Though we are just getting started on this blog, we have been researching and writing our book for several years and hope soon to announce a publication date.
When Kidd and his mutinous crew seized the Quedah Merchant in the Indian Ocean in 1698, they stole cargo which belonged to the English East India Company, putting Kidd into the center of a political firestorm in which King William III needed to appear tough on piracy.
But the king was an investor in Kidd's mission and stood to profit from goods legally seized. And the Quedah Merchant was sailing under a French pass. Kidd sailed the leaky "prize" to the Caribbean and the man he left in charge tried to hide the ship, whose Moorish design screamed "stolen by pirates" to anyone who happened by. Efforts to find it began almost immediately and our new interpretation of an often-overlooked and misunderstood captain's journal suggests that one person did indeed discover where the Quedah Merchant lay, but did not report it to the authorities.
And so it remained hidden for 300 years, until late in 2007. Our book tells the whole story, time-traveling from the 17th century to the 21st and back again, combining breaking news with historic details. Our book reveals for the first time the hidden motives and plots which swirled around Kidd and which continue to hamper modern efforts to find and verify the final resting place of the Quedah Merchant.
Keep checking this site for breaking news about the discovery of this amazing vessel and about our book.
Thank you,
-Dan Hamilton & Chris Macort
2 comments:
A fascinating story. I look forward to reading more of your endeavor.
Thank you very much for your interest.
Your namesake certainly knew his way around Hispaniola and we were delighted to learn more about him when we visited the Dockyard in Portsmouth.
Stay tuned for new posts in the near future.
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