Mr. Clifford along with his son Brandon Clifford and some other expert divers, has been exploring the pirate shipwrecks buried deep underwater around the legendary Island for the last fifteen years. Previously claimed to have found the famous ships ‘Adventure Galle’ belonging to the infamous Scottish pirate William Kidd, Mr. Clifford presented a silver ingot to the world in May this year. According to Mr. Clifford the ingot belonged to the treasure of William Kidd the legendary Pirate of the 17th century, he then presented his findings to the Madagascan President Hery Rajaonarimampianina in the presence of British and American Ambassadors.
A team of UNESCO experts who analyzed the ingot after carrying out the dives of their own in the waters where Clifford’s team researched, have harshly criticized Mr. Clifford for deceiving the world with a fake ingot. According to UNESCO the silver ingot is not silver afterall, it’s rather 90 percent lead and has no historic value. They also added that the shipwreck claimed to be the ‘Adventure Galle’ is also nothing but the remains of the foundation of an old Bay. Mr. Clifford discovered the ship ‘Adventure Galle’ belonging to the famous Scottish Pirate William Kidd in 2000. (Mail Online)
Barry Clifford has categorically refused all the allegations and is standing by his claims that his findings are genuine. Mr. Clifford accused UNESCO of dishonesty and fabrications of the facts for their vested interests. According to Clifford UNESCO is only carrying forward its tradition of harsh opposition of privately funded explorations. Mr. Clifford who is currently in the process of making a documentary for History Channel based on his findings is determined to finish his project regardless of the opposition.
While walking towards the gallows beside River Thames, Captain William Kidd could not believe his fate, since just a couple of year prior to his execution date he was a man of law. Appointed by the British Authorities in 1698 to investigate and curb the pirates operating in the waters of East African islands, William Kidd left British shores as a law enforcer. During his Twelve months long journey to the East African shores, Captain Kidd had supposedly undergone a dark transformation and had developed a serious inclination towards the business of piracy. For next two years Captain Kidd and his crew plundered the waters by attacking and looting a number of merchant ships generating a treasure worth of gold and silver for themselves. No historian had conclusively put forward a theory about the thought process of Captain Kidd behind his Looting spree. Since he never believed to have acted unlawfully and maintained his innocence till his last breathe.