"The Sailing Master"

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Sometimes called “sea artists”, some of the Sailing Masters among Bellamy’s pirate crew were William Main, John Lambert, and Richard Calverly, 

Aboard a merchant ship the “Sailing Master” (or “Mate”) was a highly paid officer who was second-in-command to the ship’s captain, as well as a trained navigator.

Aboard pirate ships, however, the Sailing Master’s duties were strictly limited to navigation.

To that end, this section of the online museum houses the navigational instruments recovered from the Whydah site.

Navigational artifacts were relatively “high-tech” for the period, and consequently expensive. Pirates were quick to appropriate any such instruments found aboard a captured vessel.

The number and variety of these artifacts therefore sharply distinguishes the Whydah from other 18th century shipwrecks.

CLICK TO VIEW ATRIFACTS:

Ring Dial
 
Charting Compasses
   
Dividers
   
Sectors
  
Sounding Leads