SAUGUS — The Senior Center got a taste of the pirate life Friday afternoon as Neil Shapiro of The Real Pirates Museum in Salem told the story of Pirate Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy and showed off some treasures.
“The museum is only about three years and three months old, so we are brand spanking new. We’re working hard. … It’s something that, when we say to you, ‘It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,’ we mean what you’re going to see, what you’re going to hear, and what you’re going to feel is something that you will not feel again, anywhere else,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro said he’s so confident in making this claim because they are the only museum to possess the only authenticated, licensed and registered pirate treasure in the world today. “We’re very proud of that,” he said.
Shapiro then dove into the story of the Whydah ship and Capt. Bellamy. He explained that Bellamy was a naval officer for three years before deciding to step away from it. He eventually traveled to Cape Cod, where he met Maria Hallett and fell in love. However, Hallett’s father disapproved of him because he wasn’t wealthy. So, Bellamy set off to find wealth.
“He became a pirate. He was able to obtain a ship and go on the seas. And when he was out on the seas, he was only there for three years — he was the number one pirate on Forbes’ most richest list. That is true, that’s not made up,” Shapiro said. He was indeed not joking around, as Bellamy was labeled the top-earning pirate ever by Forbes in 2008 for plundering an estimated $120 million during his time on the seas.
Bellamy began his journey with a ship called the Sultana, which he used to capture more ships, knowing the more he captured, the more money he would earn.
“Now, he comes across a ship called the Whydah. It was built in London and navigated and captained by a major in the Royal Navy. He (Bellamy) then corners this ship and disables it,” Shapiro said. He continued that the way the ship was disabled was by using double-headed cannonballs to shred the sail. “So then what he did was he went up to the ship and he went to the captain and he said, ‘I’ll give you a choice. Your first choice is that I can blow you out of the water, and I will kill every man on your ship. Your second choice is we will swap ships.’”
The Whydah’s captain took the deal, and Bellamy and his crew set sail in the larger vessel. The Whydah was a slave ship, and Bellamy chose to treat all on the ship with respect. Shapiro noted that while most believe the Declaration of Independence was the first sight of democracy, it was actually on Bellamy’s ship where that happened.
“He stood up in front of his crew, just like I am in front of you, and he simply said — now remember, captain is king — he said, ‘Here’s what I’m going to do. I am going to share. You can vote me off and drop me on that island over there. You can just give me some water and food, don’t shoot me in the back. But here’s what I will do for you. I’m the captain. I get 2% of the booty. You’re my first mate, so you get 1.5%. You are my bosun, and you get 1%. You are my handyman, and you get half a percent. Now the rest get 96% shared,’” Shapiro said.
Everyone on board the ship, including the slaves, received a percentage of the treasure plundered. As they approached an island, Bellamy said anyone could leave the boat, but no one left the captain.
Bellamy’s story eventually turned tragic, as Maria Hallett, who was kicked out of her house for having a child out of wedlock, lost the child and ended up losing her mind. She was labeled a witch, though after standing trial, she was found not guilty. One night, after hearing a voice calling her to the water, she walked in and never came back, according to Shapiro.
The next day, the Whydah ran aground off the coast of Cape Cod, and the ship went down with Bellamy on board. “A captain always goes down with his ship,” Shapiro said.
Barry Clifford, the man who found The Whydah’s shipwreck, leases treasures to the museum, creating a friendship with Shapiro. “He owns a museum in Cape Cod called The Whydah Museum,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro finished his presentation by allowing the audience to pass around some relics, including a cannonball, a nail, and four coins made of 99.9% silver, which were worth thousands.
