Storm Unearths 18th Century Ship That Defended Bay Head from Pirates

Last week's powerful storm unearthed a surprising relic from the past. On an eroded patch of beach in Bay Head, residents discovered the skeletal remains of an 18th century sailing ship. The vessel has since been identified as one of the ships that successfully fought off pirates along the New Jersey coastline. Nautical historian, Dr. John Madden, who identified the ship, said it is an extraordinary find from a time in history few people know.

Piracy was not very common off the Jersey Shore in the 18th century, but there was at least one pirate who became the scourge of the northeast coastline. His name was Captain Thomas Braidee, but he was known to everyone as Handsome Tom. At first he wasn't considered a pirate. In 1735 a royal contract was given to a private shipping company giving them license to harass and confiscate vessels belonging to enemies of the crown. Under the direction of unscrupulous manager Billy Chek, the company used a broad definition for "enemies of the crown." Almost all ships were fair game to Billy Check, and once Tom Braidee was promoted to captain of the ship ironically named the Patriot, the company became almost unstoppable. Sailing out of New England, they ravaged shipping as far south as the Carolinas. Handsome Tom and Billy Chek were hated for their pirating success.

By the 1740s, Captain Tom Braidee had led the Patriot and a small fleet of privateers to countless victories. In 1742, Handsome Tom was having his greatest year, scoring 17 victories against no defeats. So when Captain Braidee came up against a young captain from New Jersey and his ship, the Giant, almost everyone believed the Giant didn't have a chance against the Patriot.

Captain Eli Archieson came from a family of successful sailing captains. Though it was believed he had potential, Captain Eli had yet to prove that he had what it took to lead the Giant and its small fleet of merchant ships. It wasn't surprising that many believed that the contest between the Patriot and the Giant was a foregone conclusion.

Dr. Madden explains what actually unfolded off the coast of New Jersey almost three hundred years ago. "Ya know, ya had Tom Braidee there and he had all those cannons, and he was like, boom! There ya go! The guy seemed unstoppable. And on the other side you had Eli, and he's looking to stop the Patriot, but no one believed he could do it. And then at the height of the battle, Braidee had one ship coming this way and another one coming the other way and Captain Eli is like ziggin and zaggin tryin' to get away and somehow he gets away!And so there's Captain Eli manning a cannon himself and he's like boom! He let's the cannon balls fly and somehow he finds his target! I mean, it was unbelievable! So like Braidee and the Patriot still had a chance, but, ya know,  they couldn't get it done, and that's how Captain Eli ruined Braidee's chance at a perfect year."

The unexpected victory made Captain Eli a hero to everyone in New Jersey and New York. While Handsome Tom and the Patriot continued to be successful in other coastal areas, they wouldn't face off with Captain Eli and the Giant again until 1746. The Giant still was considered the underdog, but Captain Eli rose to the occasion for the second time and permanently drove Handsome Tom out of New Jersey waters. An article written at the time in the Eastern Seaboard Public News (ESPN), had nothing but praise for the young captain:

"A grand huzzah for Captain Eli! The hero of '42 has brought us victory again in '46! It be with his guile and cunning that Mr Eli dispatched 'Handsome Tom' and his band of brigands. Old Billy Chek and Braidee may still be hard to beat by many, but none will ever forget that their nemesis, Captain Eli, was able to lay them low two times!"

Captain Eli was a local hero for the rest of his life. As for Handsome Tom, some years later Billy Chek made the mistake of believing Braidee had grown too old to lead the Patriot and got rid of him. Handsome Tom quickly proved Billy Chek wrong by going to Florida and enjoying great success as a buccaneer.

The ship that was found last week in Bay Head was one of the few lost by Captain Eli during his engagements with Braidee. Dr. Madden is fairly certain the ship is the Plaxico, which was instrumental in the first conflict with the Patriot, but was out of commission for the second engagement.

Dr. John Madden is working on having the Plaxico moved to a safe location for study. He is hopeful that it can be displayed for local residents. "Ya know, history is great," said Madden. "Ya got one thing happening, then another, and another and boom! ya got history! And then ya got something like this that nobody's seen until this storm comes and digs up this ship, and there ya go! So little kids are gonna get to see it and say, hey! look at that! I mean, that's history right there. Ya gotta love it"