6 Feet Below The Waves
An Underwater Graveyard
Shipwrecks have always been a topic of intrigue and fascination by people across the world. James Cameron’s Titanic, HBO’s the Terror, and Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise to name a few. Blockbusters and TV shows have given the lore and the horror of sinking ships, the countless souls along with them. Each shipwreck has its own tragedy and sinking story, whether it be storms, land masses, war, or malfunctions. Sailors continue to risk their lives aboard watercraft vessels, unsure of what nature or obstacles await them on their journey. Many famous shipwrecks lie in the ocean, numerous have also happened in waterways like the Mississippi River and Great Lakes.
Only in the last 10 years, explorers have found historically infamous vessels like Shackleton’s Endurance and the HMS Erebus. Advancements of technology provide answers to the mysteries of their disappearance and the loss of souls aboard.
As you browse this virtual exhibit, witness the tragic stories of these ships that now lie in the murky depths. Click to learn more about each vessel and the lives lost who became known in history.
Graveyard of the Atlantic
The Patriot
The story of Aaron Burr is written all over popular culture in our history books and in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton musical. However, not much is known about his daughter Theodosia, whom we hear about in Dear Theodosia. After spending his exile in Europe and returning to New York in 1812, Theodosia’s health rapidly declined after the death of her son, and Burr and her husband convinced her to visit for the holidays in New York. Boarding the schooner Patriot, with Dr. Timothy Green (a friend of Aaron Burr) as an escort, they lifted anchor on December 30th, 1812, from Charleston Harbor to sail 6 days to New York. After 2 weeks, the Patriot never arrived in New York, and Theodosia, the crew, and the ship were never seen again.
There are many speculations about what happened to the schooner as well as those on the ship. Storms were a constant threat along the Atlantic. A strong windstorm hit the islands surrounding North Carolina, where the Patriot met a British Fleet and was allowed to pass. . The Patriot could have encountered this storm and sunk, taking the passengers with it. Another potential explanation is that the Patriot was attacked and sunk by pirates, who were known to attack ships off the coast of North Carolina near Nags Head. Whatever the cause, the story of the Patriot and the outcome of Theodosia has sparked countless theories and remains a mystery to this day. The ship has yet to be found.
Queen Anne’s Revenge
Flagship of the infamous pirate Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard. The Revenge was a terror, traveling the east coast and the Caribbean islands, attacking merchant ships of all nationalities with at least 8 ships to his fleet. His fleet would blockade the port of Charles Town in South Carolina, where they would stop all vessels entering or leaving the port, ransack the ship’s cargo, and take their crews prisoner. Hearing a rumor about a fleet of men-of-war sailing from England to the West Indies to rid the area of pirates, Blackbeard and his fleet sailed north, abandoning Charles Town to flee imprisonment. He purposefully ran the Revenge and another one of his ships aground near Topsail Island, where he proceeded to take the remaining sloop and marooned most of his crew on various islands to increase his share of stolen goods.
At this time, there was also an official pardon from the King that would pardon any pirate who surrendered before the 5th of September 1718, which was Blackbeard’s plan after abandoning his crew to avoid execution. He would obtain a royal pardon in June of 1718, where he settled down and got married, and dropped the pirate lifestyle. Of course, it was a ruse, and he was back to pirating within two months of his pardon.
The Governor of North Carolina, Alexander Spotswood, put out an order to capture Teach and his crew, which led to his final battle by Ocracoke Island, NC where Spotswood’s troops were able to surprise and capture the crew and kill the infamous Captain Blackbeard. His head was severed from his body, the latter being tossed into the sea, and his head being hung from the ship’s bowsprit, later a pole at the entrance of Chesapeake Bay to warn other pirates. A legend says that Captain Blackbeard’s headless ghost is seen around Ocracoke Island, swimming and searching for his severed head.
Blackbeard’s ship was found off the coast of North Carolina in 1996 and has been excavated, finding over 300,000 artifacts and 31 cannons. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
The Metropolis
Originally a naval ship that served during the Civil War at the Battle of Roanoke Island, The Metropolis became a passenger ship after the war before falling into disrepair and stopped sailing. In 1878, a company in Philadelphia would use the ship as a charter to bring men and supplies to Brazil to build a railroad without making adequate repairs.
By the time she reached the Chesapeake Bay, her hull had begun to leak due to constant shifting of cargo. On January 31 at 6:45 am, the Metropolis hit a ridge, her hull breaking up instantly. Local fishermen in the area were fortunate to see the ship and went to seek help from local lifesaving stations. After hours of attempted rescue, those who could, tried to swim to shore, however many were battered against the rocks, with only a few making it to safety. 160 people out of 245 survived the wreck, and 85 souls were lost to the waves. This wreck, as well as the USS Huron, would be the red flag to congress to build more lifesaving stations on the coast of North Carolina.
Graveyard of the Pacific
SS Valencia
The SS Valencia was an iron-hulled passenger steamer that would take charters between San Francisco and Alaska. She was considered a second-class steamer, as her build and size made her an unliked vessel. She was too slow and too open to the elements, which would be problematic later.
On January 20th, 1906, Valencia took on passengers at San Francisco for the SS City of Puebla, who was under construction, taking on 173 souls, including crew, to her destination in Seattle. The next morning, the Valencia would meet bad weather, bringing in strong winds and steering them off course. Trying to use dead reckoning to determine her location in the storm, she missed the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and collided into a reef, tearing a gash in her hull. From there, chaos ensued. While trying to purposefully run her aground, waves ripped her off the reef and slammed her back into rocks. Lifeboats were carelessly lowered against captains’ orders, causing three boats to flip, spilling their passengers into the water. The storm caused the remaining three boats to capsize and disappear into the waves. One of the survivors recounted after the accident,
“screams of women and children mingled in an awful chorus with the shrieking of the wind, the dash of rain, and the roar of the breakers. As the passengers rushed on deck, they were carried away in bunches by the huge waves that seemed as high as the ships mastheads. The ship began to break up almost at once, and the women and children were lashed to the rigging above the reach of the sea. It was a pitiful sight to see frail women wearing only night dresses. With bare feet on the freezing ratlines, trying to shield children in their arms from the icy wind and rain.”
The remaining lifeboat containing the boatswain and volunteers were able to successfully make it to land, as well as 9 men who swam for shore. Only 37 men survived, and every woman and child perished in the disaster.
An investigation was performed to understand the incident, ruling that lack of lifesaving infrastructure was the main culprit of the incident, besides poor weather. Stories have soon arisen after the accident, people claiming to find an abandoned lifeboat containing skeletons from the wreck or seeing a skeletal crew attempting to row the lifeboat to shore. A phantom ship has also been spotted near the site of the wreck, and people often hear screams of the women and children as they drown. The SS Valencia is the worst maritime disaster in the Graveyard of the Pacific.
SS Pacific
Built in 1850, this wooden sidewheel steamer which ferried passengers across the United States during her 25 years of service, even serving as a vessel by the Vanderbilt family during the California gold rush. After traveling the coast of California and the Pacific Northwest for the Pacific Mail Steamship company, shipping people and gold across the west coast, she began regular passenger runs from San Francisco to Victoria, British Columbia, towards the end of her career.
On November 4th, 1875, leaving Victoria to San Francisco, 275 passengers and crew sailed south, going through some light rain and fog, when suddenly, around 10 pm, she was struck head by another ship. The Orpheus, sailing north, confused the light on the Pacific with a lighthouse and turned accordingly, ultimately meeting forcibly with the Pacific. Hitting the Orpheus’ starboard bow, causing the Orpheus to lose her rigging, leaving her immobilized. Future reports say that the Orpheus did not take any substantial damage and was able to get back underway within 15 minutes of repairs. However, the crew of the Orpheus was troubled that the ship who hit them did not stop to see if they were alright or needed assistance, and ultimately left the scene and continued sailing.
What they didn’t know was that the Pacific was in a panic as the ship slowly began taking in water and was listing to the port side. Chaos had passengers scrambling into lifeboats, none of which had oars and were failing to be launched due to the ship’s position, or they would fill up with water and capsize. Within an hour, the ship broke in two, causing the ship’s smokestack to fall onto the capsized Pacific and abruptly sank. Passengers who did not go down with the ship would struggle to find parts of the floating ship to cling to for survival, but many would die of hypothermia, or the weight of their clothing (which was an issue for the women on board) would cause them to drown. There were two survivors out of 275 souls.
So many issues arose after this incident, with multiple faults and blame coming into play. Weather did not play a part in this disaster, as visibility was not an issue according to the crew of the Orpheus and the two survivors of the Pacific. Both ships had their running lights on and had reported seeing each other’s lights. One of the survivors reported that the Pacific had no crew on deck and that they were all asleep below. Without proper lookouts, no one saw the Orpheus. Another issue was the potential seaworthiness of the Pacific.
Seen in the reports by the New York Times, “The sinking of the steamer Pacific by collision with a sailing vessel was a fair example of the worthlessness of some of the hulls now afloat. That collision might have been avoided is very true, but there is no possible excuse for the breaking up of a vessel by such a blow as that given by the Orpheus. The steamers bow was crushed in like glass on receiving a blow delivered obliquely. It is a perversion of language to call such a ship ‘seaworthy’”. This wreck caused a new wave of inspection regulations for ships’ worthiness to avoid a disaster like the Pacific. The Pacific is added to the list of ships that have been lost to the Graveyard of the Pacific.
Francis H. Legget
A steam-powered schooner built in 1903 which would one day take the title of the worst maritime accident in the history of Oregon. The Francis H. Legget was a timber hauling vessel and flagship of A.B. Hammond, president of the Hammond Lumber and Hammond Steamship Companies. Also known as Hammonds Folly, the sheer size of the vessel, as well as her huge steel hull, she was unable to enter most ports due to her size. She would bring Hammond’s company great success in timber hauling, expanding his company with more ships over her 11-year career. On September 17, 1914, Francis H. Legget would go on her last journey, departing Grays Harbor, Washington, to San Francisco with a load of railroad ties lashed to her top deck.
The following day, the ship encountered a strong gale, blowing 60 miles an hour, causing her overbearing load of ties to shift across the deck as well as blowing off her hatch cover. With her listing due to the shifting weight of the rail ties and her hatch blown off, she quickly began taking in water. Captain Charles Moro put out a stress call, shortly being detected by the Imperial Japanese Navy cruiser Izumo, who unfortunately did not respond due to being found by enemy ships (World War I was going on, and German ships patrolled the pacific). Izumo relayed the stress call to other ships for rescue, but due to time lost, by the time rescue ships arrived, the Francis H. Legget had sunk.
Two survivors of the Legget reported that the water quickly swamped their lifeboats, taking them down, they survived by clinging to the floating railroad ties, which was the only remaining parts of the ship. 60 people would disappear with the ship and were never found. Lumber and railroad ties would wash ashore and were used to build homes in nearby Manzanita.
Throughout Our Gallery
The Bounty
a replica based on the HMS Bounty, which was purchased by the Royal Navy in 1787, which was taken under mutiny and sailed to Pitcairn Island to seek refuge from being discovered by the British Empire and was destroyed after making landfall to avoid detection.
The new Bounty was built for the film Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando, and afterward sailed around the globe for entertainment and education about tall ships as a tourist attraction under the Tall Ship Bounty Foundation. On October 25th, 2012, the Bounty sailed from Connecticut to Florida, where she encountered Hurricane Sandy. At 8:45 pm, a request for assistance from the Coast Guard went out stating that the ship was taking on water, and they were beginning preparation to abandon ship. A C-130 rescue plane set out to find the ship, but due to equipment outages because of the storm, it lost much of its radar system, causing it to spend hours searching by spotlight at 500 feet at night.
The Bounty was discovered after midnight, but due to spending fuel during the initial search, the plane had to drop life rafts and leave the crew to return to land, it was not until almost 6 am until helicopter rescue arrived. While the ship was sinking, two crew members (one being the captain) went overboard. Crew member Claudene Christian was found, but was declared deceased after rescue, and the ship’s captain, Robin Walbridge, was searched for an additional four days until the search was suspended on November 1st. Captain Walbridge was never found. Speculation about the ship’s sinking was blamed on the captain, as he did not steer clear of the storm, as well as his late decision for the crew to abandon ship. This whole incident could have been avoided.
The La Belle
The wreck of the La Belle lay hidden in the Gulf for hundreds of years until the 1970s, when original charts and documents from the La Belle and La Salle’s expedition came to light, potentially showing where the wreck could be located. The Texas Historical Commission took interest in the project and ordered surveys of the area, but due to lack of funding, the search was swept to the side. In 1995 another search took place with new GPS positioning systems to help locate magnetic objects, with 39 hits, they organized a dive which would first discover cannon balls. The second dive would find an ornate bronze cannon that definitively proved the site was the wreck of the La Belle with serial numbers that would later match French archival records belonging to the La Belle.
Due to the water quality of the Gulf, visibility was a problem for divers. A cofferdam was built, funded by the state through grants and private funds, which created a protective barrier around the site and allowed the water to be pumped out, making it easier for archaeologists to excavate without issue. Lasting around a year, it is considered one of the most significant maritime archaeological excavations. The excavation found thousands of artifacts containing unopened crates to help with the colony, trade goods, weapons, and religious objects. Human remains were even discovered on site, a middle-aged man who is now currently buried at the Texas State Cemetery.
Once the ship was cleared of artifacts, the tedious job of disassembling and recording every beam of wood and nail to preserve the ship in polyethylene glycol. In 2014, the ship, as well as its artifacts, were put on display at the Bullock Museum in Austin, with the ship completely assembled from the excavation.
USS Monitor
Built as an ironclad warship for the Union Navy during the Civil War, the USS Monitor played a prominent role in the Battle of Hampton Roads. After Christmas of 1862, the Monitor was bound for Beaufort, NC, alongside the USS Rhode Island when they encountered a storm off Cape Hatteras, NC. The size of the waves smothered the ship, sending water into the vents and ports, causing the ship to roll. The aggressive pounding of the waves began to cause leaks in the hull, bringing in more water, eventually filling the engine room.
Commander Bankhead would hoist a red lantern to the nearby USS Rhode Island about her peril, then quickly lowering anchor to attempt an easier rescue for its crew. However, this caused the ship to buck with the waves, further endangering the crew, so he then ordered the anchor line to be cut. The men who climbed down to cut the line were instantly swept away by the waves and drowned, finally, the 4th man was able to cut the line. Within minutes, the Monitor would sink, claiming 16 souls.
While interest in her discovery began in the 1950s, the lack of proper technology could not identify the ship or pinpoint its location until much later. In the 1970s, Duke University and the National Geographic Society would sponsor an expedition to use a towed sonar system, discovering the Monitor on August 27, 1973.
White Star Lines Disasters
Founded by John Pilkington and Henry Wilson in 1845, it originally focused on trade and passenger transport from the UK to Australia, before becoming a commercial liner a series of unfortunate events and multiple serious errors would occur during the company’s lifetime. Almost 2,400 lives have been lost in 105 years of White Star Lines.
RMS Tayleur
Due to lack of experience, struck rocks and sank in 1853, 360 out of 650 aboard perished.
SS Atlantic
In an emergency docking due to lack of coal to finish journey, the SS Atlantic ran aground and sank in 1873, 585 of the 952 aboard perished.
RMS Titanic
The Titanic sunk in 1912 after striking an ice berg. Due to the lack of proper number of lifeboats, 1500 out of 2,200 people perished. 121 bodies were able to be recovered and are buried in the Fairview Cemetery in Nova Scotia, which contains a mixture of known and unknown bodies, the largest number of titanic victims in any cemetery. Many bodies had to be left behind due to severe cold.
HMHS Britannic
The HMHS Britannic became a hospital ship during WWI and was carrying 1,065 people when it hit a mine in the Aegean Sea in 1916. The explosion caused loss of antenna wires, causing issues with communication. During the rescue, 1,036 people survived, those who did not, lost their lives due to the ship’s propeller sucking in two of the lifeboats.
The Survivor
Violet Jessup – The Queen of Sinking Ships
Violet Constance Jessup was an Ocean Liner Stewardess and nurse for the White Star Liners from 1911 until her retirement in the 1930s. Jessup survived three White Star Liner incidents; RMS Olympic (collided with British warship HMS Hawke), RMS Titanic, and the HMHS Britannic.
German U-boats attacked Allied Ships in a part of the ocean, known as Torpedo Alley. It was located in Atlantic ocean off the coast of North Carolina. Nearly 400 ships and 5,000 souls now lie at the bottom of the ocean. Many of the vessels and lives lost are civilian ships and merchant marines.
Torpedo Alley
Ship Sunk During WWII In Torpedo Alley
| Ship Name | Type of Ship | Date Sank | Wreck Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allan Jackson | Tanker | Jan. 18, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Brazos | Cargo | Jan. 18, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| City of Atlanta | Cargo | Jan. 19, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Norvana | Freighter | Jan. 20, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Ciltvaira | Tanker | Jan. 20, 1942 | Gull Shoal |
| Empire Gem | Tanker | Jan. 23, 1942 | Creeds Hill |
| Venore | Cargo | Jan. 23, 1942 | Creeds Hill |
| Norvana | Freighter | Jan. 20, 1942 | Kill Devil Hills |
| Amerikaland | Motor Merchant | Feb. 3, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Victolite | Tanker | Feb.10, 1942 | Caffeys Inlet |
| Blink | Cargo | Feb. 11, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Buarque | Passenger | Feb. 15, 1942 | Kill Devil Hills |
| Olympic | Tanker | Feb.23, 1942 | Kill Devil Hills |
| Norlavore | Cargo | Feb. 24, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Cassimir | Tanker | Feb. 26, 1942 | Cape Fear |
| Marore | Cargo | Feb. 26, 1942 | Gull Shoal |
| Raritan | Cargo | Feb. 28, 1942 | Cape Fear |
| Anna R. Heidritter | Schooner | Mar. 1, 1942 | Ocracoke |
| Arabutan | Cargo | Mar. 7, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Chester Sun | Tanker | Mar. 10, 1942 | Big Kinnakeet |
| Caribsea | Cargo | Mar. 11, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| John D. Gill | Tanker | Mar. 12, 1942 | Cape Fear |
| Ario | Tanker | Mar. 15, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| Resource | (? ) | Mar. 15, 1942 | Kill Devil Hills |
| Ceiba | Cargo | Mar. 17, 1942 | Nags Head |
| Tenas | Barge | Mar. 17, 1942 | Creeds Hill |
| Australia | Tanker | Mar. 17, 1942 | Diamond Shoals |
| Kassandra Louloudis | Cargo | Mar. 18, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Papoose | Tanker | Mar. 18, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| W. E. Hutton | Tanker | Mar. 18, 1942 | Bogue Inlet |
| E. M. Clark | Tanker | Mar. 18, 1942 | Ocracoke |
| Liberator | Cargo | Mar. 19, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Teresa | Cargo | Mar. 21, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Naeco | Tanker | Mar. 23, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| Dixie Arrow | Tanker | Mar. 26, 1942 | Ocracoke |
| USS Atik | Q-Ship | March 27, 1942 | Nags Head |
| Equipoise | Cargo | Mar. 27, 1942 | Caffey’s Inlet |
| City of New York | Passenger | Mar. 29, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Rio Blanco | Cargo | Apr. 1, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Otho | Cargo | Apr. 3, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Byron D. Benson | Tanker | Apr. 5, 1942 | Oregon Inlet |
| British Splendour | Tanker | Apr. 6, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Lancing | Tanker | Apr. 7, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Kollskegg | Tanker | Apr. 7, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Malchace | Freighter | Apr. 9, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| San Delfino | Tanker | Apr. 9, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Atlas | Tanker | Apr. 9, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| Tamaulipas | Tanker | Apr. 10, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| U-85 | German sub | Apr. 14, 1942 | Nags Head |
| Empire Thrush | Freighter | Apr. 14, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Desert Light | Cargo | Apr. 16, 1942 | Oregon Inlet |
| Alcoa Guide | Steam Merchant | Apr. 17, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Empire Dryden | Cargo | Apr. 19, 1942 | Oregon Inlet |
| Chenango | Freighter | Apr. 20, 1942 | Kill. Devil Hills |
| Bris | Cargo | Apr. 21, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| Ashkhabad | Cargo | Apr. 29, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| Senateur Duhamel | Trawler | May 6, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| U-352 | German sub | May 9, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| HMT Bedfordshire | Armed Trawler | May 12, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| West Notus | Cargo | June 1, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Manuela | Cargo | June 5, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| Pleasantville | Cargo | June 7, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| F. W. Abrams | Tanker | June 10, 1942 | Ocracoke |
| USS YP-389 | Antisub Trawler | June 19, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Ljubica Matkovic | Cargo | June 24, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| Nordal | Cargo | June 25, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
| William Rockefeller | Tanker | June 28, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| City of Birmingham | Cargo | June 30, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| U-701 | German sub | July 7, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Keshena | Tug | July 19, 1942 | Cape Hatteras |
| Mayfair | Schooner | Nov. 9, 1942 | Carolina Beach |
| Louise | Cargo | Dec. 16, 1942 | Kinnakeet |
| Parkins | Trawler | Dec. 19, 1942 | Cape Lookout |
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