EPISODE · Jun 12, 2026 · 12 MIN
The Wall of White Foam - Black Sam Bellamy
from Historical Conversations · host Michael Waxman
In 1717, a 28-year-old English sailor named Samuel Bellamy captured the slave ship Whydah Gally, refitted her as a democracy, and set a course for Cape Cod with five tons of gold in the hold. He never made it. On the night of April 26, the nor'easter caught him five hundred feet off the Wellfleet dunes. One hundred and forty-four men drowned. Two survived. Three hundred years later, we sit down with Black Sam Bellamy and ask him the same five questions we ask every guest on this podcast.Visit the wreck site at Marconi Beach, Wellfleet (Cape Cod National Seashore) and the Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth. Full show notes at historicalconversations.com
What this episode covers
In 1717, a 28-year-old English sailor named Samuel Bellamy captured the slave ship Whydah Gally, refitted her as a democracy, and set a course for Cape Cod with five tons of gold in the hold. He never made it. On the night of April 26, the nor'easter caught him five hundred feet off the Wellfleet dunes. One hundred and forty-four men drowned. Two survived. Three hundred years later, we sit down with Black Sam Bellamy and ask him the same five questions we ask every guest on this podcast. Visi...
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The Wall of White Foam - Black Sam Bellamy
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