Video: Only Validated Sunken Pirate Ship and Treasure in the World is on Cape Cod

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions or personal experiences.

Have you heard of the Whydah Gally pirate ship? It had a dastardly existence in the 17th and 18th centuries as pirates tend to have, and according to The Travel, is the only real pirate ship in existence to have its history documented and confirmed as truly legitimate.

Captain Black Sam Bellamy had a notorious reputation making his vast treasure in the slave trade around the Caribbean, as well as robbing 54 ships and commandeering many of them, according to The Travel. The Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth on the Cape is now home to thousands of items from the Whydah.

According to the museum, in April of 1717, a massive storm raged off Cape Cod with fierce winds and towering ocean waves.  That's when Black Sam and his small fleet of stolen ships filled with cargo and incredible treasures, sunk and were lost forever...that is, until 2014.  When the Whydah was discovered, nestled within the ship and on the ocean floor were silver coins, gold, ivory, and pistols. Rumor has it that there was also box of jewels with a ruby as large as a hen’s egg.

A diver named Barry Clifford discovered the wreck. According to The Travel, his hunt for the Whydah started in 1982 after he listened to stories of the pirate ship and its captain growing up.

And are you ready for something incredible?  According to The Travel, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts attempted to force Clifford into selling his findings, insisting that a third was owned by them. However, Clifford challenged Massachusetts all the way to the Supreme Court and won.  Once that was over and he owned the entirety of the ship's findings and treasure, he finally opened the museum so he could share the history.

There's so much more to learn about this story and history, so click here for more or visit the museum.