Ships Lost 1919 to 1941

About the Ships Lost

In researching the ships lost during this period of time, the early ships listed below provided little information.

Ships Lost in 1919 – For Gracie D. Chambers, I found two newspaper articles referring to the schooner. I came up empty-handed when it came to the Black Hawk, but will continue my search for more information. Explorer tug boat, the only thing I found is that it sunk on December 12, 1919, somewhere near MP 11 in Nags Head. It apparently sits in around 20 feet of water and about 150 yards offshore.

Ships Lost in 1920 – There were three ships indicated to have been sunk in this year. The only one I found information on was the Momi T. One newspaper article (Baltimore Sun) made mention of its sinking. The other two ships listed that year, as of now, haven’t yielded any information.

Ships Lost in 1921 – As I moved from a little bit of frustration in attempting to locate information of ships the year before, 1921 started with one of the greatest mysteries of ships lost…Carroll A. Deering, the famous “Ghost Ship” of the Outer Banks. A mystery that just celebrated its sinking 100 years ago. It was a mystery I wasn’t aware of until I started reaching the ship. The remainder of the ships during that year, two schooners, came up empty-handed. I couldn’t find any information on either of the two ships.

Ships Lost in 1923 – The two ships sunk during this year were the first ships that I discovered that were sunk on purpose. Up to this point ships, I had investigated (1526 to 1825, 1919 to 1941, and 1942, ) all had met tragic outcomes with the loss of ships and in most cases life. USS New Jersey and USS Virginia were two old battleships that their last days of service were to be used as target practice.

Ships Lost in 1924 to 1940 – As I continued to research the ships sunk during this time I was a little astounded about how little information was available for a number of the ships. However, one thing that struck me in my research was how the islanders turned misfortune into opportunities in some ways. For example, how they used the grounding of the Irma as a dance hall for a while, or how locals salvaged some of the ships’ lumber to use for building on the island (G.A. Kohler, Nomis), or how the island experienced its first automobile accident while trying to salvage the Victoria S. Also, one ship had a shady past, Morris and Cliff, by transporting liquor during prohibition. During these years there were some daring rescues from Coast Guard Stations stationed along the Outer Banks. There were also some ships that would almost be a comedy of errors (Carl Gerhard) leading to their grounding or sinking.

Ships Sunk Off the Coast - 1919 to 1941

NAMETYPEDATEPLACE
LOST LIVES
Gracie D. ChambersSchoonerFeb. 13, 1919Currituck Beach
0
Black HawkYachtNov. 6, 1919Oregon Inlet
0
ExplorerTugDec. 12, 1919Nags Head
0
SunbeamSchoonerDec. 17, 1919Off Currituck
18
Momi T.SchoonerJan. 27, 1920Currituck Inlet
0
PowelSteamerApr. 6, 1920Off Hatteras
0
MasideSteamerDec. 14, 1920Fort Macon
0
Carroll A. DeeringSchoonerJan. 31, 1921Diamond Shoals
11
Louise HowardSchoonerApr. 14, 1921Fort Macon
0
Mary J. HaynieSchoonerMay 24, 1921Ocracoke
0
Laura A. BarnesSchoonerJune x, 1921Bodie Island
0
U.S.S. New JerseyBattleshipSept. 5, 1923Diamond Shoals
0
U.S.S. VirginiaBattleshipSept. 5, 1923Diamond Shoals
0
SantiagoFreighterMar. 11, 1924Off Hatteras
25
Dorothea L. BrinkmanSchoonerMar. 22, 1924Oregon Inlet
?
IrmaSchoonerApr. 29, 1925Kill DevilHills
0
Victoria S.SchoonerAug. 23, 1925Ocracoke
0
Isabella ParmenterSchoonerOctober 30, 1925Chicamacomico
0
Morris and CliffSchoonerJan.16, 1926Bogue Inlet
0
Adelaide DaySchoonerNov. 8, 1927Off Hatteras
0
KyzikesTankerDec. 4, 1927Kill Devil Hills
4
CibaoSteamerDec. 4, 1927Hatteras Inlet
0
George W. Truitt, Jr.SchoonerFeb. 20, 1928Ocracoke Inlet
0
BainbridgeSchoonerFeb. 5, 1929Nags Head
0
A. Ernest MillsSchoonerMay 3, 1929Currituck Beach
3
Carl GerhardSteamerSept. 23, 1929Kill Devil Hills
0
Lavinia M. SnowSchoonerMar. 7, 1930Durants
0
Catherine G. ScottSchoonerOct. 14, 1930Off Hatteras
3
Anna MayTrawlerDec. 9, 1931Diamond Shoals
0
St. RitaTrawlerJan. 13, 1932Paul Gamiels Hill
0
Ella Pierce ThurlowSchooner Barge Mar. 23, 1932Cape Fear
0
Cities Service PetrolTanker July 14, 1933Off Cape Lookout
2
G. A. KohlerSchoonerAug. 23, 1933Gull Shoal
0
GlorySteamerAug. 1933Nags Head
?
NomisSchoonerAug. 16, 1935Diamond Shoals
0
Mount DirfysSteamerDec. 26, 1936Cape Fear
?
Tzenny ChandrisSteamerNov. 13, 1937Off Kitty Hawk
7
AlbatrossTrawlerFeb. 21, 1940Ocracoke Inlet
?