claimed he decided that he found piracy more rewarding after he was commissioned to sail to Madagascar on the Adventure Galley.

His most famous capture was a 400-tonne ship, the Quedah Merchant, which carried silver as well as silk, gold, sugar, opium and cloth.

Some modern historians have disputed his reputation as a pirate, claiming Kidd was only ever a wronged privateer who believed he was authorised by the government to attack foreign vessels.

Captured in Boston in 1699, where the governor had promised him clemency, he was sent to Newgate prison. The jewels found on his ship were valued at £30,000 – the equivalent of around £10m today. But the remainder of his treasure was never found.

At Kidd’s execution for piracy in 1701, the hangman’s rope snapped and he fell to the ground still alive. A chaplain said the prayers again, Kidd was led up the steps of the gallows for a second time and the rope held.

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[Uzumaki Macho]

Wrong section.

 

[Punk Hazard]

I have no idea why really, but this is really cool to me. I think it's awesome we're finding new pieces of history.

Wrong section.

You never cease to be annoying.

 

[BaseGodNaruto]

Captain Kidd in my eyes will forever be a chick.
Assassin Creed Black Flag one of the Saddest Creed Games

 

[Pumpkin Ninja]

That's actually cool.

 

[Love Cook]

Wrong section.

Yeah next time I'll be sure to post it in the news section of the ninja forum where nobody will care about it.

So take 5 minutes and just read it, you might actually learn something.

Stuff like this is where Oda draws inspiration from and also sometime makes a little reference to an event in his chapters.

In this article alone:

* authorized by the government to attack foreign vessels
* Newgate Prison
* Sunken treasure
* Failed execution

It's pretty cool to compare stories like this to the things that have happened in One Piece and are still to come.

So if you don't have anything useful to post, just don't post at all Mr. Hallway monitor.

 

[Uzumaki Macho]

I have no idea why really, but this is really cool to me. I think it's awesome we're finding new pieces of history.


You never cease to be annoying.

Victim #1

 

[ssjelf]

Captain Kidd in my eyes will forever be a chick.
Assassin Creed Black Flag one of the Saddest Creed Games

That was the best ac game besides brotherhood. Boat battles> the games assassin mechanics and garbage chase scenes.

 

[Akuma]

the hangman’s rope snapped and he fell to the ground still alive.

rofl, surprised lightning didn't strike the execution stand. Small jokes aside, this is pretty awesome.

 

[Hexuze]

Thanks for sharing, it was a nice read.

 

[chopstickchakra]

Even Captain Kidd was a fan of NB did you see that bar of silver with the NB stamp

 

[Amaterasu]

Wrong section.

This guy is a genius

 

[WhistleBlower]

Yeah i saw it on facebook. Pretty cool discovery in recent times. Hope they come across treasure/wreckage of other pirates that we know of from Onepiece =D

 

[24 12 11 to troll]

Nice find!

What intrigues me is the debate surrounding whether Kidd was authorized by the British Government to sink foreign vessels or not, could Kidd replace Law as a Shichibukai? Would be a bizarre plot twist, especially considering he called Law a "government dog", his failed execution further portrays parallels with Shiki