10 years ago, researchers discovered a shipwreck just off the Atlantic Beach, in North Carolina and it was supposed to have belonged to the famous pirate Blackbeard.

Now, archaeologists have announced that in three years, the shipwreck will be fully excavated. "That's really our target," says Steve Claggett, the state archaeologist.

The ship sank in 1718, and scientists guess this was a French slave ship captured in 1717 by Blackbeard, who changed its name in Queen Anne's Revenge.

The shipwreck matches historical data and coral-covered artifacts found in the site, like 25 cannons - a huge number for those times - point without any doubt that the wreckage belonged to Blackbeard, whose real name was Edward Teach or Thatch.

Even if there are some skeptics, each new find only keeps confirming that the ship was that of the infamous pirate. "Historians have really looked at it thoroughly and don't feel that there's any possibility anything else is in there that was not recorded," said Mark Wilde-Ramsing, director of the Queen Anne's Revenge Project.

"And the artifacts continue to support it. A coin weight recovered last fall bearing a likeness of Britain's Queen Anne and a King George cup, both dated before the shipwreck, further bolster our position", said Wilde-Ramsing.

"So far, about 15 % of the shipwreck has been recovered including jewelry, dishes and thousands of other artifacts. The items are being preserved and studied at a lab at East Carolina University, and eventually more will become available for the public to view," Claggett said.

"Nearly 2 million people have viewed shipwreck artifacts since 1998, including at a permanent exhibit at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort and at a maritime museum in Paris."

The recovered artifacts offer a view into the era's naval technology, slave trade and pirate life.

Blackbeard settled in Bath and received a governor's pardon, but he did not stand the land life and went back to piracy. He was killed by volunteers from the Royal Navy led by Robert Maynard in November 1718, five months after the investigated ship sank.