Real Pirates: The > Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Sept. 1
Where: San Diego Natural History Museum, Balboa Park
Tickets: $15 to $27
Phone: (619) 232-3821
Did you know?
The sunken Whydah pirate ship was found in 1984 and continues to be actively excavated to this day.
A history of the Whydah
The Whydah began as a British slave ship in 1715 and eventually became a pirate ship, collecting jewelry, swords and currency from more than 50 vessels.
In 1717, the Whydah sank off the coast of Cape Cod, and it wasn’t located until 1984. The remains, many of which are on display at the museum, tell unlikely tales from that time, including the inclusion of merchants, former slaves, female pirates and even a child passenger.
Along with the encased artifacts, the Natural History Museum has paired up with the San Diego Maritime Museum to create a replica of the pirate ship. Guests can walk through the mock Whydah and get a feel for its tight quarters and conditions.
Pop culture has given us a pretty clear definition of pirates:
They look like Johnny Depp, they tend to be cranky, and the only thing they’re after is your gold.
But a new exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum offers a less cartoonish and much more accurate — and less jolly — look at how pirates actually lived.
“Pirates are not just like Johnny Depp,” said museum CFO and Vice President Susan Loveall. “Our country has a long history with pirates. They played a very important role.”
“Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah From Slave Ship to Pirate Ship” features a collection of more than 200 artifacts and treasures recovered from the Whydah, a ship that sank in 1717. Among the items are plenty of expected things, like gold coins and weapons, but there are also surprising finds like medicine bottles and carpenter’s tools.
“Pirates were also citizen scientists and early ecologists,” Loveall said.
As the exhibit shows, pirates didn’t just steal gold and guns from other ships; they also made maps of their extensive travels and collected ecological samples from around the world.
In addition to “Real Pirates,” the Natural History Museum will have a bonus exhibition titled “Pirates: Unlikely Naturalists” that features rare books and illustrated journals from the late 16th to early 18th century. They are on loan from the Mandeville Special Collections at the UC San Diego Library.
“Real Pirates” is open through Sept. 1.