The remains of a 300 year old ship that was captured by British pirate Captain William Kidd have been found in the Caribbean.

Discovered off the island of Hispaniola, currently split between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the shipwreck is being examined by marine archaeologists and lies in ten feet of water.

Experts from Indiana University claim that the Quedagh Merchant may have been the ship he abandoned to race to New York in order to clear his name. It is believed to have been captured laden with rich goods from East India and given to men who set it on fire and sunk it in 1699.

Just 70ft off the coast of Catalina Island, the site is being explored further and may be converted into an underwater museum for the public. Despite its shallow setting, the ship seems to have escaped from treasure hunters and is now being protected from looters.

There is extensive written documentation about the vessel and all the evidence discovered to date at the wreck site appears to be consistent with it.

Scots-born mariner Captain Kidd, who may have been a pirate or a privateer who captured pirates, was the subject of a high-profile trial in London. He was left to hang over the River Thames in an iron cage as a warning for two years after being convicted of piracy and murder in 1701.