Over the past 300 years, concretions have grown to encapsulate artifacts from Queen Anne’s Revenge. As the concretions are processed to extract artifacts, collections begin to expand significantly and one of those growing collections is grenades. So far, thirteen grenades have been separated from concretions with possibly another twelve still in concretions. This is a substantial collection but most other studies generally just note grenade measurements. However, the unique circumstances surrounding Queen Anne’s Revenge, historically and archaeologically, call for much more than mere measurements. For instance, the distribution of grenades over the entire site can give insight to where grenades were kept on a pirate vessel and if that location differs from privateer or naval vessels. This collection can provide a glimpse into the casting methods of grenades in the early eighteenth century as well. Notably if each grenade was based upon the same blank from or several blank forms.
Photographs curtsey of Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck Project Facebook page. www.facebook.com/NCMaritimeMuseumBeaufort/. Accessed February 17, 2017.