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Kidd's Big Adventure

By Martha Pickerill

Near the coast of Madagascar's tiny island of Sainte-Marie, explorer Barry Clifford floated above a pile of smooth rocks. He blinked, swam closer and realized his eyes weren't fooling him. There were pieces of pottery, white and crisp blue, among the rocks. He rose to the surface and shouted, "I think I've got it!"

"It" was a 302-year-old shipwreck. Last week Clifford and his team announced they had found what they believe is the wreck of the Adventure, the ship of the infamous pirate William Kidd. The Chinese pottery they found was made in the late 17th century, when Kidd was sailing. They also found a metal oarlock, which keeps oars in place on a galley ship.

The Adventure's last voyage, in 1698, began as a mission of justice. King William of England gave Captain Kidd the ship and a crew, and orders to capture pirates who were menacing ships in the Indian Ocean. The Adventure was a galley--a ship powered by both sails and oars for rowing. It was poorly built. Even worse, the first sailors Kidd picked to help him were suddenly recruited by England's navy, so he had to hire a bunch of losers for his crew.

The men did not rescue any ships in trouble. Instead, they ended up becoming pirates themselves, capturing two ships and their cargo. Some blame the crazy crew for what happened. Others say it was Kidd's fault. After the awful journey, he was found guilty of piracy and murder and put to death.

A few experts say the discovery simply can't be the Adventure. Author Richard Zacks, who is writing a new book about Kidd, is among the doubting. His research shows that the Adventure's oarlocks would have been wooden, not iron, and that Kidd burned the ship on the beach. Zacks can't believe anything was left of it, but he's rooting for Clifford's team anyway.

"I hope they found it," says Zacks. "But what's really amazing about Kidd is his life story. He married the richest woman in New York. The King of England sent him on an important mission. After all that, he has gone down as the most notorious pirate in history."

Next: Hot. Cold. It's a Matter of Taste