Island History: A spotlight on stories from the Outer Banks’ Life-Saving Service
The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station (CLSS) is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, as one of the seven original Life-Saving Stations to be built in North Carolina in 1874.
As such, the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station and Historic Site in Rodanthe will be sharing stories about the seven 1874 Outer Banks stations until the end of 2024, to celebrate and mark this milestone
The following is the next of these Life-Saving Station feature articles to honor the #LegacyofLifeSaving, written by Jen Carlson for CLSS.
All in a Day’s Work at the Little Kinnakeet Life-Saving Station
Sometimes it’s about never being off duty: On July 5, 1888, a surfman from the Little Kinnakeet Life-Saving Station was involved in saving a local boy’s life.
A seven-year-old member of the community went missing and a search ensued. Shortly after, the child was found in the surf with no signs of life. He was brought to shore by a local gentleman and the off-duty surfman met him on the beach and took charge.
Even though the station wasn’t open yet for the season, the surfman was an active member of the LKLSS crew during the season so he knew the resuscitation techniques taught by the USLSS. Working together, the men did the resuscitation method successfully and practiced artificial respiration before the boy’s life was restored.
Little Things Make a Big Difference at the Nags Head Coast Guard Station
On November 9, 1916, the Nags Head Coast Guard Station responded to an incident where a group of fishermen ran into trouble.
Their dory became swamped on the outer sandbar and four men were tossed into the water. One was able to make it to shore while the two others needed an assist from the station crew members.
Unfortunately, one of the fishermen was lost during the event. The NHCGS crew provided restorative treatment to those who made it to safety and were also able to recover both the dory and the fishing net.
