On Wednesday night’s episode of Mummies Unwrapped, Ramy Romany heads to the outer reaches of Cape Cod in search of the wreckage of the most illustrious pirate who ever raised the black sail — Black Sam Bellamy, an Englishman who was dubbed “the Robin Hood of the sea.”
According to legend, the most successful pirate of all time, Black Sam Bellamy lost his ship, his life, and five tons of treasure in a freak storm.
In our exclusive clip, Ramy dives to find what appears to be Bellamy’s mummy. He searches for the artifacts and treasure, which were rumored to be scattered in a trail of debris all around the ship Bellamy was caught in when a Nor’easter storm hit his vessel.
All perished and the largest treasure — some of which is still rumored to be unclaimed to this day — is said to be off the coastal waters.
In our clip, a recovery expert tells Ramy: “We’ve found close to a million coins…” He adds: “Right next to this mummy.”
The wreckage site is too dangerous and the guide tells Ramy, “It’s Bellamy’s curse.”
Ramy says: “But a mummy pulled from its watery grave tells a different tale!”
Who was Black Sam Bellamy?
Bellamy perished in 1717 in a wreck off of Cape Cod (Massachusetts) in a purported treasure-filled ship.
Treasure hunters found his ship and in 2018 archaeologists believed they found his remains.
Black Sam Bellamy was an equal opportunity employer who put slaves, Indians, and convicts on the same level and gave them a voice on matters of business.
He was known to be a pirate who avoided skirmish and death and was quite the dandy, dressing in smart clothing and wearing his hair in a satin bow.
Likely the son of tenant farmers in the south of England according to historians, Black Sam Bellamy is on record for returning ships and cargo if it wasn’t to his liking or wants.
From the New England Historical Society records:
In 1717 Bellamy and his crew captured the Whydah Gally, a slave ship he refitted as a flagship with 28 guns. The Whydah had an advanced weapons system capable of attacking any man-of-war in the Americas.
In a year, Black Sam Bellamy and his crew raided 54 ships along the U.S. East Coast and the Caribbean. All in all they captured treasure worth $120 million today, according to Forbes magazine. That made him the top-earning pirate…
…The Whydah and the Mary Anne, commanded by Williams, headed north to New England. Williams and the Mary Anne broke off to Rhode Island, where he wanted to visit his family. Bellamy continued on, perhaps to Eastham to see Maria, but a terrific Nor’easter on April 26, 1717 wrecked the Whydah off the coast of Wellfleet. Black Sam Bellamy and all but two of the 142 men on board perished.
In 1984, the fated Whydah was recovered under 14 feet of water and five feet of sand. You can visit this at the Expedition Whydah Sea-Lab & Learning Center in Provincetown, Mass.
Now Ramy may see for himself the remains of Black Sam Bellamy!
The U.K. Telegraph reported scientists found human remains encased in iron, stone, silver, gold, tools, and weapons at this site.
The official logline from Discovery:
A mummy recovered at the bottom of the Atlantic has led treasure hunters to $120 million in gold and jewels stolen by infamous pirate Black Sam. Ramy Romany dives the frigid waters to investigate what might be the greatest heist of all time.
Mummies Unwrapped airs Wednesdays at 10 pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel.