Wreck-hunters recently made a remarkable discovery of a small 17th-century pirate ship, known as a Barbary corsair, in the deep waters between Spain and Morocco. The vessel, believed to be the first Algiers corsair found in the Barbary heartland, was heavily armed and possibly on its way to the Spanish coast for capturing and enslaving people when it sank. Interestingly, the ship was carrying a cargo of pots and pans made in Algiers, indicating an attempt to disguise itself as a trading vessel.
The Florida-based company Odyssey Marine Exploration (OME) located the shipwreck in 2005 while searching for the remains of the English warship HMS Sussex, lost in the same area in 1694. During this expedition, they also discovered the wrecks of ancient Roman and Phoenician ships in the region. The corsair wreck, revealed in a new article by Greg Stemm in Wreckwatch, sheds light on the notorious Barbary pirates who were a significant threat in the Mediterranean and Atlantic for over two centuries.
Barbary pirates, predominantly Muslims operating out of Algiers in the 15th century, posed a threat to ships and conducted slave raids along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Europe. These raids involved capturing people for ransom or the North African slave trade, lasting until the early 20th century. The end of Barbary piracy came in the early 19th century after being defeated in the Barbary Wars by the United States, Sweden, and the Norman Kingdom of Sicily.
The sunken corsair lies at a depth of about 2,700 feet in the Strait of Gibraltar, armed with cannons, swivel guns, and muskets for its crew of around 20 pirates. The vessel, identified as a tartane, had triangular lateen sails on two masts and could be propelled by oars. Tartanes were favored by Barbary pirates for their resemblance to fishing vessels, allowing them to approach unsuspecting ships. The wreck also contained a rare spyglass, likely captured from a European ship, along with glass liquor bottles from Belgium or Germany and tea bowls from Ottoman Turkey, indicating a pirate ship laden with stolen goods.
This discovery offers valuable insights into the history of Barbary piracy and the tactics used by corsairs in the 17th century. The artifacts recovered from the wreck provide a glimpse into the lives of pirates and the challenges they faced while operating in the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean. Further research and exploration of the site could uncover more secrets about this fascinating period in maritime history.
