List of shipwrecks of North Carolina facts for kids

The coast of North Carolina is famous for its many shipwrecks. This area, often called the "Graveyard of the Atlantic," has seen countless ships sink due to storms, hidden shoals, and battles. These shipwrecks tell amazing stories of history, from pirate adventures to World War II battles and even modern-day accidents. Many of these sunken ships now serve as homes for marine life, becoming artificial reefs that divers love to explore.

Famous Shipwrecks of North Carolina

North Carolina's waters hold many secrets beneath the waves. Here are some of the most well-known shipwrecks and their stories.

Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge

One of the most famous shipwrecks is the Queen Anne's Revenge, the flagship of the notorious pirate Blackbeard. In 1718, this French frigate, which Blackbeard had captured, ran aground near Beaufort Inlet. Another ship, the Adventure, also ran aground while trying to help the Queen Anne's Revenge. The wreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge was discovered in 1996 near Atlantic Beach, giving us a peek into pirate history.

Civil War Shipwrecks

During the American Civil War, many ships sank off North Carolina's coast. These included both Union and Confederate vessels.

Confederate Ships

• The CSS Appomattox was a steamboat that was sunk on purpose (scuttled) in 1862 near Elizabeth City. This was done to stop Union forces from capturing it.
• The CSS Curlew was a Confederate gunboat sunk during a battle off Roanoke Island in February 1862.
• The CSS Ellis was another gunboat that ran aground in the New River in 1862. It was destroyed to keep it from being captured.
• The CSS Fanny was a steamboat and even a balloon carrier! It ran aground near Elizabeth City in 1862.
• The CSS Forrest, a gunboat, was burned in 1862 at Elizabeth City to prevent its capture.
• The CSS Neuse was a Confederate gunboat that was burned in 1865 to avoid capture in the Neuse River. Today, parts of it are on display next to the river.
• The CSS North Carolina, another gunboat, sank off Southport in 1864.
• The CSS Raleigh ran aground at Cape Fear in 1864.
• The CSS Sea Bird was rammed and sunk by a Union ship, the USS Commodore Perry, near Elizabeth City in 1862.
• The CSS Bendigo and Phantom were iron-hulled blockade runners. Blockade runners were ships that tried to sneak past Union blockades to deliver supplies. The Bendigo ran aground in 1864, and the Phantom sank in 1863.
• The Stormy Petrel was another iron-hulled blockade runner that sank at Kure Beach in 1864.

Union Ships

• The USS Alligator was an early submarine that sank off Cape Hatteras in 1863.
• The USS Atlanta was an ironclad warship (a ship protected by iron plates) that sank off Cape Hatteras in 1869.
• The USS Bainbridge capsized off Cape Hatteras in 1863.
• The USS Bazely sank in the Roanoke River in 1864 after hitting a naval mine while trying to help another ship.
• The USS Columbia ran aground off Masonboro Inlet in 1863.
• The USS Iron Age ran aground in 1864 while trying to refloat the Confederate ship CSS Bendigo.
• The USS Louisiana was set on fire and exploded at Fort Fisher in 1864.
• The USS Monitor, a famous ironclad warship, was lost off Cape Hatteras in a storm in 1862 while being towed.
• The USS Otsego sank in the Roanoke River in 1864 after hitting two mines.
• The USS Peterhoff was accidentally rammed by another Union ship in 1864.
• The USS South Wind was a schooner that was scuttled in the Ocracoke Inlet in 1861.
• The USS Southfield sank in 1864 after colliding with the Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle.
• The USS Underwriter was captured and burned by Confederate forces in 1864.

World War II Shipwrecks

During World War II, German submarines (called U-boats) patrolled the waters off North Carolina, sinking many Allied ships. This area became known as "Torpedo Alley."

Allied Merchant Ships

• The Allan Jackson (American tanker) was torpedoed by a German U-boat (U-66) in 1942.
• The Amerikaland (Swedish freighter) was torpedoed by U-106 in 1942.
• The Ario was torpedoed by U-158 in 1942.
• The Ashkhabad (Soviet tanker) was torpedoed by U-402 in 1942.
• The Arabutan (Brazilian freighter) was torpedoed by U-155 in 1942.
• The Atlas (American tanker) was torpedoed by U-552 in 1942.
• The Australia (American tanker) was torpedoed by U-332 in 1942.
• The Bluefields (Nicaraguan freighter) was torpedoed by U-576 in 1942.
• The British Splendour (British tanker) was torpedoed by U-552 in 1942.
• The Buarque (Brazilian passenger and cargo ship) was torpedoed by U-432 in 1942.
• The Byron D. Benson (tanker) was torpedoed by U-552 in 1942.
• The Caribsea was torpedoed by U-158 in 1942.
• The Ciltvaira (Latvian freighter) was torpedoed in 1942.
• The City of Atlanta (American freighter) was torpedoed by U-123 in 1942.
• The Dixie Arrow (American tanker) was torpedoed by U-71 in 1942.
• The E.M. Clark (American tanker) was torpedoed by U-124 in 1942.
• The  Empire Gem (British tanker) was torpedoed by U-66 in 1942.
• The  Empire Thrush was torpedoed by U-203 in 1942.
• The Equipoise (Panamanian freighter) was torpedoed by U-160 in 1942.
• The Esso Nashville (American tanker) was torpedoed by U-124 in 1942.
• The F.W. Abrams (American tanker) hit a naval mine in 1942.
• The John D. Gill was torpedoed by U-158 in 1942.
• The Kassandra Louloudis (Greek cargo ship) was torpedoed by U-124 in 1942.
• The Koll (Norwegian tanker) was torpedoed by U-571 in 1942.
• The Lancing (Norwegian tanker) was torpedoed by U-552 in 1942.
• The Liberator (freighter) was torpedoed by U-552 in 1942.
• The Ljubica Matkovic (Yugoslavian freighter) was torpedoed by U-404 in 1942.
• The Malchace (American freighter) was torpedoed by U-160 in 1942.
• The Manuela (American freighter) was torpedoed by U-404 in 1942.
• The Marore was torpedoed by U-432 in 1942.
• The Merak (American tanker) ran aground in 1918 while trying to avoid torpedoes.
• The Mirlo was torpedoed by U-117 in 1918.
• The Naeco (tanker) was torpedoed by U-124 in 1942.
• The Nordal (Panamanian cargo ship) was torpedoed by U-404 in 1942.
• The Norvana (American freighter) was torpedoed by U-123 in 1942.
• The Olympic (Panamanian tanker) was torpedoed by U-130 in 1942.
• The Papoose (tanker) was torpedoed and sank in 1942.
• The San Delfino (British tanker) was torpedoed by U-203 in 1942.
• The Suloide (Brazilian cargo ship) sank in 1943 after hitting the wreck of another ship.
• The Tamaulipas (American tanker) was torpedoed by U-552 in 1942.
• The Tiger (American tanker) was torpedoed by U-754 in 1942.
• The Ulysses (British passenger and cargo ship) was torpedoed by U-160 in 1942.
• The Venore (American freighter) was torpedoed by U-66 in 1942.
• The W.E. Hutton (American fuel tanker) was torpedoed by U-124 in 1942.
• The West Ivis (American freighter) was torpedoed by U-125 in 1942.
• The William Rockefeller (American tanker) was torpedoed by U-701 in 1942.
• The York (freighter) was torpedoed by U-66 in 1942.

Allied Naval Ships

• The USS Atik was a Q-ship (a disguised warship) that was torpedoed by U-123 in 1942.
• The HMT Bedfordshire (British anti-submarine trawler) was torpedoed by U-588 in 1942.
• The USS Cythera (patrol boat) was torpedoed by U-402 in 1942.
• The USS Margaret (cargo ship) was sunk by U-571 in 1942.
• The USS Keshena (naval tug) hit a naval mine in 1942 while trying to rescue another ship.
• The HMT Senateur Duhamel (British ship) was accidentally rammed by a US Navy ship in 1942.

German U-boats

• The U-352 was sunk by depth charges from the US Coast Guard ship USCGC Icarus in 1942.
• The U-576 was sunk by depth charges from aircraft and gunfire from a merchant ship in 1942.
• The U-701 was sunk by depth charges from aircraft in 1942.
• The U-85 was sunk by gunfire from the US Navy ship USS Roper in 1942.

Other Notable Shipwrecks

Beyond the major wars, many other ships have met their end off North Carolina's coast due to storms, accidents, or other reasons.

Storms and Accidents

• The Central America was a sidewheel steamer carrying 10 tons of gold when it sank in a hurricane in 1857.
• The Home was a steam packet ship wrecked in a hurricane in 1837.
• The USS Huron ran aground off Nags Head in 1877.
• The City of Houston sank in a storm in 1878.
• The USS Bainbridge capsized off Cape Hatteras in 1863.
• The USCGC Bedloe and USCGC Jackson (Coast Guard ships) sank in a major hurricane in 1944.
• The Bounty, a replica of the famous ship, sank during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
• The Carroll A. Deering was a five-masted schooner that ran aground in 1921. When found, it was completely abandoned, and its crew was never seen again.
• The Catherine M. Monahan foundered after running aground on Diamond Shoals in 1910.
• The Fenwick Island foundered in a storm in 1968.
• The G.A. Kohler was wrecked in a hurricane in 1933. Nine people were saved from the ship.
• The General E. L. F. Hardcastle sank during a hurricane in 1899.
• The George E. Klinck foundered in a storm near Diamond Shoals in 1941.
• The Governor Ames was wrecked in a gale off Cape Hatteras in 1909.
• The Hesperides ran aground on Diamond Shoals in 1897.
• The Isle of Iona was wrecked near Hatteras Inlet in 1914.
• The John Hunter disappeared off Cape Hatteras in 1910.
• The Kentucky was a steamer that sank in 1910. Its crew sent some of the first "S.O.S." radio messages, saving 46 lives.
• The Marlin (Liberian cargo ship) foundered in 1965 after its cargo shifted.
• The Normannia foundered in a storm in 1924.
• The Northeastern ran aground on Diamond Shoals in 1904.
• The Proteus sank in 1918 after colliding with another tanker in heavy fog.
• The Pulaski (American steam packet) was lost in 1838 when its boiler exploded.
• The Santiago (American cargo and passenger ship) foundered off Cape Hatteras in a storm in 1924.
• The USS Schurz sank in a collision in 1918.
• The Southern Isles (American bulk carrier) broke apart and sank in 1951.
• The HMCS St. Laurent (Canadian destroyer) sank off Cape Hatteras in 1980 while being towed.
• The USS Tarpon (submarine) foundered off Cape Hatteras in 1957.
• The USS Tiru (submarine) sank as a target off Cape Hatteras in 1979.
• The Valour (tugboat) sank in a storm in 2006.
• The Veturia ran aground on Diamond Shoals in 1918.
• The EM Wilcox foundered in a storm in 1943.

Artificial Reefs

Some ships are sunk on purpose to create new habitats for marine life and provide interesting sites for divers. These are called artificial reefs.

• The USS Aeolus was sunk as an artificial reef in 1988.
• The USS Comte de Grasse was sunk as a target in 2006.
• The USS Dionysus was sunk as an artificial reef in 1978.
• The USS Indra was sunk as an artificial reef in 1992.
• The USS New Jersey and USS Virginia were bombed as targets in 1923.
• The USS Pilgrim was scuttled as a breakwater in 1935.
• The USCGC Spar (Coast Guard ship) was scuttled as an artificial reef in 2004.
• The Theodore Parker was sunk as an artificial reef in 1974.
• The Zane Gray was sunk as an artificial reef in 1974.

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