This story is being written in deep gratitude to Hatteras Island’s award-winning Island Free Press. I have known this media outlet literally from Day One. I knew its first Editor, the late-great Irene Nolan, when she was the editor of the now defunct Island Breeze. I have not only known the succeeding publisher – Donna […]
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The Henry P. Simmons was one in a trash heap of ships engulfed in the unholy terror of a great Outer Banks Atlantic rage, known afterwards simply as “The October 23, 1889 Storm.” It would involve nearly a dozen ships, two states, multiple Life-Saving Stations, and would endure for nearly a week. Some pf these […]
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The schooner Robert H. Stevenson has almost been lost to the historic records. She was only three years old when she disappeared forever on the infamous Diamond Shoals. Very little makes sense about the wreck and ensuing non-rescue, and there remains a hugely significant amount of a mystery surrounding the whole affair. The Services From […]
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A boatload of shingles was going down, not up. The captain feared that “Hatteras will batter us.” This is the story of a New Year shipwreck with a happy ending, as well as an impromptu stay on Hatteras Island for the six crew members aboard the schooner Hester A. Seward. Hauling timber from South Carolina […]
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This is a story about a huge disaster that could have easily been averted. It is a story with negatives and positives. It is a story of a captain’s confusions, the terror of panic, and the avoidable loss of thirty human lives. Unhappily, it was on Christmas Eve. Ironically, it took place in a year […]
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An electric power outage is somewhat like getting a flat tire while in the middle of a long trip. It is totally unexpected, it totally changes what you were doing or what you now can do, and perhaps most frustrating – you don’t know what caused it, when it may be fixed, or how long […]
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One of maritime history’s most enduring mysteries involves the iconic names of Cape Hatteras, Diamond Shoals, Graveyard of the Atlantic, and the term “Ghost.” There has been much discussion about the possible explanations; there has been little about the actual Coast Guard rescue attempts. Much has been written and told about the famed ghost ship […]
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A great many folks, past and present, celebrate year’s end around the holidays with the feasts of Thanksgiving and the joy of giving at Christmas. Then, it is topped off with the late-night parties of New Year’s Eve. The crew of the schooner Ario Pardee certainly must have anticipated this joyous time when they set […]
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Loss of the Bounty, A Personal RecollectionLate October 2012: My wife and I carefully monitored Hurricane Sandy as she approached our home on Hatteras Island for some time, as hurricanes typically move slowly. The decision to stay or evacuate is always difficult and involves key factors and some best guessing: How strong is it? Sustained […]
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