Ships

by Freeman, Margery. A woman is rowing a full basket of cargo on a small boat in the foreground. She wears a palm-leaf sunhat and clothes that protect her from the tropical sun.In the background two large ships are seen [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Harris, William C. Advance by William C. Harris, 2006 See also: Modern Greece Advance was the first and most famous of four blockade-running vessels that the state of North Carolina operated in partnership [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Blair, Dan. The CSS Albemarle, an ironclad ram, was one of the Confederacy's most successful ironclads. This vessel and its sister ship, the CSS Neuse, were designed to wrest control of North Carolina's sounds [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Freeman, Joan E., Davis, R. P. Stephen, Jr., Lawrence, Richard W. Archaeology by Joan E. Freeman and R. P. Stephen Davis Jr., 2006. Additional research provided by Richard W. Lawrence. Part i: Archaeological Research in the Coastal Plain; Part ii: [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Holland, Ron, Ashe, Walter. The city of Asheville had four naval warships named in its honor during the twentieth century. The USS Asheville (PG-21) was the first warship built at the Charleston Naval Shipyard in Charleston, [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Ballast stones, whose weight stabilized empty ships, have been found at various colonial landing sites along the North Carolina coast. Although there are no known records, residents and local [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Branch, Paul, Jr. Battleships Bombed by Billy Mitchell by Paul Branch, 2006 See also: Graveyard of the Atlantic In 1923 two surplus navy battleships were bombed and sunk by aircraft under the command of [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . For a larger version of this sketch, click [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Tetterton, Beverly. Blossom's Ferry was located on the Northeast Cape Fear River on the border between New Hanover and Pender Counties, one mile east-northeast of the community of Castle Hayne and approximately nine [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Branch, Paul, Jr. The British Cemetery on Ocracoke Island is a small cemetery containing the graves of four British navy personnel killed while helping defend the North Carolina coast against German U-boats [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Steelman, Bennett L. Cassidey's Shipyard was the smaller of two Confederate shipyards in Wilmington during the Civil War and the construction site of the ironclad CSS Raleigh. The yard was founded when James Cassidey [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Blair, Dan. Charlotte became one of the Confederate navy's most important manufacturing centers during the Civil War. The incongruity of a landlocked city housing a navy yard is explained by its location in [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . Christening of the USS North CarolinaChristening of the USS North Carolina, June 13, 1940, by Miss Isabel Young Hoey. From the General Negative Collection, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Butler, Lindley S. James Wallace Cooke, Confederate naval officer and commander of the ironclad C.S.S. Albemarle, was born in Beaufort to Thomas and Esther Cooke. He was orphaned at the age of four years, and he and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . CSS Albemarle sunk off Plymouth, N.C.The CSS Albemarle sunk off Plymouth, North Carolina, circa 1865. She had been sunk on 27-28 October 1864 by a torpedo boat. One section of her armored casemate [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by . CSS David with spar torpedoDrawings of the CSS David, a 50-foot steam torpedo boat of "cigar-shaped" hull design. The top drawing shows the ship's spar torpedo, a bomb placed at the end of a spar (a [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by . Extraído de Libro de hechos de El Viejo Estado del Norte. La propiedad literaria 2011 por la Oficina de Archivos e Historia de Carolina del Norte, Departamento de Recursos Culturale de [...] (from NC Office of Archives and History.)

by Latham, David W. The Elizabeth II, a historic attraction on Roanoke Island, is a 69-foot, square-rigged sailing ship representative of the Elizabethan vessels used to carry the first English colonists to the New [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Elliott, Robert G. Gilbert Elliott, Confederate officer and builder of the Confederate ram, Albemarle, lawyer, and law directory publisher, was born in Elizabeth City, the third child of Gilbert Elliott (20 May 1813–20 [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Carraway, Gertrude S. Richard Ellis, Revolutionary War patriot and shipowner, was a native of Ireland living in New Bern prior to 1765. On 16 May of that year he was one of the forty residents requesting Governor William [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stick, David. Ferries are an integral part of North Carolina's modern transportation system, with 24 ferries providing regularly scheduled runs on seven different routes across rivers, sounds, and even an ocean [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Fish, Peter G. The Fortuna case, decided by U.S. Supreme Court chief justice John Marshall in the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of North Carolina on an appeal from Judge Henry Potter's district court, [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stick, David. Graveyard of the Atlantic by David Stick, 2006 See also: Huron, USS; Mirlo Rescue; [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Babits, Lawrence E. Gunboats, Wooden by Lawrence E. Babits, 2006; Revised December [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Babits, Lawrence E. Harkers Island Boats by Lawrence E. Babits, 2006 See also: North Carolina Shipbuilding Company (from Tar Heel Junior Historian); [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Carter, Kathy. Huron, USS by Kathy Carter, 2006 The USS Huron remains one of the most famous shipwrecks in North Carolina's "Graveyard of the Atlantic." A man-of-war steamer, the Huron ran aground off [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Freeman, Margery. Large ship filled with passengers and four small motorboats in Mekong at MythoA large ship at Mytho is filling with local passengers to travel along the Mekong River. Men deliver people or things to [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Fowlkes, Jim. Liberty Ships by Jim Fowlkes, 2006 See also: Zebulon B. Vance, USS; North Carolina Shipbuilding Company (from Tar Heel Junior Historian); Shipbuilding Liberty ships, a number of [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Carter, Kathy. Lifesaving Service, U.S. by Kathy Carter, 2006 See also: Mirlo Rescue; Huron, USS Established as a federal agency in 1872 and operating in North Carolina by 1874, the U.S. Lifesaving Service [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Carr, Dawson V. Lightships by Dawson V. Carr, 2006 See also: Lighthouses; Lighthouses Map; Lighthouses Lightships, beginning in the early nineteenth century, were anchored off the North Carolina coast to [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stick, David, Carter, Kathy. Mirlo Rescue by David Stick and Kathy Carter, 2006 See also: Shipwrecks; Huron, USS; Lifesaving Service, U.S The Mirlo rescue, conducted by the Chicamacomico Coast Guard Station [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bright, Leslie S. Modern Greece by Leslie S. Bright, 2006 See also: Advance Modern Greece was a screw steam freighter used as [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Blair, Dan. The USS Monitor, lying in 230 feet of water off Cape Hatteras, is probably the most famous victim of the infamous "Graveyard of the Atlantic" off the North Carolina coast. The Monitor was the third [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Freeman, Margery. Moored ships and waterside homes on Mekong River at MythoMoored ships and waterside homes are seen on the Mekong River at Mytho. The waterside buildings on the right all have doors and docks facing [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Barrett, John G. The Mosquito Fleet was the whimsical nickname for the four small steamers that comprised the North Carolina Navy at the beginning of the Civil War. The ships were under orders not only to defend [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Tetterton, Beverly. The Mothball Fleet, the nickname for the U.S. Maritime Commission's reserve fleet, was located on the Brunswick River across from the city of Wilmington. Following World War II, Congress made the [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bright, Leslie S. In October 1862 the Confederate navy commissioned the building of the ironclad gunboat CSS Neuse to strengthen southern defenses and prevent Union occupation of the sounds and rivers of North [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Scott, Ralph. North Carolina Shipbuilding Company "Wilmington Helps Weld an Allied Victory" by Ralph Scott Reprinted with permission from the Tar Heel Junior Historian. Spring 2008. Tar Heel Junior [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Combs, Edwin L. The CSS North Carolina was a steam-powered ironclad ram, one of two Richmond-class ironclads built for the Confederate navy in Wilmington during the Civil War. Six Richmond-class ships were laid down [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stinson, Craig M. When commissioned at the New York Naval Shipyard on 9 Apr. 1941, the USS North Carolina was considered the "greatest sea weapon in the world." Built at a cost of $70 million, the new [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stevenson, George, Jr. In 1891 North Carolina declared "war" on the oyster fishermen who had drifted down from the north. By the 1880s overfishing had dangerously depleted the seemingly inexhaustible oyster beds of [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Norris, David A. The Pennsylvania Farmer was the most well known of three vessels obtained for the North Carolina Navy in early 1776 for service in the American Revolution. The North Carolina Provincial Council, [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Babits, Lawrence E. A periauger was a wooden boat created by digging out a log, then splitting it longitudinally and adding at least one keel plank between the halves. The keel plank improved stability and increased [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Branch, Paul, Jr. Picket, USS by Paul Branch, 2006 The USS Picket was a small Union gunboat that fought during the Civil War in the sounds and rivers of North Carolina until September 1862, when it was sunk [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stick, David. Pirates who frequented coastal North Carolina during the early colonial period were involved in enough nefarious activities to emerge as the subjects of at least a dozen books and numerous articles [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stick, David. Privateers were privately owned and manned ships authorized by their governments during wartime to attack and capture enemy shipping vessels. Documents called "letters of marque" officially spelled [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Tetterton, Beverly. The Revenue Cutter Service, which employed federal cutters to enforce maritime laws, was established in 1790 to collect much-needed revenue for a post-Revolutionary War U.S. Treasury and to terminate [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stevenson, George, Jr. Ropewalks were sites where hemp fiber was spun into yarn and then twine, cord, and rope of various dimensions. The name derived from the fact that production required the artisan, called the spinner, [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Miller, Randall M. Isaiah Sellers, Mississippi River pilot, was born in Iredell County but for unknown reasons departed for the West as a young man. Sometime during the early 1820s he reached the Mississippi River, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Babits, Lawrence E. Sharpies by Lawrence E. Babits, 2006 Sharpies were late-nineteenth-century workboats that, according to tradition, were introduced into North Carolina from Long Island Sound by George Ives [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Detreville, John R. Shenandoah, CSS by John R. deTreville, [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stick, David, Fontenoy, Paul E. Shipbuilding by David Stick and Paul E. Fontenoy, 2006; Revised November 2022. See also: Harkers Island Boats; Ironclads; Liberty Ships; North Carolina Shipbuilding Company (from Tar Heel [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stick, David. Shipwrecks by David Stick, 2006 See also: Graveyard of the Atlantic; Huron, USS; Lifesaving Service, U.S. Shipwrecks in past centuries were so prevalent along the North Carolina [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Nash, Jaquelin Drane. The Snap Dragon was the most successful North Carolina privateer in combat with the British fleet in the War of 1812. The schooner was built on the West River in Maryland in 1808 and originally named [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sparrow, W. Keats. Thomas Sparrow, II, shipbuilder, was born at Smith's Creek, Craven County, the son of Thomas, I (1751–1822), and his first wife, Theresa (Rhesa) Delamar Sparrow. Sparrow's career in building [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Barfield, Rodney D., Norris, David A. Steamboats by Rodney D. Barfield and David A. Norris, 2006 See also: Dan River Steam Navigation Company; French Broad Steamboat Company; In North Carolina, the concept of travel by [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . Stowage of the British slave ship Brookes under the regulated slave trade act of 1788 Illustration showing deck plans and cross sections of British slave ship [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Branch, Paul, Jr., Barefoot, Daniel W. Submarine Attacks by Paul Branch and Daniel W. Barefoot, 2006 See also: Coast Guard, U.S.; Mirlo Rescue; U-Boats off the Outer Banks; The Allan Jackson:  First North Carolina Coastal [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Agan, Kelly. The Allan Jackson:  First North Carolina Coastal Casualty in 1942 WWII U-boat Campaign 18 Jan. 1942 By Kelly Agan, Government & Heritage Library, 2014 See also:  U-boats off [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by . Caption reads "Landing of Troops on Roanoke Island. Burnside Expedition. AD 1862. Entered according to Act of Congress AD. 1862 by Hurlbut, Williams & Co. in the Clerk's Office of the District [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by . The C.S.S. Albemarle in action, May 5, 1864 19th Century photograph of an artwork by Acting Second Engineer Alexander C. Stuart, USN, 1864. It shows CSS Albemarle engaging several Federal gunboats [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Agan, Kelly. The Ghost Ship Caroll A. Deering: Still an Outer Banks Mystery By Kelly Agan, Government & Heritage Library, 2014 On January 31, 1921, the impressive five-masted commercial schooner Carol [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Branch, Paul, Jr. The USS Underwriter, a navy gunboat, fought in the sounds and rivers of North Carolina during the Civil War. Early in 1864 the Underwriter was in the Neuse River at New Bern when Confederate forces [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . USS North CarolinaUSS North CarolinaThe USS North Carolina at sea off the East Coast of the United States, April [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Chambers, E. M. Waddell, James Iredell by E. M. Chambers, 1996 13 July 1824–15 Mar. 1886 James Iredell Waddell, captain of the Confederate cruiser Shenandoah, was born in Pittsboro, Chatham County, the son [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cross, Jerry L. The Wasp was a privateer commanded by Capt. Johnston Blakeley during the War of 1812. The sloop was still under construction at Newburyport, Mass., when Blakeley received his appointment on 13 Aug. [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Combs, Edwin L. The CSS Wilmington was the last of three ironclad warships built by the Confederate navy in Wilmington during the Civil War. Work began on the CSS Raleigh and CSS North Carolina in the spring of [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . Wreck of the U.S.S. Maine The wreck of the U.S.S. Maine in the Havana harbor angered the American public and sparked the war with [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Warren, Harry S. The USS Zebulon B. Vance was launched in Wilmington on 6 Dec. 1941, one day before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At the ceremony, North Carolina governor J. Melville Broughton proclaimed, "As [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)