The Charlotte Ledger

The Charlotte Ledger

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The Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte Ledger
Storms. Shipwrecks. And a dog's heroic swim.

Storms. Shipwrecks. And a dog's heroic swim.

The Graveyard of the Atlantic has tales you’ve likely never heard

Jul 11, 2025
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The Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte Ledger
Storms. Shipwrecks. And a dog's heroic swim.
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Off the coast of North Carolina lies one of the world’s most treacherous stretches of sea — a place where shifting shoals, sudden storms and centuries of shipwrecks have earned it the name “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” In this Charlotte Ledger series, journalist Mark Washburn explores the region’s lore through wartime sinkings, devastating hurricanes, pirate legends, lost treasure and enduring nautical mysteries.

  • MONDAY: The Mystery of the Ghost Ship Deering: A schooner runs aground with no crew aboard — only clues, whispers and a six-toed cat remain. (🎥 Watch video)

  • TUESDAY: North Carolina’s Pirate Legacy: Blackbeard’s legend looms large — but how much of it is true, and where’s the treasure he left behind? (🎥 Watch video)

  • WEDNESDAY: The Tides of War: The quiet beaches of North Carolina once lit up nightly with fire and torpedoes, turning the shoreline into a clandestine battlefield where vessels vanished and history pivoted. (🎥 Watch video)

  • THURSDAY: The Elusive Treasure: Centuries of shipwrecks — but only one treasure fleet ever made it this far north. Is it still out there? (🎥 Watch video)

  • FRIDAY: Tales from the Depths: From daring rescues and doomed voyages to a storm-sunk movie star, these are the shipwreck stories you’ve never heard — but won’t forget. (🎥 Watch video)


From daring rescues and doomed voyages to a storm-sunk movie star, these are the shipwreck stories you’ve never heard — but won’t forget

By Mark Washburn

A sarcophagus of sailors and ships, the murky abyss of the Graveyard of the Atlantic is a vast repository of tales, an encyclopedia of woe centuries deep.

Here are but a few:

Pillow was Capt. Mitchell’s dog, a gentle mongrel that made itself popular aboard the brig Carroll that set sail Jan. 25, 1837, from New Orleans to Baltimore.

Pillow loved to nap. On the deck. In Michell’s cabin. Prow, stern, cargo hatch — all were cozy nests for the critter.

Until Feb. 8, weather had been grand as the Carroll rode the Gulf Stream up the coast. Suddenly, the ship entered a dense fogbank.

Mitchell calculated he was near Lookout Shoals north of Wilmington, an ominous spot to go blind. He was right — the Carroll slammed into a submerged sandbar, pitching the vessel violently.

Damage report: rudder gone, hull leaking. And a building wind was shoving the ship across the bottom to the west.

Through the mist, the Cape Lookout lighthouse came into view. Mitchell ordered sails be set to try to reach land and save passengers and crew.

A mile from shore, the Carroll went hard aground. Waves began tearing at it.

Rescuers on shore tried to get a line to the ship, but it was too far. Breakers tore the Carroll’s lifeboat to shards and began gnawing the hull. If only a rope could breach the gap between ship and land, a rescue rig could be fashioned. But who could survive the frigid, swirling surf?

What about Pillow? a sailor asked.

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