Nach den alten Legenden der Gegend um Cape Cod war Samuel Bellamy ein junger englischer Seemann, der auf der Sache nach Ruhm und Reichtümern in den Kolonien der Neuen Welt landete. 1715 überzeugte er einen reichen Patron ein Schiff und eine Mannschaft zu finanzieren, um in den Süden zu segeln und vor der Küste Floridas nach versunkenen spanischen Schätzen zu suchen.

Treasure was not the only thing on young Bellamys mind as he promised local beauty Maria Hallet that he would return one day sailing the longest, tallest ship ever seen. He made no predictions on speed records, however, as he hoped the ship would be so laden with gold and silver. 

The treasure hunt failed but Bellamy was loath to return to Massachusetts and Maria empty-handed, and the step to piracy was a small one. In little more than a year Samuel, now known as Black Bellamy, was captain of a notorious pirate crew that had plundered more than 50 ships. 

One morning off Cuba, Bellamy and his buccaneers captured the Whydah, a 100-foot three-masted galley packed with ivory, indigo and thousands of silver and gold coins. Excited with his prize, he designated it as his flagship. 

His fortune secured, Bellamy headed for home. By April 1717 he was off Cape Cod when his fleet was stuck by a stormy tempest completed with 70 mph gales and 40 foot tall waves. The Whydah was top heavy and highly susceptible to the driving winds blowing her ever closer to the shore. Amid scenes of mayhem the Whydah capsized, breaking her back with a
heart-rendering crack. 

Only two men survived the natural holocaust. One was an Indian pilot who quickly disappeared into the mists of history, the other Thomas Davis, a Welsh carpenter, whose vivid account of the shipwreck was preserved and passed from generation to generation through Cape Cod folklore.