Based in Las Vegas, Rich Kruithoff is the president of Charitable Planning Services, through which he works closely with accountants. An avid golfer and traveler, Rich Kruithoff has a longstanding interest in the events of American history. One of the most important events in American history was the discovery of Whydah, the world's only authenticated pirate ship.
As reported in Smithsonian Magazine, a recent archaeological find unearthed six skeletons from the Colonial era remains of the Whydah off Cape Cod. The British ship stood as the only authenticated pirate wreck in existence and went down in a nor’easter in 1717. All but two of the 146 hands aboard met their demise in the storm, with 43 crew members, including Captain Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy, thought to have gone down with the vessel.
Originally from western England, Bellamy had amassed booty totaling $145 million by his demise at age 28. Artifacts previously discovered in the wreck, which was identified in 1984, included gemstones, 15,000 coins, tools, weapons, and shackles. The treasures in the ship included items taken from more than 50 other captured ships.
Among the remarkable current finds is an anonymous pirate embedded in a concretion who has gold in his pocket and met his end with a pistol in hand. A concretion is a rigid mass that often forms around objects left underwater for many years. The pirate was apparently killed by a roll of lead, weighing 400 pounds, that fell on him during the sinking.
