First shipwrecks linked to real pirates of the Caribbean found in Bahamas

Key Points:

• Archaeologists and filmmakers discovered six shipwrecks near Nassau, Bahamas, with three linked to the Golden Age of Piracy (1680s-1720s), including one in Nassau harbor showing signs of pirate activity such as a burnt wooden hull and ballast stones.
• Pirates often burned ships to hide evidence of their crimes, and the discovered wreck in Nassau harbor has features like wooden treenails indicating it dates back to the 1700s, consistent with pirate tactics of the era.
• Another shipwreck, located 22 miles east of Nassau, likely an early 18th-century sloop, contained weapons and artifacts suggesting it was either a pirate ship or a vessel equipped to defend against piracy.
• A third wreck beneath Nassau's old bridge included hull remains and artifacts like glass bottles and cooking bricks, probably from a ship that sank after hitting a sandbank in a storm; nearby finds suggest English shipping activity in the mid-18th century as Nassau transitioned away from piracy.
• The expedition also explored historical sites and documents to better understand life in Nassau during its pirate heyday, revealing a reality far different from Hollywood portrayals, described as a mix of a frontier town and an 18th-century holiday camp.