Aye! Behold ye scallawags and sea dogs! The very anchor from Blackbeard's vessel, Queen Anne's Revenge, has been found and raised from the deep for the first time since the early 1700's. It looks in amazingly good shape after so long resting in the briny deep.

Here is our modern image of the stalwart pirate captain, from the latest of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

The real Blackbeard, whose actual name was Edward Teach, was even more intimidating. Below is a near contemporary drawing of the fellow. Legend has it he tied smoldering fuses to his hair and beard to make his already fearsome appearance even more horrifiying.

Below is the banner flown from the mainmast of the Queen Anne's Revenge while it sailed the seas, prowling for the helpless plunder that coursed through the channels and sea roads of the Atlantic and Caribbean. With the rover Blackbeard at the helm, such a sight must have struck terror into the quivering hearts of the merchant seamen who were his prey.