USS Monitor and Other Ships in the Graveyard of the Atlantic
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Monitor and Merrimac
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From
the beginning of European exploration in this area, down through the age
of the Great Clipper ships, until the present day; the sea just off the
North Carolina Outer Banks has been legendary for its fierceness. The
area’s first recorded shipwreck was the Tyger, wrecked at Ocracoke
Inlet in the year 1585. Interestingly, that ship was one of the first
ships to explore the area and was part of Roanoke Island founder John
White’s historic flotilla.
In the 429 years since that first shipwreck, thousands of ships have perished along this dangerous coastline, where currents, winds and storms can virtually commandeer a ship to nature’s wrath. The area has earned the name "The Graveyard of the Atlantic,” from the experiences of mariners all around the around the world. Even modern technology is of little help once a ship is caught in the dreaded graveyard. The currents and shoals that hide in this area can beat a ship to pieces in minutes. This area’s three most famous capes, Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout, and Cape Fear jute out into the ocean and disappear into submerged shoals, ready to grab a passing ship in their death grip. continued
In the 429 years since that first shipwreck, thousands of ships have perished along this dangerous coastline, where currents, winds and storms can virtually commandeer a ship to nature’s wrath. The area has earned the name "The Graveyard of the Atlantic,” from the experiences of mariners all around the around the world. Even modern technology is of little help once a ship is caught in the dreaded graveyard. The currents and shoals that hide in this area can beat a ship to pieces in minutes. This area’s three most famous capes, Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout, and Cape Fear jute out into the ocean and disappear into submerged shoals, ready to grab a passing ship in their death grip. continued
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Why did captains continue to sail this dangerous area? They were in a
hurry. The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current moving from the Caribbean
all the way to Europe. This offers a speedy voyage for slow moving sailing
ships. However, this water freeway also skirts the capes along the Carolina
coast. As the current reaches Cape Hatteras, it glides alongside the cold
Labrador Current, which is moving south along the east coast from Greenland.
The resulting mix of sea brews creates Diamond Shoals, an underwater island
of shifting sands that extends 20 miles out to sea. Now, add in the numerous
hurricanes and nor'easters that thrash the area and the reason for the
dangers become readily apparent.
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Confederate Torpedo Boat Sinks the "Housatonic" off Charleston Virginia Giclee Print
Davidson, J.o.
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Framed Mounted
The
first Lighthouse built to protect ships in the area came after efforts
by Alexander Hamilton, then Secretary of the Treasury. He advocated the
need for a Lighthouse along the Outer Banks because of a childhood experience
sailing off Cape Hatteras in a storm. In fact, Hamilton coined the term
"The Graveyard of the Atlantic." In 1794, the US congress authorized
the construction of a permanent lighthouse at Cape Hatteras. Eventually,
five major Lighthouses were built along the Outer Banks. All because of
the treachery of the Outer Banks surf.
USS
Monitor's Date with the Cape
One of the most famous shipwrecks lying off the Carolina coast is the
famous Civil War ironclad USS Monitor. The 987-ton iron gunboat became
famous as a participant in the first battle between two iron warships,
when she fought the Confederate Ironclad Virginia at Hampton Roads in
March 1862.
Final moments of the Monitor source
Shipwreck on Tubbataha Reef Photographic Print
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In
December, 1862, the Monitor was ordered to Beaufort, N.C to join the Union
blockading forces there. Leaving Hampton Roads, Virginia on the 29 of
December, the ship ran into a gale on the evening of December 30. As the
ship neared Cape Hatteras, water began flooding into the ship faster than
the pumps could remove it. Shortly before midnight, rising water drowned
the engine boiler fires. Without power, the boat signaled the nearby USS
Rhode Island for help. Forty Six crewmen were rescued in the dangerous
storm conditions; however, sixteen were swept away by the currents. At
about 1:30 in the morning December 31, 1862, the historic Monitor slipped
under the waves, just 16 miles off Cape Hatteras.
Shipwrecks viewable from the shore
If
you have an interest in seeing the remains of some of the shipwrecks along
the northern Outer Banks, the following two are still visible within a
short drive of each other.
The Mississippi Steamships Tries to Ram the Confederate Ram Manassas Giclee Print
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The Sinking of Admiral Villeneuve's Flagship Giclee Print
Weber, Theodor
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The
Laura A. Barnes, above lies off Highway 12 at Coquina Beach in the Cape
Hatteras National Seashore. The Laura A. Barnes was built in Camden, Maine
in the year 1918. The 120 feet long ship was under sail from New York
to South Carolina when a nor'easter pushed it onto the Outer Banks in
1921. The ship ran aground just north of where it presently rests at Coquina
Beach. All of the crew survived. In 1973, the National Park Service moved
the shipwreck to its present location accross the road from the Pea Island
Lighthouse. Visitors must view the remains of the ship behind a roped-off
area that includes information about the Laura A. Barnes and the history
of lifesaving on the Outer Banks.
Kraken Attacks a Sailing Vessel Giclee Print
De Montfort,...
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The
Oriental above was a Federal Transport ship. The boat sank on May 16,
1862. The ship was 210 feet long. It is also known as the Stovepipe Hat
Wreck. The ship lies about 200 yards off the beach at Pea Island National
Wildlife Headquarters, three miles south of the Oregon Inlet on Rt. 12.
That is the boiler stack sticking out of the water.
is located 18 miles north of Kitty Hawk on Route 12.
For
more information about the Graveyard of the Atlantic, check out the Graveyard
of the Atlantic Museum.