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    The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found
    Unavailable
    The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found
    Unavailable
    The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found
    Audiobook3 hours

    The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found

    Written by Martin W. Sandler

    Narrated by Jeff Cummings

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A 2018 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist

    The exciting true story of the captaincy, wreck, and discovery of the Whydah — the only pirate ship ever found — and the incredible mysteries it revealed.

    The 1650s to the 1730s marked the golden age of piracy, when fearsome pirates like Blackbeard ruled the waves, seeking not only treasure but also large and fast ships to carry it. The Whydah was just such a ship, built to ply the Triangular Trade route, which it did until one of the greediest pirates of all, Black Sam Bellamy, commandeered it. Filling the ship to capacity with treasure, Bellamy hoped to retire with his bounty — but in 1717 the ship sank in a storm off Cape Cod. For more than two hundred years, the wreck of the Whydah (and the riches that went down with it) eluded treasure seekers, until the ship was finally found in 1984 by marine archaeologists. The artifacts brought up from the ocean floor are priceless, both in value and in the picture they reveal of life in that much-mythologized era, changing much of what we know about pirates.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMar 12, 2019
    ISBN9781721365654
    Unavailable
    The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found
    Author

    Martin W. Sandler

    Martin W. Sandler is the author of Imprisoned, Lincoln Through the Lens, The Dust Bowl Through the Lens, and Kennedy Through the Lens. He has won five Emmy Awards for his writing for television and is the author of more than sixty books, two of which have been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Among Sandler's other books are the six volumes in his award-winning Library of Congress American History Series for Young People, a series which has sold more than 500,000 copies. Other books by Mr. Sandler include: Island of Hope: The Story of Ellis Island, Trapped in Ice, The Story of American Photography, The Vaqueros, America: A Celebration, and This Was America. Mr. Sandler has taught American history and American studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and at Smith College, and lives in Massachusetts.

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    Reviews for The Whydah

    4.5/5

    30 ratings12 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      The only thing better than a book about pirates is a TRUE STORY about pirates, with all of the gritty detail and history. I feared that this might be a dry read, as far too many history books are (it really takes talent to make something as interesting as history a dull subject, but a lot of writers have that talent), but it was, in fact, very well written, enjoyable, and fast paced.For anyone interested in pirate history, this book is a must have.
    • 4/5
      I was intrested from the mention of pirates, but I was worried that it would be a struggle to get through like some other non fiction books I've picked up over the years. Thankfully this story was an engaging look at what piracy was really like, there were no "arrrr's" or parrots that said silly things. The length of this story was really wonderful as well, I was worried it would be huge, but it was less than 200 pages, and like all good books it left me wanting more. If you're looking to read some non fiction, but are afraid you'll be bored to tears by the genre then I highly recommend this book! It was an engaging and quick read!Happy reading!
    • 4/5
      Author Martin W. Sandler explores pirate history with a focus on the ship Whydah and pirate Black Sam Bellamy. Sidebars provide additional information such as the pirate laws, The Articles of Agreement. Cultural differences such as laws (and therefore individual rights) made pirating appealing to some. The book started slowly for me, however picked up after the background information was reviewed and specifics of the Whydah were the focus of the book. The recent history of the discovery of the Whydah and treasure hunting provide a satisfying conclusion.Since some of the sidebars are three pages long, I would include them at chapter breaks instead of within the chapter.
    • 4/5
      SLJ targets it to 6th grade, Kirkus 10 and up. It is very text heavy but would be interesting to kids who like history and adventure.
    • 5/5
      A well-researched and lively history of the pirate ship WHYDAH, from its beginnings as a slave ship, to its reign as one of the most feared pirate ships, to its eventual fate as the first pirate shipwreck unearthed. The book also chronicles the life and career of its captain, Sam Bellamy. The author describes in vivid detail the life of a pirate, dispelling many of the romantic myths, but explaining the factors that led poor people facing indentured servitude or horrible conditions in a navy to welcome the chance to be master of their own fates as pirates; the relative democratic structures aboard a pirate ship; and the hard and sometimes violent lives. The second part of the book deals with the efforts to locate the sunken remnants of the Whydah, based on oral histories of its shipwreck off the Cape Cod coast, and using modern technologies. The book is interspersed with small excerpts of information about topics such as slavery, the mechanics of a pirate attack, etc.I highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in learning more about the real story behind pirates.
    • 5/5
      Excellent book on the history and recover of the pirate ship Whydah. The book follows the life of the Whydah from its construction through its intended use as a slave galley, pirate ship, legend, then salvage project. The story smoothly transitions through each of these periods, pulling the reader along with the excitement. Informative sidebars are included in the text, going into greater detail on people and elements of history important to the Whydah, and so so without disrupting the flow of the main story.
    • 4/5
      Martin W. Sandler’s book, The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found, is a very entertaining read. It tells the history of the Whydah, one of only a handful of pirate ships ever discovered and salvaged.Commissioned in London in 1715, the Whydah was named after the West African slave-trading kingdom of Ouidah (the ship being a slave ship intended for the Atlantic slave trade). Sadly for its owners, but presumably happily for many potential future slaves, the Whydah was attacked during its maiden voyage by pirates under the command of “Black Sam” Bellamy, who converted the Whydah into his piratical flagship.Bellamy and his comrades used the Whydah, among other ships, to attack vessels up and down the American coast, amassing am utter fortune in loot. Unfortunately for Bellamy and his crew, a storm (combined with a captured merchant captain’s cunning) led to the sinking of the Whydah and the drowning of most of her crew before they had time to spend any of their ill-gotten gains. A fortune thus sank beneath the waves. The Whydah was not seen again until 1984 when treasure hunters found her and began to retrieve her contents, though millions in gold thought to have been aboard the Whydah when she sank remain undiscovered.Mr. Sandler tells both the historical and the modern portions of the Whydah's story with verve. And his book is, as I’ve said, an entertaining read. But I found myself wishing he would have presented more details about the golden age of piracy than he did, writing a book that was not quite so slim and quick a read. And I wish he’d have given the details he did give as part of his text, or even as footnotes or appendices, rather than as multi-page sections that oddly interrupted his main story, completely throwing off his main narrative.Still, the book is fun and informative and I recommend it.
    • 4/5
      THE WHYDAH: A PIRATE SHIP FEARED, WRECKED, and FOUND by Martin W. Sandler pieces together the true story of a pirate ship discovered by marine archaeologists in the 1980s.During the age of piracy, now famous pirates like Blackbeard and Black Sam Bellamy sailed the Atlantic in search of treasure. In 1717, a pirate ship called the Whydah wrecked off Cape Cod only to be found in 1984 by marine archaeologists. Sandler tells the exciting story of what researchers have learned from this amazing pirate ship. Readers learn about how this slave ship was transformed into a ship used by pirates almost 300 years ago. The author incorporates legends and survivor stories to add to the mystery surrounding the ship. Primary source materials are woven into the story along with short descriptions that provide historical insights.Librarians will find the combination of pirates, shipwrecks, and history to be appealing to both middle grade and older students. Connect this book with other activities occurring during the age of piracy. This book would be useful for reluctant readers seeking an engaging research topic.Published by Candlewick on March 14, 2017. ARC courtesy of the publisher.
    • 5/5
      They had me at pirate ship. What could be more exciting than finding the wreck of an actual ship used by pirates. It’s like a puzzle that when pieced together can give us a clearer picture of the life pirates actually lived. Not the Hollywood version or even the version popularized by authors such as Robert Louis Stevenson in books such as Treasure Island. In this book, geared towards a young adult readership, the author provides a lot of factual information about pirate life in a very interesting manner. The text is accompanied by very detailed maps and period illustrations that help to get the reader involved in the search for the only shipwreck that has been authenticated to be an actual ship used by pirates.
    • 4/5
      A historical account of the Pirate ship Whydah and its rediscovery, with general info about life as a pirate as well as the underwater explorers who later try to recover sunken vessels and their contents. Easy to read, fascinating, and a good starting place for anyone interested in the subject. An intriguing book for teens and adults alike.LT Early Reviewer
    • 5/5
      Although some points stated to be fact are actually speculation made by the informations source (cross reference with Black Flags, Blue Waters) the overall information and what scientists learned from studying the Whydah is extremely fascinating to me!
    • 4/5
      Author Martin W. Sandler explores pirate history with a focus on the ship Whydah and pirate Black Sam Bellamy. Sidebars provide additional information such as the pirate laws, The Articles of Agreement. Cultural differences such as laws (and therefore individual rights) made pirating appealing to some. The book started slowly for me, however picked up after the background information was reviewed and specifics of the Whydah were the focus of the book. The recent history of the discovery of the Whydah and treasure hunting provide a satisfying conclusion.Since some of the sidebars are three pages long, I would include them at chapter breaks instead of within the chapter.