One artifact seems out of place in the Field Museum's big "Pirates" exhibit.
A plastic compass, with a white nylon cord, lies in state in a glass case. The curio is located in a gallery devoted to the conservation of artifacts salvaged from the not-so-good ship Whydah. The pirate vessel sank off the coat of Cape Cod in 1717.
According to treasure-hunter Barry Clifford, who located the wreck in 1984, the compass belonged to John Kennedy Jr. The dashing young Kennedy not only invested in the expedition, he was an original member of the search team.
During a 1982 dive, JFK Jr. and a teammate reported spying cannons on the ocean floor. Colleagues descended to the site, but shifting sands impeded their search John Jr." lost his compass during the '82 expedition," Ballard said.
Clifford and his crew eventually found the Whydah buried under 30 feet of sand. But the mysterious cannons remained elusive. Kennedy, who remained interested in the recovery, died in a plane crash en route to Cape Cod in 1999.
Two years ago -- 25 years after Kennedy's initial report -- Clifford's dive team discovered a stack of 15 cannons welded together by rock, sand and clay. Suspended by its string from the pile was a 20th century compass.
So JFK Jr. really did spot the cannons, Clifford said. No one can deny the evidence. "The compass is inscribed with his initials," he said.
BY MOLLY WOULFE
Chicago Scene columnist | Tuesday, March 10, 2009
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