Six pirate shipwrecks discovered in Bahamas near Nassau

For the first time, shipwrecks directly linked to the historical pirates of the Caribbean have been discovered in the Bahamas. An international team of archaeologists and filmmakers has identified six wrecks in and around Nassau Harbor, with three definitively tied to the region's "Golden Age of Piracy" between the 1690s and 1720s.

The discoveries were made during an expedition conducted in late 2025 after the team received the first official permission to dive in a previously restricted zone of the harbor. The finds include a charred wooden hull beneath a pile of stone ballast, a signature of pirate activity. Officials explained that after seizing a ship and taking its cargo, cannon, and fittings, pirates would often burn vessels to the waterline to destroy evidence of their crimes. The hull's planks and frames were connected by wooden treenails, confirming 18th-century construction.

Among the artifacts recovered were iron cannons, swivel guns—described as the cannon of choice for pirates—lead musket balls, and a grinding stone for sharpening swords. One wreck site, located approximately 21 miles east of Nassau, was found to be heavily armed with such antipersonnel weapons. The...