Blackbeard: The tensest moment came as a hydraulic crane lifted the massive anchor from Blackbeard's flagship clear of the sea for the first time since the Queen Anne's Revenge sank nearly 300 years ago.
The waves just off Atlantic Beach were a little too large, and dozens of researchers, state history officials and journalists watched, transfixed as crewmembers of the Research Vessel Dan Moore - two on ropes and one at the controls of the hydraulic lift - tried to stop the nearly 3,000-pound anchor from swinging out of control.
In the water, two divers who had lifted it to the surface with airbags looked up, helpless.
The anchor immediately banged into the hull side as Billy Carlson, on a platform overlooking the deck, yanked at the control levers, trying to time the swings to get it safely aboard.
Another wave, and the anchor swooped forward. One more time, it swung back, whacking hard into a steel support in the rear of the ship before Carlson deftly spun the crane to bring the anchor right over the center of the deck and eased it down to rest.
"Steady hands, Billy, good work!" shouted the Dan Moore's captain, Steve Beuth, as members of the Queen Anne's Revenge recovery team applauded.
And just like that, it happened. The anchor was no longer a utilitarian item stowed away in the dank ship's hold by a crew of the 18th century's most hated lowlifes just in case they needed a spare. It was no longer a chunk of rusting iron gathering barnacles on the sea floor.
Its first moments as a celebrity began.
This was the first of the ship's four large anchors to be brought ashore, and the largest item yet recovered from the wreck since its discovery in 1996. Visually, it was the most distinctive and recognizable item, with its artfully shaped flukes and a giant ring, big enough for a child to crawl through, where the anchor chain would have attached.
Source: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/05/27/2034126/blackbeards-anchor-lifted-from.html
The waves just off Atlantic Beach were a little too large, and dozens of researchers, state history officials and journalists watched, transfixed as crewmembers of the Research Vessel Dan Moore - two on ropes and one at the controls of the hydraulic lift - tried to stop the nearly 3,000-pound anchor from swinging out of control.
In the water, two divers who had lifted it to the surface with airbags looked up, helpless.
The anchor immediately banged into the hull side as Billy Carlson, on a platform overlooking the deck, yanked at the control levers, trying to time the swings to get it safely aboard.
Another wave, and the anchor swooped forward. One more time, it swung back, whacking hard into a steel support in the rear of the ship before Carlson deftly spun the crane to bring the anchor right over the center of the deck and eased it down to rest.
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| Blackbeard |
And just like that, it happened. The anchor was no longer a utilitarian item stowed away in the dank ship's hold by a crew of the 18th century's most hated lowlifes just in case they needed a spare. It was no longer a chunk of rusting iron gathering barnacles on the sea floor.
Its first moments as a celebrity began.
This was the first of the ship's four large anchors to be brought ashore, and the largest item yet recovered from the wreck since its discovery in 1996. Visually, it was the most distinctive and recognizable item, with its artfully shaped flukes and a giant ring, big enough for a child to crawl through, where the anchor chain would have attached.
Source: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/05/27/2034126/blackbeards-anchor-lifted-from.html
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