Drake’s Final Resting Place Found?
As befits one of the most legendary ship captains of all time, Sir Francis Drake was buried at sea. At the age of 55, after a lifetime of privateering, plundering, battling, and exploring, the greatest English seaman this side of Nelson died of dysentery and went to his watery grave, in full armor, in a lead coffin, off Portabelo, Panama, in 1596.
And two of his ships went down with him—the 195-ton Elizabeth and 50-ton Delight. Damaged in Drake’s final exploit, a failed attempt to capture the Spanish port of Las Palmas, they were scuttled to avoid Spanish capture. Now, archaeologists believe they’ve discovered the remnants of Drake’s last fleet; could his long-lost coffin be nearby as well?
That was the hope in October, as a British archaeological team led by James Sinclair (of Titanic exploration fame) announced the near-certainty of having located the two wrecks’ remains. Exhaustive archival research in London had preceded the underwater quest. Based on site location (a cove near the aptly named Drake’s Point and Drake’s Island) and artifact content (lead sheathing indicative of Elizabethan shipbuilding, plus period-correct ceramic shards) the preliminary evidence is “almost overwhelming,” Sinclair told the Archaeology News Network.
For the marine archaeologists, it was a plum find: more than 80 feet of hull section, nicely preserved and bearing the marks of having been run aground and burnt to the waterline—just as Drake’s two ships allegedly had been.
Drake, foremost among the notorious “English sea-dogs” who plundered Spanish treasure ships for the greater glory (and coffers) of Queen Elizabeth, was also a brilliant navigator and intrepid explorer. He was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe (1577–80). In the fight against the Spanish Armada in 1588, Drake was the vice admiral of the English fleet that pursued the Armada up the English Channel as the epic invasion attempt fell apart. Through his many years of ship-capturing and city-sacking, Drake came to be feared and detested by Spaniards, who called him el Draque (“the Dragon,” a play on his name in Spanish).
While the discovered shipwrecks show promise of being Drake’s, what remains of his remains remains a mystery. At one point, the team thought it had zeroed in on the coffin, but it was a false trail. Locating the iconic sea hero’s eternal resting place would be profound—but also cause for great caution, care, and respect.
“We have no intention of doing anything to disturb his grave or raising the coffin,” said Jay Usher of IMDI Eco Olas, the wreck site’s permit holder, in an interview with the U.K. Telegraph. “It would be for the Panamanian authorities, in consultation with the British government, to decide what to do if we find the site.”
Read—World War II Veteran, Navy Cross Recipient, Champion Shooter—Passes Away
William Augustus Read Jr., a recipient of the Navy Cross, two Air Medals, and two Purple Hearts, died on 28 October 2011. He was a longtime friend of the U.S. Naval Institute.
Born in Boston on 16 May 1918, Read was the son of Admiral William A. Read and Edith Fabyan Read. Three of William Jr.’s uncles—Russell Bartow Read, Curtis Seaman Read, and Duncan Hicks Read—were pioneers of naval aviation. William Sr. also was a naval aviator, and in World War II served as a captain on the staff of Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher’s Fast-Carrier Task Force. (William Sr. retired as a vice admiral and served as commander general of the Naval Order from 1946 to 1949 before passing away in 1976.)
William Read Jr. joined the Navy after Pearl Harbor, graduating from the Navy Aerial Gunnery Instructors School in Pensacola. He was a range officer at the Navy Border Field Machine Gun Range in San Diego and became gunnery officer for Navy Patrol Squadron 101 in the Southwest Pacific.
Despite the fact that his having to wear glasses precluded him from pursuing a pilot’s career, Read managed to volunteer for gun duty on numerous flights. And on his 25th such combat mission, he was shot down while volunteerng as a bow-turret gunner. He and other surviving crewmen were able to swim to an island in the Sulu Sea near Palawan Island within Japanese territory. He was wounded again in a second crash in which a Japanese plane was shot down and landed on some of the surviving members of the crew. He was missing in action for two months. That remarkable World War II adventure was recounted in the Naval History article “Two Coconuts and a Navy Cross” (February 2010, pp. 34–39).
In addition to his naval career, Mr. Read was renowned for his sharpshooting skill. He won the gold medal in the Olympics in the international skeet veterans class, and is in the Trap Shooting Hall of Fame.
Mr. Read is survived by his daughter, Edith Fabyan Read Wey, two grandsons, three great-grandsons, three stepsons, three step-grandchildren, and two brothers, Peter and Donald Read.
He was pre-deceased by his wife, Kathleen Cushman Spence, and five brothers.
Mr. Read was buried with military honors at Hillcrest Memorial Park in West Palm Beach. Memorial donations may be made to the Naval Institute Foundation, 291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402-9987.
Delaney Named Naval History Author of the Year
Dr. Norman C. Delaney was named Naval History’s Author of the Year at the annual U.S. Naval Institute Honors Night in Annapolis, Maryland, on 19 October.
Delaney was honored for a pair of complementary Civil War articles. “‘I Didn’t Feel Excited a Mite’” (Naval History, December 2010, pp. 36–41) chronicled the deeds of sailor John Bickford of the Kearsarge, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Union ship’s famous duel with the Confederate raider Alabama. Delaney’s second article offered a view from the other side: “The Alabama’s ‘Bold and Determined Man’” (Naval History, August 2011, pp. 18–25) profiled the exploits of Rebel seaman Michael Maher.
Dr. Delaney earned his Ph.D. in history from Duke University. He is the author of John McIntosh Kell of the Raider Alabama (University of Alabama Press, 1973, 2003) and coauthor of Raiders and Blockaders: The American Civil War Afloat (Brassey’s, 1998).
Honors Night also celebrated the accomplishments of four General Prize Award Winners for their contributions to U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings: First Prize went to Dr. Milan Vego; Second Prize to Commander Matthew Harper, U.S. Navy; and Third Prize to Captain Kevin Eyer, U.S. Navy (Retired), and Commander In H. Ha, U.S. Navy.
The Naval Institute Press Author of the Year Award went to Norman Polmar for his book (coauthored by Michael White) Project Azorian: The CIA and the Raising of the K-129.
Treasure Salvors Ordered to Relinquish $500 Million in Silver Coins
The Tampa, Florida–based Odyssey Marine International was dealt a legal blow in September when an Atlanta appeals court upheld a lower-court ruling that the treasure-hunting outfit had to hand over an estimated half-billion dollars’ worth of silver coins to Spain—concluding the latest round in an onrunning battle over a shipwreck-salvage bonanza dubbed the Black Swan Project.
“Black Swan” is the code-name that Odyssey gave to a wreck site it discovered in the Atlantic west of Gibraltar in early 2007. The Odyssey team recovered more than 500,000 silver coins (more than 17 tons’ worth) from the site in addition to hundreds of gold coins, gold pieces, and various artifacts. (See “The Trouble With Treasure,” Naval History, August 2010, pp. 18–25.)
Debates over the ship’s identity were concomitant with debates over who had claim to the treasure as rightful property. Spain, contending that the ship is the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, which sank in a battle with the British Gibraltar squadron in 1804, has been vindicated by the latest court ruling.
If the wreck is the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals considers that likely, thus its ruling, then the ship and her contents remain the property of Spain under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. A warship, according to the dictates of the act, remains the property of the country she served unless its government says it doesn’t want her.
“The entirety of the record evidence supports the district court’s conclusion that the [wreck] is the Mercedes,” wrote Judge Susan Black for the appeals court. “The [wreck] was found within the zone Spain had plotted as the likeliest area of the Mercedes’ demise, and no other naval vessels matching the Mercedes’ type sank within that zone during the same time period.”
“While we were surprised by the ruling and are obviously not pleased with the opinion, there is no near-term economic impact on the company and our day-to-day business operations,” said Odyssey President Mark Gordon in a press release.
Legendary Submariner Remembered with Park Dedication
World War II submariner Slade Cutter was honored at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 14 October with a dedication ceremony for the new Captain Slade Cutter Athletic Park.
In dedicating the 40-acre grounds, Hampton Roads was memorializing not only an officer who amassed one of the great World War II submarine combat records, but a Hall of Fame naval athlete as well.
The naming of the park for Cutter was “very appropriate,” remarked Captain Charles Melcher, commanding officer of NSA Hampton Roads, “given his unique accomplishments not only as an athlete, but also as a naval officer.”
Cutter received four Navy Crosses, two Silver Stars, and one Bronze Star. While in command of the Balao-class submarine USS Seahorse (SS-304), he was credited with sinking the second highest number of Japanese ships in World War II.
“His list of accomplishments during World War II is massive, and his personal awards speak volumes about his character and commitment to the United States and the Navy,” said Melcher.
Cutter’s first Navy Cross was presented for extraordinary heroism as commanding officer of the USS Requin (SS-481) during her second patrol in enemy waters. He received his second Navy Cross as commanding officer of the USS Seahorse (SS-304) during a war patrol where he was cited for aggressive pursuit and expert evasion of the enemy and the sinking of another five enemy vessels. Cutter was awarded two additional crosses for similar acts of bravery, heroism, and leadership.
“They say the name makes a man—and what a name,” said Vice Admiral John Richardson, commander, Submarine Forces, who provided remarks during the ceremony. “Slade Cutter—he was destined for greatness.”
A Chicago native, Cutter entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1931, where he was eagerly welcomed for his athletic ability. Perhaps his most acclaimed sports feat as a Midshipman came in 1934, during a mud-soaked football battle against Army; Cutter kicked the game-winning field goal before 79,000 people, giving Navy its first victory against Army in 13 years.
Cutter also won the intercollegiate heavyweight-boxing championship, became an All-American tackle, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
“Slade would have loved the fact that this park will have his name,” said his widow, Ruth Cutter, who was joined by eight other family members from around the country for the dedication ceremony. “I just wish he were here to see it.”
Blackbeard’s Cannon Lifted from Sea Floor
Archaeologists working off the North Carolina coast in October hoisted from the depths the latest in what is becoming a long line of significant finds from an ongoing shipwreck project: a 2,000-pound, eight-foot cannon caked in a crusty shell of concretion—a cannon from the purported pirate ship of Blackbeard himself.
It was the 13th cannon raised from the shipwreck, which was discovered in 1996, is believed to be Blackbeard’s flagship the Queen Anne’s Revenge, and thus far has yielded approximately 280,000 artifacts. Researchers describe it as the largest underwater archaeology effort currently under way in the United States.
And because it is presumably the ship of a bigger-than-life figure such as Blackbeard, the project inspires fascination among the public. Over the summer of 2011, more than 100,000 visitors flocked to the Beaufort Maritime Museum to view an exhibition of items from the wreck.
Other recent retrievals from the ship include an 11-foot anchor and the remnants of what is believed to have been Blackbeard’s sword—or, to be more precise regarding someone as infamously weaponed-up as he, one of Blackbeard’s swords (see “Shipwreck Yields Possible Blackbeard Blade,” Naval History, April 2011, p. 10).
Arguably the most notorious pirate in history, Edward “Blackbeard” Teach (or Thatch) captured the 104-foot, 300-ton French slaver La Concorde off Martinique in 1717 and redubbed her the Queen Anne’s Revenge. In May 1718 both the Queen Anne’s Revenge and Blackbeard’s ship Adventure ran aground off Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina—evidently a deliberate move by Blackbeard to strand the bulk of his crew and make off with a select few (and the bounteous loot recently acquired). Before the year was out, Blackbeard himself would be dead, felled by five musket-ball wounds and more than 20 sword cuts in a battle off Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina, on 22 November 1718.
The private firm Intersal discovered what is believed to be the wreck of the Queen Anne’s Revenge in 1996. State-coordinated research efforts subsequently got under way, and for more than a decade, a North Carolina Office of State Archaeology team has been researching the wreckage.
For all the historical riches that the site already has yielded, only about half the shipwreck has been combed through so far. And as the latest 2,000-pound treasure was lifted from the water by a crane, project director Mark Wilde-Ramsing pointed out to the crowd of assembled onlookers, “The last people who saw this were pirates.”