Capt. Kidd’s treasure found off Madagascar, researcher claims

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Christopher Pilny

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck

Barry Clifford, the explorer who is perhaps best known for finding the remains of the wrecked ship Whydah, has reportedly found the long-lost treasure of 17th Century Scottish pirate William Kidd – though some experts are treating his claims with skepticism.

According to BBC News, Clifford and his colleagues found and recovered a 50 kilogram silver bar in the waters around the  island of Sainte Marie in Madagascar. The bar, which was given to the country’s president in a special ceremony, is believed to have come from the wreck of Kidd’s ship, the Adventure Galley, and is thought to be one of many buried there.

“Captain’s Kidd’s treasure is the stuff of legends. People have been looking for it for 300 years… I really didn’t expect this,” Clifford said. “There’s more down there. I know the whole bottom of the cavity where I found the silver bar is filled with metal. It’s too murky down there to see what metal, but my metal detector tells me there is metal on all sides.”

Uncertain origins of the newly-discovered silver bar

Captain Kidd, who was originally recruited by British authorities to combat pirates before he turned to piracy himself, looted the Armenian ship the Quedagh Merchant in 1698. The ship had an English captain, and it is believed that  that much of the stolen cargo belonged to the British East India Company. Kidd was captured, found guilty of piracy and executed in 1701.

BBC reporter Martin Vogl said that there is much excitement in Madagascar about the find, but is the silver bar actually part of Kidd’s treasure? Clifford and his colleagues have little doubt that their discovery actually belonged to the notorious pirate. They also pointed out that the bar is marked with what appears to be a letter S and a letter T and has its origins in 17th-Century Bolivia.

“After 15 years of research and expeditions to Madagascar, I have made an incredible discovery. While investigating the shipwreck I believe to be Captain Kidd’s Adventure Galley I uncovered a giant silver bar,” Clifford told the History Channel, which was filming the expedition for an upcoming broadcast. “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.”

Historian Robert Ritchie is not completely convinced by Clifford’s claims. As he told The Washington Post, “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. 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.”

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