Of Shipwrecks and Surf -- with Jodie Bailey

Good morning!  (When I originally typed that, it came out "God morning," which honestly might be a better way to say it, huh?)

The last time I got to do a Tidbit Tuesday, there was a lot of information that landed on the "cutting room floor."  Once I got started writing about the Outer Banks, there was no stopping.  So… why not continue today?

The Banks are pretty much known for shipwrecks, one of the reasons there are so many gorgeous lighthouses down there.  What fewer people know is how many of those shipwrecks literally sit on the beach or in the surf.  It fascinates me that they're right there in plain view, and it's another one of my favorite things about the place.  History is literally everywhere you look.

I think my favorite--although it's not the most dramatic--is the Oriental.  Right after you come off of the Bonner Bridge onto the island, you're in the Pea Island Reserve.  If you stop at the little center and go to the beach access directly across the road, you'll spot this:

The Oriental sank during the Civil War, brought low by a sailor sleeping at his post.  As close as the ship was to shore, the men being transported simply waited out the night and, with the help of some rope and the sailors at Fort Hatteras, hauled smaller boats across the next day.  Though all of the passengers and most of the cargo was saved, the ship was left in the surf, still visible today.

It's not unusual to walk along the beach and come upon the abandoned hull of a ship, ribs and all.  This history buff finds it incredible that so much is still there and so easily accessible.  There are some pretty dramatic tourist photos out there of some of the wrecks and websites dedicated to helping you find them.  The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum even sits at the "end of the road" down by the ferry landing on the south side of Hatteras.  With over 2,000 shipwrecks off the coast, it's really no wonder the area is called "The Graveyard of the Atlantic."

Leave a comment any day this week for a chance to win a copy of Jennifer Fromke's A Familiar Shore!

Jodie Bailey is the author of Freefall and Crossfire, both available from Love Inspired Suspense.  In October, be on the lookout for Quilted by Christmas, an Abingdon Quilts of Love novel as well as a novella in LIS's Holiday Defenders.  Right now, she's wrapping up another year of teaching but, really, she wishes her toes were in the sand of Frisco Beach.