Captain Morgan’s Ship Believed to be Found Near Panama

The wreckage of a vessel thought to have been helmed by 17th century pirate, Captain Morgan, was discovered in the waters near Panama, according to media reports Monday.

Captain Henry Morgan, was a real seafarer from Wales, with a reputation for being a bloodthirsty pirate, but in fact, he was not an outlaw. He was a “privateer,” meaning he enjoyed the support of his government that was interested in breaking up Spanish domination of the riches of the colonies in the New World. 

Today, Captain Morgan is better known as the mascot for a type of rum bearing the same name.

Texas State University archaeologists were diving near the Lajas Reef when they discovered a large portion of the hull belonging to what they believe to be Morgan’s flagship, “Satisfaction,” according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Inside the ship, which sank in 1671, are unopened cargo containers, chests, and other items of note, according to the newspaper.

As Discovery magazine notes, the Captain Morgan rum group donated some money to the archaeologists team to allow them to continue their research. The rum maker hopes that the containers have alcohol inside.

“There’s definitely an irony in the situation,” Fritz Hanselmann, an archaeologist with the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University, told Discovery.

Morgan gained infamy during his lifetime for primarily attacking Spanish ships in the Caribbean, acting as a privateer on behalf of England.

In 1671, Morgan and his men attempted to take the Spanish-held Panama City and eventually prevailed, but lost five ships in the process.

“To us, the ship is the treasure—the story is the treasure,” Hanselman told the Telegraph. “You don’t have a much better story than Captain Morgan’s sack of Panama City and the loss of his five ships.”