Submitted by James D. “Keeper James” Charlet © 2025
The date of January 31, 2025, marks the 104th anniversary of the wreck of the schooner Carroll A. Deering on the dreaded Diamond Shoals off the infamous Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
It was discovered by the beach patrol of the Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat Station Cape Hatteras No. 183 during an excessively violent tempest. So extremely intense, in fact, the Coast Guard station tried for four days before they could actually reach the schooner.
When boarded, this is what was found:
Prepared food was in the galley, indicating a very sudden departure. The two lifeboats were missing. Critically missing were all the papers, documents, charts, navigational instruments, and the chronometer. Whoever took these knew what they were doing, for all of this was crucial for navigating the Outer Bank’s “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” The missing anchors reported earlier at Cape Lookout were confirmed.
Further details that might have bearing on the mystery were that red light distress signals had been sent up the mast. Inspection of the captain’s cabin revealed a spare bed having recently been slept in and three pairs of boots that were left. Finally, the ship’s map with Captain Wormell’s hand-writing was replaced entirely with another after January 23rd. – Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks: Dramatic Rescues and Fantastic Wrecks in the Graveyard of the Atlantic, Globe Pequot Press, ISBN 978-1-4930-3590-8, 2020, Library of Congress Control Number 2019953936, by James D. Charlet, p. 139.
This remains a complete mystery to this day, now one-hundred and four years later.
ADVISORY – more is coming soon; watch for it.
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