Ships Lost 1526 to 1825

Ships Sunk off the Coast - 1526 to 1825

The Beginning Point

As the research began to discover the history of sunken ships, the earliest recorded sinking occurred in 1526. But the question arises, Why has this been such an active point when it comes to sunken ships? The thing to know is that on Cape Point at Hatteras, an event occurs that is not visible to the eye. This is the place where the northbound Gulf Stream and the cold currents from the Arctic collide. This area is known as the Diamond Shoals. Seafaring men came to call this area the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER

THE SHIPS LOST AND BEGINNING OF LIFE ON THE OUTER BANKS

Many vessels lost were engaged in trade routes going back and forth from north to south and south to north. There were many transatlantic ships that were lost traveling through this area. Why pass through this area when traveling from a Caribbean island to a destination in Europe? The answer was the Gulf Stream. Early navigators learned that by traveling the Gulf Stream current they could save considerable time.

And the beginning history of the Outer Banks can be attributed to these wrecks. Many shipwrecked sailors began to set up their homes here. Others began to settle on the island as a result of shipping and shipwrecks. Some served as pilots for the larger cargo vessels, while others became customs inspectors or militia sent by the Colonial government.

And of course, there were pirates, too. Such well-known pirates as Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet, Anne Bonny, and Calico Jack Rackam were known to sail out of the Outer Banks to attack merchant vessels. During their time, there could be a debate as to which was more dangerous: the storms off the coast or the raiding done by the pirates.

The first ship most historians agree was the first shipwreck off the coast of the Outer Banks a Spanish brigantine off Cape Fear in June of 1526. The ship was a part of the Spanish nobleman Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón's attempt to establish a colony in South Carolina.

The book, Graveyard of the Atlantic: Shipwrecks of the North Carolina Coast, indicates the loss of the ship, Tiger. Under the command of Sir Richard Greenville, a fleet of ships entered the sound surrounding Roanoke Island. However, in researching information on this ship it seems that it round aground but was salvaged and repaired. Even though the ship was saved it appears most of its provisions were lost. Almost two weeks later after being repaired, the Tiger sailed across the Pamlico Sound to explore the mainland coast around July 21. It eventually left the area on August 31 and headed back to England.

The next ship to have been sunk off the coast of North Carolina, not off the Outer Banks was part of a three-ship fleet directed by Sir John Yeamans, a knight, and governor of the region, then called Clarendon County. Some report that it was sunk on Frying Pan Shoals, and another indicates it south of Old Baldy Lighthouse. An article from the stateportpilot.com from September 15, 2017, indicates that Denny Breese, who has found famous shipwrecks, including the Atocha, Fortuna, and La Rosa de Bilbeo, thinks he discovered the ship south of Old Baldy Lighthouse.

Area of Sir John Yeaman's flyboat sinking

  A painting,  The Harbour in Amsterdam (1630)  by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom, with a Flyboat on the left.

Breese stated that he discovered a debris field standing two to three feet above the bottom of the Cape Fear River at a spot where visibility is usually zero or inches at best. The size indicates that it seems to fit the profile of the 150-ton vessel. Apparently, a witness indicated that the crew of the flyboat was saved by the "neighborhood of the shore," which was the first reference to permanent inhabitants to the area now known as Southport or Oak Island. All of the boat's cargo, including cannons, powder, matchlocks, and bullets were abandoned and could still be with the wreck. The indication of a witness came from the book, The Story of Cape Fear and Bald Head Island, by Kevin P. Duffus.

1750 - Spanish Treasure Fleet Encounter a Hurricane

MOVING AHEAD INTO THE 1800S

Up until the end of the War of 1812, very little information was recorded or given regarding shipwrecks. However, after this time newspapers began to record stories about shipwrecks off the coast of North Carolina. An interesting article appeared in the Norfolk Beacon and Portsmouth Advertiser on January 15, 1820, regarding the sinking of the Henry. 

Articles began to appear in the American Beacon, the Norfolk Herald, the New York Daily Express, and Portsmouth Herald.