EXPERTS believe they may have found the gruesome remains of the richest pirate ever to plunder the seven seas.

Scientists are now carefully studying bones recovered from a Cape Cod shipwreck to see if they actually belong to infamous Captain Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy.

7 Samuel 'Black Sam' Bellamy went down on board the Whydah Gally in 1771

7 The bones were found encased in sand and stone pulled from the wreck

The Whydah Pirate Museum in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, will now display the bones for the first time alongside what they believe is one of Bellamy's pistols.

They were found encased in sand and stone pulled from the wreck of the ship Bellamy went down in, the Whydah Gally

The museum has now enlisted forensic scientists to compare DNA from the bones to a sample given by one of Bellamy's living descendants.

The ship went down in stormy seas in 1717, killing most of its crew and leaving its treasure scattered across the ocean floor. Bellamy was just 28.

7 Silver coins which have been recovered from the ship's wreckage Credit: Wikipedia

7 Bellamy (red coat) and his crew captured more than 50 ships before his death

Bellamy was a master sailor that pirated for just a little more than a year in and around the West Indies.

He is famous for being one of the original members of the Flying Gang which launched the careers of some of the most infamous pirates of all time including Edward "Blackbeard" Teach and Charles Vane.

Bellamy is long regarded as the most successful pirate in recorded history bagging more than £100 million in plundered loot from more than 50 ships.

He was said to be a tall, strong and well mannered man who liked flashy clothes like many of his counterparts.

7 He was one of the original members of the Flying Gang which included Edward 'Blackbeard' Teach Credit: Hulton Archive - Getty

7 An amazingly preserved ship's bell also salvaged from the sunken ship

He usually carried four duelling pistols and captained two ships, one heavily armed and another smaller one that he could quickly manoeuvre to block rival ships.

When the Whydah went down it reportedly held more than four and a half tonnes of gold and silver.

But after the wreck was discovered in 1984, trinkets and human remains encased in a hardened mass of sand and stone were recovered.

The state of the art ship weighing 300 tonnes was loaded with 18 fearsome cannons.

7 X marks the spot where the ship was last seen sailing

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Bellamy loved the freedom that came with piracy and had nothing but disdain for those sailors who chose life aboard a merchantman or naval vessel.

His famous quote to a captured captain named Beer reveals his philosophy: "Damn my blood, I am sorry they won't let you have your sloop again, for I scorn to do anyone a mischief, when it is not to my advantage; damn the sloop, we must sink her, and she might be of use to you.

Who was Samuel 'Black Sam' Bellamy and was he really the richest ever pirate? Bellamy called himself the ‘Robin Hood of the Sea’ and his men called themselves ‘Robin Hood’s men.’ There is no record of him ever killing a captive, and he often returned captured ships and cargo if they didn’t suit his purpose. Little is known of early life, though he is believed to have been born in the west of England. His parents were said to be tenant farmers, hovering on the edge of starvation. Bellamy left home at a young age for a port - London, Bristol or Plymouth. He became a ship’s boy at 13 and by the end of the Spanish war in 1712 he was a skilled sailor. Bellamy is famous for being one of the original members of the Flying Gang. He liked flashy clothes - especially black coats - and usually carried four duelling pistols while marauding at sea. His nickname Black Sam came from the fact he wore his black locks tied back in a ponytail rather than a powdered white wig. He is believed to have bagged an amazing £100m fortune during his brief pirating career.

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"Tho', damn ye, you are a sneaking puppy, and so are all those who will submit to be governed by laws which rich men have made for their own security, for the cowardly whelps have not the courage otherwise to defend what they get by their knavery.

"You are a devilish conscientious rascal I am a free Prince, and I have as much Authority to make War on the whole World."