Dunbar John Davis (June 30, 1843 – March 30, 1923) was a Keeper in the

United States Life-Saving Service The United States Life-Saving ServiceDespite the lack of hyphen in its insignia, the agency itself is hyphenated in government documents including: and was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian eff ...

. He served at the

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 ...

Station and was later transferred to the

Oak Island Oak Island is a privately owned island in Lunenburg County on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. The tree-covered island is one of several islands in Mahone Bay, and is connected to the mainland by a causeway. The nearest community is th ...

Station in 1892. Davis was known for numerous rescues at sea but is most famous for his rescue during a

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 ...

in 1893.

Sea Islands Hurricane

In August of 1893, the

Sea Islands Hurricane The 1893 Sea Islands hurricane was a deadly major hurricane that struck the Sea Islands which was near Savannah, Georgia on August 27, 1893. It was the 7th deadliest hurricane in United States history, and was one of three deadly hurricanes durin ...

hit the

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, and

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 ...

coasts. The historic hurricane, by modern standards, would have been a Category 3 with sustained wind speeds of . However, the hurricane had an unusually low pressure at 931 mbar making it one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...

. Davis, who was the Keeper of the Oak Island Station, set off with his few crewmen. Entering the storm and the dangerous waters of 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 ...

, he and his crew rescued all crewmembers aboard the four ships: ''Three Sisters'', ''Kate Giffor'', ''Wustrow'', and ''Enchantress''.Brown, Aycock. "Dunbar Davis Did His Duty." The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 29, Issue 10 (October 1961): p. 9.

Later life and death

After the hurricane, Davis lived on another 30 years. Davis died in 1923. He is buried at the Old Morse Cemetery in

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

. There, a row of granite tombstones marks the births and deaths of most of the Davis family. The tallest tombstone, however, is that of Dunbar Davis.

In Media

Music featuring Dunbar Davis: *The band Scearce & Ketner made a song about his famous 1893 rescue called "The Long Day of Dunbar Davis". Numerous books tell of the many rescues Davis had over his career. Notable books that feature stories of Dunbar Davis: *''Bald Head: A History of Smith Island and Cape Fear'' *"A Day in the Life of Dunbar Davis" from ''Graveyard of the Atlantic''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Dunbar 1843 births 1923 deaths United States Life-Saving Service personnel People from Brunswick County, North Carolina