https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18gFArH7oz/?mibextid=wwXIfr
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“When the Whydah sank she had booty on board plundered from more than 50 ships. There was a fortune in gold and Silver, but also other goods that could be sold to pirate “fences" in safe towns for cash — items like elephant tusks, cloth, and indigo. Each pirate would get his share in the proceeds of the sale.

Pirates were so focused on splitting their booty into equal shares that they broke even valuable jewelry into tiny fragments so it could be divided by weight.

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Gold Ingots

If you look closely you'll see that some of these gold bars found on the Whydah were scored with a knife to make sure they were real gold and not just lead bars with a coating of gold.”

🏴‍☠️ A Quick Community Update

We know it’s been a little while since our last community contest, but we wanted to let everyone know we’ve been working on something new behind the scenes for the subreddit.

We’re excited to say that we’ve heard back from a few interested parties, and if all goes well, we’ll soon be hosting some community AMAs here on the sub! 👀

We’re not ready to drop any names just yet, but we’re very excited about the possibilities and wanted to give everyone a little teaser of what’s to come.

So get some questions ready, and keep your eyes on that horizon for more information soon!

~Your Mod Team

https://www.qaronline.org/conservation/artifacts/arms-and-armament/bar-shot
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Bar shot was used at close range to slash through the rigging and sails of an enemy ship. The weight on either end of the bar would cause the whole thing to partially rotate after it was fired out of a cannon, inflicting maximum damage on sails and rigging. Such attacks could prove devastating, especially at sea, when a successful volley could force sailors to choose between starving whilst stranded at sea or surrendering to the pirate crew.

Bar shot can be constructed in a variety of ways, but four distinct types have been recovered from Queen Anne’s Revenge thus far, both fragmented and complete. Bar shot with whole (cannon ball-shaped; top in photo above), half (hemi-spherical; middle in photo above), and hammer (cylindrical; bottom in photo above) heads are connected by a solid wrought iron bar, square in cross-section. A recently cleaned expanding bar shot (bottom in photo above) consists of two linked bars with hammer heads on either end, which would be loaded collapsed into a cannon, but spread out to almost three feet when fired. In total, we have recovered over 35 complete and fragmented bar shot.

https://www.qaronline.org/conservation/artifacts/arms-and-armament/grenades
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“These hollow iron spheres were filled with gunpowder and stopped with a wooden fuse plug through which a slowmatch or paper fuse was fed. After the fuse was lit, the grenade would be lobbed at the enemy, with devastating results. If the fuse was too long, the intended victim might have the opportunity to return the grenade to the pirates. At least two dozen grenades have so far been identified from the Queen Anne’s Revenge shipwreck.”

Over the years, archaeologists working on the wreck of the QAR have recovered numerous artifacts connected to the ship and its crew.

Cannons, navigational tools, medical supplies, weapons, gold dust, personal items, and countless everyday objects have all helped paint a picture of life aboard Blackbeard’s flagship.

But there’s still plenty that may never be found, or may just be waiting beneath the sand.

So here’s the question:

If you could recover ONE artifact from Queen Anne’s Revenge, what would you choose?

Would it be:
- a weapon?
- a personal belonging?
- navigational equipment?
- treasure?
- the ship’s bell?
- Blackbeard’s own possessions?

And why that item specifically? Curious to hear what everyone would want to uncover most from the wreck.

r/QueenAnnesRevenge has officially passed 100 members!

For a brand new community centered around pirate history, maritime archaeology, and the story of Blackbeard’s flagship, that’s honestly an amazing start for such an extremely niche subject!

Thank you to everyone who’s joined, posted, commented, and helped bring this little corner of pirate history to life already. It’s been great seeing people excited to explore the story of Queen Anne’s Revenge together.

⚓ Here’s to the next hundred!

And if you haven’t posted yet, this is your sign to share something! Maps, artifacts, questions, media, theories, or historical discussions are always welcome aboard!

If you like what you’re seeing here, this is your sign to check out the other subreddit I created on Sam Bellamy’s ship, the Whydah Galley! r/WhydahGalley

https://www.qaronline.org/conservation/artifacts/tools-and-instruments/fishing-weights
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“Fishing weights like these helped sailors sink lines. There is also the possibility that these weights were used as counter-balances for scales or plumb bobs for surveying. Sailors or pirates caught fish to break up the monotony of a diet consisting only of the common low-nutrient foods aboard a seafaring vessel.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DRNdChhkVEn/?igsh=bjN5dDFiOGgwbGw0
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“A scale model of the Whydah at the entrance of the Whydah Pirate Museum shows parts of the deck, including the bell, wheel, and rigging, as they may have looked. This reconstruction is based on the best information available from similar ships of the period.

Fun fact: the model was built from the remains of a grand piano.”

https://www.qaronline.org/conservation/artifacts/tools-and-instruments/urethral-syringe

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“A urethral syringe, like this one, with its curved funnel tip was used to administer mercury for the treatment of venereal diseases.

Analysis of the residue recovered from the interior of the syringe does in fact show a low concentration of mercury. The ring on the plunger of the syringe features a mark consisting of the letter P below inter-locked rings and a crown, indicating it was made in Paris in 1701 or 1708. A second partial mark indicates the maker was Laurent Chatelain, who worked as a pewterer between 1689 and 1724.”

So this may disappoint some people, but there’s actually no confirmed historical evidence that the famous horned skeleton flag was ever used by Blackbeard…

The modern “Blackbeard flag”, the one we all know of with the horned skeleton holding an hourglass and spearing a bleeding heart, is extremely popular today, but the historical trail behind it is pretty shaky.

The only description of Blackbeard’s flags comes from a 1718 newspaper report during the blockade of Charleston. It describes his ships flying:

> “Black Flags and Deaths Heads in them”

…and accompanying sloops flying “bloody flags” (red flags).

That’s it. No horned skeleton. No spear. No bleeding heart.

What’s interesting is that the famous modern design doesn’t actually appear connected to Blackbeard until much later. The flag with the horned skeleton and bleeding heart first appeared in an article in The Mariner's Mirror magazine as a general pirate's flag in 1912, but the article made no assertion of it being Blackbeard's flag. Over time, later books and pop culture adaptations began attributing it to him, and eventually that attribution just stuck.

Some historians have also pointed out that the imagery itself feels more modern than early 18th-century pirate symbolism. Pirate flags from the Golden Age were usually fairly simple and relied heavily on common mortality imagery like skeletons, hourglasses, and skulls.

So the flag itself isn’t necessarily “fake”, it’s the direct attribution to it being Blackbeards that’s questionable.

Honestly, it’s just a fascinating example of how pirate mythology evolves over time until something repeated often enough simply becomes accepted as historical fact.

https://www.qaronline.org/conservation/artifacts/arms-and-armament/personal-firearms

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“While most evidence of small firearms has consisted of isolated gunlocks and the occasional copper alloy fittings, we have identified a collection of five semi-articulated personal arms, including four partial muskets and one pistol. One of the muskets was originally manufactured with a safety, or doglock, which helps to date it to between 1685 and 1715. The most complete musket measures just over 4 feet long, and a third musket is still loaded with a very large two-part molded shot! The pistol can be dated by its features: the rounded lock, offset trigger, and iron trigger guard suggest that it was manufactured during the reign of James II around 1685.”

Jeremy Slater's Full Quote (on Moon Knight's MCU Future) :
>“The contract Oscar Isaac signed was very much like, we will do more stories when we find stories that he is creatively excited to tell. They can just sort of snap their fingers and summon him back for another adventure. He’s really creatively involved in the future of that character. So I would imagine part of the challenge, and part of the joy over there, is finding : What stories does Oscar want to explore, and how does he want that character to be used? What’s something that would entice him to get back and play in that sandbox one more time?”

On his own involvement and lack of inside information Jeremy Slater says : >“You know, if they did a second season, I doubt I would be creatively involved. I don't have any inside information in terms of where the character is. I haven't talked to Marvel in three years at this point. I don't know. Is there gonna be a Moon Knight movie? Is there gonna be a Midnight Sons movie? Is there gonna be a season 2? I'm as much in the dark as everyone else.”

> Slater further notes that he is “very hopeful and optimistic that we will see him again at some point, because I think he [Isaac] had fun, you know. He was proud of it and was happy that a lot of fans responded positively. So, I would be surprised if we didn't see him again, but that's just me speculating as a fan.”

Essential Comics Reading Guide

If you’re looking to get into the comics version of John Walker, this guide focuses on the essential stories that define his character; NOT every appearance ever published.

These are the key arcs that shape who he is across Marvel Comics continuity.

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📚 Essential Reading

- Captain America #323–332 (1986–1987)
John Walker is introduced as a government-backed replacement for Captain America.
- Captain America #333–350 (1987–1988)
His time as Captain America escalates, showing the clash between ideology, violence, and what the symbol represents.
- Captain America #354–358 (1989)
The transition period where Walker fully becomes U.S. Agent.
- Captain America #358 onward (late 1980s–1990s)
Establishes U.S. Agent as a separate identity operating under government authority.
- Force Works (1994–1996)
Walker operates within a more team-based Avengers-adjacent structure.
- Thunderbolts (2000s appearances, various runs)
Reinforces his role as a controlled, government-aligned operative working alongside morally gray teams.
- U.S. Agent (2020 miniseries)
Modern re-examination of John Walker’s ideology, legacy, and identity as a symbol.

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💬 Final Notes

This guide is meant to give a clear entry path into the character, not an exhaustive archive of every appearance.

If you think something important is missing, discuss it in the comments! This is meant to evolve with time.

U.S. Agent | MCU Viewing Guide

Want to follow the full MCU journey of John Walker? This guide covers every major appearance in recommended viewing order.

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🎬 Viewing Order

If you want the most streamlined experience centered on U.S. Agent:

- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
- Thunderbolts*
- Avengers: Doomsday (upcoming)

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💬 Final Notes

John Walker’s MCU story is still ongoing and relatively compact compared to other characters. His arc is defined less by quantity of appearances and more by rapid evolution, from soldier to Captain America replacement to U.S. Agent.

This guide will be updated as new MCU projects release.

The Southack Map (1724) — Early Clue to the Whydah Wreck

One of the most fascinating historical documents connected to the Whydah is the 1724 Southack map, created by colonial cartographer Cyprian Southack.

This map of the New England coastline includes a marked wreck site off Cape Cod that many believe corresponds to the wreck of the Whydah Galley, which sank in 1717.

⚓ Why this map matters:

• It’s one of the earliest known maps to mark a wreck in the area
• It was created just a few years after the Whydah sank
• It provided a historical reference point for later researchers

Decades later, explorer Barry Clifford used a combination of historical records (including maps like this one) to help narrow down the search area that ultimately led to the discovery of the Whydah in 1984.

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If the Midnight Sons show up in the MCU, what tone do you think would actually work best?

We’ve already seen Marvel experiment with the supernatural in a few different projects:

- Doctor Strange naturally introduced us heavily to the mystical side of the MCU
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had a darker vibe, more horror-inspired elements (thanks Raimi)
- Moon Knight was more psychological but also had supernatural elements to it
- Werewolf by Night brought full classic horror vibes
- Agatha was very witch heavy but still had a bit of a darker tone

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So if Marvel brings together characters like Blade, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, etc… what direction should they lean into?

- Full horror
- Dark, serious action
- Mystical adventure
- Something else entirely?

Curious what tone people think would actually work best, and what would feel the most different/refreshing from what we’ve already seen.