On April 26, 1717, the Wydah Gally, a ex slave ship that had been captured by the crew of Samuel Bellamy or Black Sam. ran aground and capsized during a storm off Cape Cod, drowning most of the crew including Bellamy. Those that did survive were quickly discovered and arrested for piracy. They were tried in Boston on October 18th 1718.
Local Cape Cod legend tells that the Whydah was headed for what is now Provincetown Harbor at the tip of Cape Cod, so that Bellamy could visit his love, Maria Hallett – the ‘Witch of Wellfleet’. The Whydah and her treasure eluded discovery for over 260 years until 1984, when the wreck was found becoming the first authenticated pirate shipwreck ever to be discovered.