''Carroll A. Deering'' was an American five-masted commercial

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

launched in 1919 and found run aground without its crew off

Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. As a temperate barrier island, the landscape has been shaped by wind, waves, and storms. There are long stretches of beach ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, in January 1921.

Overview

The ''Carroll A. Deering'' was built in

Bath, Maine Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. Bath is included in the Brunswick, Maine, Brunswick Micropolitan statistical area, micropolitan area. Bath has a 2024 population of 8,870. It is also the county seat of Sagadahoc County ...

, in 1919 by the G.G. Deering Company for commercial use. The owner of the company named the ship after his son. One of the last large commercial sailing vessels, the ship was designed to carry cargo and had been in service for a year when it began its final voyage to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil.

''Carroll A. Deering''s last voyage

On July 19, 1920, the ''Carroll A. Deering'' sailed from

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, and arrived at

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the fifth-most populous city in Virginia and 140th-most populous city i ...

to pick up a cargo of coal for delivery to

. The ship was captained by William H. Merritt, a hero of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

who had been cited for bravery under fire for saving his entire crew when his previous command, the Deering-built five-masted schooner , was sunk by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

submarine off

Cape May, New Jersey Cape May (sometimes Cape May City) is a City (New Jersey), city and seaside resort located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on the Atlantic Ocean ...

in 1918. Merritt's son, Sewall, was his first mate and had a ten-man crew made up entirely of

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

ns (mostly Danes). On August 26, 1920, the ''Carroll A. Deering'' cleared the

Virginia Capes The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America. The importance of the Chesapeake Bay in American history has lo ...

bound for Brazil, but Captain Merritt soon fell seriously ill and the schooner turned back and put into the port of

Lewes, Delaware Lewes ( ) is an incorporated city on the Delaware Bay in eastern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 3,303. Along with neighboring Rehoboth Beach, Lewes is one of the principal cities of Del ...

to drop off Merritt and his son. The Deering Company recruited Captain Willis B. Wormell, a retired 66-year-old veteran sea captain, to replace him on the voyage to Brazil. Charles B. McLellan was hired on as first mate. The ''Carroll A. Deering,'' with Wormell in command, set sail for Rio de Janeiro on September 8, 1920, arriving there and delivering its cargo without incident. Wormell gave his crew leave and met with a Captain Goodwin, an old friend who captained another cargo vessel that was docked in the port. Wormell spoke of his crew with disdain, though he claimed to trust the engineer, Herbert Bates, with whom Goodwin was also acquainted.Graveyard of the Atlantic page.
The ''Carroll A. Deering'' left Rio de Janeiro on December 2, 1920, and stopped for supplies at

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. First Mate McLellan got drunk in town and complained to Captain Hugh Norton of ''Snow'' that he could not discipline the crew without Wormell interfering, and that he had to do all the navigation owing to Wormell's poor eyesight. Later, Captain Norton, his first mate, and another captain were in the Continental Café and heard McLellan say, "I'll get the captain before we get to Norfolk, I will." McLellan was arrested in a drunken state, but on January 9 Wormell forgave him, bailed him out of jail, and set sail for

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...

. The ship was next sighted by the Cape Lookout

lightship A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...

off North Carolina on January 28, 1921, when the ''Carroll A. Deering'' hailed it. The lightship's keeper, Captain Jacobson, reported that a tall thin man with reddish hair and a foreign accent speaking through a megaphone told him the vessel had lost its anchors in a storm off

Cape Fear Cape Fear may refer to: Film and television * ''Cape Fear'' (1962 film), a film by J. Lee Thompson starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum * ''Cape Fear'' (1991 film), a remake by Martin Scorsese starring Robert De Niro and Nick Nolte * "Cape ...

and asked that the ship's owners, the G.G. Deering Company, be notified. Jacobson took note of this, but his radio was out, so he was unable to report it. He also noticed that the crew seemed to be "milling around" on the

quarterdeck The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's colours were kept. This led to its use as the main ceremonial and reception area on bo ...

of the ship, an area where they were usually not allowed. The following afternoon, the crew of another vessel transiting the area spotted the schooner sailing a course that would take it directly onto the Diamond Shoals. They, however, saw no one on the ship's decks and did not attempt to hail the vessel, assuming her crew would spot the

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Cape Hatteras Light is a lighthouse located on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks in the town of Buxton, North Carolina and is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It is the tallest lighthouse in the U.S. from base to tip at 210 feet. Th ...

or the

Diamond Shoals Lightship The Diamond Shoal Light is an inactive offshore lighthouse marking Diamond Shoals off Cape Hatteras. History Diamond Shoals, which extend many miles out from Cape Hatteras, is considered to be one of the most dangerous spots on the Atlantic sea ...

and change course to avoid wrecking on the shoals.

The wreck

On January 31, 1921, the ''Carroll A. Deering'' was sighted at dawn by surfman C. P. Brady who was on lookout duty at the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

station at

. The vessel was hard aground with all sails set on the outer edge of Diamond Shoals. The shoals that extend offshore from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina were notorious as a common site of shipwrecks for centuries and are known as the "

Graveyard of the Atlantic Graveyard of the Atlantic is a nickname for the treacherous waters and area of numerous shipwrecks off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, United States, which are due to the coast's shifting sands and inlets. To a lesser degree, this nickname has a ...

." Rescue ships were unable to approach the vessel owing to bad weather. The ship was not boarded until February 4, after being battered by the surf for several days, and it became clear that the schooner had been completely abandoned. Her steering equipment was found to be damaged, with the wheel shattered, the

binnacle A binnacle () is a waist-high case or stand on the deck of a ship, generally mounted in front of the helmsman, in which navigational instruments are placed for easy and quick reference as well as to protect the delicate instruments. Its traditio ...

box stove in, and the

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

disengaged from its stock. The ship's log and navigation equipment were gone, along with the crew's personal effects and the ship's two

lifeboats Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

. In the vessel's

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

it appeared that certain foodstuffs were being prepared for the next day's meal at the time of the abandonment. The Coast Guard cutter attempted to salvage ''Carroll A. Deering'', but found this impossible. The vessel was declared a hazard to navigation, and was destroyed using

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

on March 4 to prevent it from becoming a danger to other vessels. A portion of the ship's bow later drifted ashore on

Ocracoke Island Ocracoke ( )
, from the North Carolina Collection website at the

. Wooden timbers from the wreck also washed ashore on Hatteras Island, and were used by local residents to build houses.

Message in a bottle

On April 11, 1921, a local fisherman claimed to have found a

message in a bottle A message in a bottle (abbrev. MIB) is a form of communication in which a message is sealed in a container (typically a bottle) and released into a conveyance medium (typically a body of water). Messages in bottles have been used to send distres ...

floating in the waters off the beach of

Buxton, North Carolina Buxton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) on Hatteras Island (part of the Outer Banks) near Cape Hatteras. It is located in Dare County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, it had a populatio ...

; he swiftly turned it over to the authorities. The text of the message was as follows:

DEERING CAPTURED BY OIL BURNING BOAT SOMETHING LIKE CHASER. TAKING OFF EVERYTHING HANDCUFFING CREW. CREW HIDING ALL OVER SHIP NO CHANCE TO MAKE ESCAPE. FINDER PLEASE NOTIFY HEADQUARTERS DEERING.

The handwriting in the letter was identified as that of the ship's engineer, Henry Bates, by the widow of Captain Wormell, and the bottle was proven to have been manufactured in Brazil. This, along with a sighting of a "mysterious" steamer that arrived at the Cape Lookout lightship in the wake of ''Carroll A. Deering'', suggested hostile action. The captain of the lightship had attempted to hail the steamer to get its crew to relay the message from the ''Carroll A. Deering'' but the steamer failed to respond and he could not make out the ship's name, as the crew had unfurled a canvas to cover the nameplate. The message also raised skepticism: if a crew member did manage to get hold of paper, pen, and bottle and write a letter, why would he request that the company be notified, as opposed to the police or Coast Guard? Handwriting experts concluded later that the message was forged, and, after further questioning by federal agents, the fisherman admitted to the forgery. Gray apparently forged the note in hopes that the publicity he would garner from finding it would help him secure employment at the Cape Hatteras light station.

Investigation

The U.S. government launched an extensive investigation into the disappearance of the crew of the ''Carroll A. Deering''. Five departments of the government —

Commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

, and

State State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

— looked into the case.

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

, then

Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

, was intrigued by the fact that several other vessels of various nationalities — most notably the sulfur freighter — had also disappeared in roughly the same area. Although most of these vessels were later revealed to have been sailing in the vicinity of a series of particularly powerful

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

s, the ''Hewitt'' and ''Carroll A. Deering'' were proven to have been sailing away from the area of the storm at the time. Hoover's assistant, Lawrence Ritchey, was placed in charge of the investigation. Ritchey tried to chart what happened to the vessel between its last sighting at Cape Lookout and its running aground at Diamond Shoals by reading the log books of the Coast Guard lightships stationed in those areas. When an Italian inquiry into the disappearance of the vessel ''Monte San Michele'' confirmed that there had been strong hurricanes in the vicinity, mutiny was then accepted as the explanation for the ''Carroll A. Deering'' incident. The investigation was closed in late 1922 without an official finding on the incident.

Theories

The following theories were considered by the U.S. government in its investigation: * Hurricanes: The U.S. government, particularly the National Weather Bureau, strongly advocated a series of powerful hurricanes known to have been raging in the Atlantic as the cause of the disappearances. As mentioned above, however, both the ''Deering'' and the ''Hewitt'' were heading away from the path of these storms. In any case, several authors, including

Larry Kusche Lawrence David Kusche (November 1, 1940 — July 22, 2024) was an American author, research librarian, and pilot. He investigated unexplained disappearances and other unusual events related to the Bermuda Triangle to answer queries he was getting ...

and Richard Winer, have pointed out that the state of the ship indicates an orderly rather than panicked evacuation. *

Piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

: Captain O. W. Parker of the United States Marine Shipping Board certainly believed piracy responsible; he stated that, in his opinion, "Piracy without a doubt still exists as it has since the days of the

Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...

ns". Captain Wormell's widow was a particularly strong advocate of this theory. It was believed that a group of pirates were responsible for the various disappearances; however, no real evidence of this theory emerged, and no suspected pirates were ever caught. * Russian/

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

piracy: During a police raid on the headquarters of the United Russian Workers Party (a

organization) in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, officers allegedly found papers that called on members of the organization to seize American ships and sail them to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. This was widely believed to be relevant to the ''Carroll A. Deering'' incident at the time, particularly by hardline anti-communists in the government. However, no evidence has surfaced that any of these allegedly planned activities were actually carried out. * Rum runners: A similar speculation to the above speculates that a group of liquor

smuggle Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...

rs working out of the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

stole the ship to use as a

rum-running Rum-running, or bootlegging, is the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. The term ''rum-running'' is more commonly applied to smuggling over water; ''bootlegging'' is applied to smugg ...

vessel (this was during the

Prohibition era Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...

). The ''Carroll A. Deering'' was large enough, according to Richard Winer's ''Ghost Ships'', to carry roughly a million dollars' worth of liquor in her hold. On the other hand, it is doubtful that such a conspicuous, easily identifiable and comparatively slow vessel would constitute a choice target for smugglers. No evidence supporting this speculation has ever emerged. *

Mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

: Wormell's known conflict with his first mate and derisive comments towards his crew while in Rio de Janeiro suggested that something may have been amiss between the captain and his men on the voyage. Captain Jacobson at Cape Lookout certainly thought it odd; the man who hailed his vessel was definitely ''not'' Captain Wormell, and he was not an officer by all accounts. Senator Frederick Hale of Maine advocated this theory, stating it was "a plain case of mutiny". Discontent with the captain could certainly have caused a mutiny of the crew, but once again, nothing definitive has ever been proven.

Aftermath

No official explanation for the disappearance of the crew of the ''Carroll A. Deering'' was ever offered. In September 1955, the remaining hull of the ''Carroll A. Deering'' was moved about by

Hurricane Ione Hurricane Ione () was a strong, Category 4 hurricane that affected the U.S. state of North Carolina in September 1955, bringing high winds and significant rainfall. It came on the heels of Hurricanes Connie and Diane, and compounded probl ...

, from Ocracoke Island to Hatteras. Carrol A. Deering, for whom the ship was named, died in March 1967, aged 84. , the

ship's bell A ship's bell is a bell on a ship that is used for the indication of time as well as other traditional functions. The bell itself is usually made of brass or bronze, and normally has the ship's name engraved or cast on it. Strikes Timing of shi ...

and capstan from the ''Carrol A. Deering'' were on display at the

Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is a maritime museum that focuses on the maritime history and shipwrecks of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The museum is located in Hatteras Village, the southernmost community on Hatteras Island, N ...

in Hatteras.

References

External links

C.A. Deering
''Graveyard of the Atlantic''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Deering, Carroll A. 1919 ships 1920s missing person cases Ghost ships Individual sailing vessels Maritime incidents in 1921 Missing ships Bermuda Triangle Schooners of the United States Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast Five-masted ships Maritime incidents in the United States Missing person cases in North Carolina Ships built in Bath, Maine