Historic Pirate Ship Found Off Foa Island, Tonga

It is believed that the wreck of the Port-au-Prince, a 200-year-old English pirate ship, has been discovered in Tonga.

The ship wreck was discovered by a local diver off the coast of Foa Island, in the Ha’apai Island group, according to nzherald.co.nz.

The vessel last sailed into the Pacific waters in search of whales in 1806.

A tourism marketing officer in the Tongan Government, Sandra Fifita believes that the sunken bounty of the vessel will attract treasure hunters: “If it proves to be the Port-au-Prince then we may have treasure hunters and Tongan locals clambering to find the remains of years of successful pirate raids against the enemies of the British.“

Fifita added: “This is a significant find for the people of Tonga. This ship wreck will reveal a great deal of information about the history of Tonga and specifically the Ha’apai Islands.”

Greenwich Maritime Museum and the Marine Archaeological Society confirmed the age of the ship after receiving the analysis results of the copper sheathing found at the site.

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Subsea World News Staff , August 09, 2012