Famed explorer Barry Clifford believes — once again — that he has finally found the elusive Adventure Galley, the crown jewel of famed pirate Captain William Kidd's exploits in the Indian Ocean in the 1600s.
On Thursday, in an elaborate public ceremony, Clifford emerged from the cloudy waters off the coast of Madagascar with a 110-pound silver bar he believes is from Captain Kidd's ship Adventure Galley.
“After 15 years of research and expeditions to Madagascar, I have made an incredible discovery,” Clifford told the History channel, which was on hand to record the find. “While investigating the shipwreck I believe to be Captain Kidd's Adventure Galley, I uncovered a giant silver bar. All the evidence points to it being part of Captain Kidd's treasure. It's a huge find for my team but an even bigger find for Madagascar and world history.”
The only problem: It might not be from Kidd's ship.
“If there was only one ship that had been sunk in that harbor, I'd be much more confident that it related to Captain Kidd. But a number of ships had sunk there,” said Robert Ritchie, a historian and author of “Captain Kidd and the War against the Pirate.” “I'm doubtful, but who knows? It could well be from the Adventure Galley. But it would be from one of Kidd's men more than from Kidd himself.”
This wouldn't be the first time that Clifford thought he had found the ship. In 2000, when Clifford first discovered the site, he announced that after years of searching, his team had practically stumbled upon the wreckage.
“We almost dropped anchor on top of the wreck,” Clifford told the Los Angeles Times shortly after the discovery.
But the very reason for the Adventure's allure helps explain why attempts to find it have proven to be so difficult.
Historians, treasure hunters and archaeologists have known the general location of the ship for years. The Adventure is believed to have been abandoned in the relatively shallow waters off the coast of Madagascar, near the isle Sainte Marie, which in historical documents was referred to as the “Island of the Pirates.”
Kidd, having returned from his fairly modest conquests in the Indian Ocean, went there to start afresh. It was time to abandon the battered and weather-worn Adventure for a new vessel.
There is some dispute about what exactly happened, but some historians say that Kidd stripped the ship of everything that they could carry — treasure and supplies — and loaded them onto another ship he had commandeered. He set the Adventure on fire and allowed it to sink to the bottom of the harbor.
With the new ship — and his treasure — he sailed home, stopping first in the Caribbean, then finally arriving in New York. Accused of piracy, Kidd was arrested and sent to England, where he was hanged in 1701 for piracy and the murder of one of his crewmen.
There is, however, quite a bit of lore about what exactly happened to all of his treasure. Some believe that Kidd buried or sank treasure practically all over the world — in New York, the Caribbean near Hispaniola and near Madagascar.
