Blackbeard's Anchor to Be Raised From Atlantic

An anchor from what's believed to be the wreck of the pirate Blackbeard's flagship may see daylight today for the first time in nearly 300 years if it can be raised from the ocean off the North Carolina coast. Archaeologists are hoping to recover an anchor from what's presumed to be Queen Anne's Revenge in the waters off the coast of Beaufort, where the ship sank in 1718, just five months before Blackbeard was killed in a battle at Ocracoke Inlet.

Researchers were scheduled to go out on two boats to retrieve the anchor from the shipwreck that's about 20 feet underwater, then bring it ashore. The work to retrieve the anchor began last week. It's about 13 feet long with arms that are 8 feet across. The timing of the recovery of the anchor couldn't be better for North Carolina officials, who are trying to increase tourism interest in the shipwreck. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, starring Johnny Depp, was released earlier this month and features both Blackbeard and the Queen Anne's Revenge. (More Blackbeard stories.)