Cape Fear is a prominent headland and coastal region located on the southeastern coast of North Carolina, specifically jutting into the Atlantic Ocean from Bald Head Island. It is situated near Southport and Wilmington and referred to as part of the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”- the 300-mile shoreline extending along the North Carolina covering the Outer Banks Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout to Cape Fear.
The treacherous Frying Pan Shoals – a large, shallow sandbar system extending far out into the Atlantic from the river’s mouth – created dangerous waters near the mouth of the Cape Fear. In 1585, Sir Richard Grenville’s ship, the Tiger, got stuck behind Cape Fear, and his crew’s fear of wrecking led to the name being recorded, making it one of the oldest English place names in the U.S.
More than 5,000 vessels have been lost in this Graveyard of the Atlantic region since 1526, including Spanish treasure ships, Civil War vessels, and ships sunk by German U-boats during WWI and WWII, ranking it one of the most perilous maritime regions in the world.
Most notable shipwrecks were:
- Pirate Edward Teach’s (Blackbeard) “Queen Anne’s Revenge” grounded near Cape Lookout in Beaufort Inlet in 1716 – later discovered in 1996 in 20 feet of water
- Civil war vessel USS Monitor sunk in 1862 off the coast of Cape Hatteras and discovered 100 years later in 230 feet of water
- Steamship Pulaski sank in 1838 near New River Inlet (north of Topsail’s North beach) resulting in the loss of about two-thirds of the passengers and crew. The wreck was located in 2018, confirming it as one of North Carolina’s most famous maritime mysteries.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, North Carolina, preserves the history of these maritime disasters.
