The Outer Banks stretch over 180 miles from Currituck southward to Cape Lookout. It is a fragile string of barrier islands whose very existence rests completely at the mercy of nature. It is also a place where the cold Labrador Current and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream clash over the "Graveyard of the Atlantic". It is a place battered frequently by "Nor'easters" and by hurricanes of immense destructive power. It is constantly shifted and altered by relentless ocean waves and wind. And yet it has remained here for thousands of years. History and legend go hand in hand on the Outer Banks. Weave in some ghost stories and mysteries, pirates, shipwrecks and unselfish bravery, and you have the fabric that makes up the folklore of the Outer Banks. There is history surrounded by legend, not the least of which is Blackbeard, whose mark is all around the coast of North Carolina, from Bath, to Beaufort, to Ocracoke and beyond. Ghost ships and mysterious sightings, and other tales live on of dreadful fates of shipwreck victims by the truth that is the "Graveyard of the Atlantic". Magical, mystical tales, such as those told by superstitious men of the sea, weave their threads into those stories of the crews of the Life-Saving Stations, whose fearlessness in the midst of deadly storms is factual, recorded history, and is now legend. But the history of this place will tell you it wasn't pirates that mariners feared most along the Outer Banks, it was the shoals, the shallows and the vicious storms that took more ships than pirates ever dreamed of scuttling. Shipwrecks were in fact an integral and important part of life on the Outer Banks. Being so isolated, the residents made good use of everything, especially salvaged cargo from wrecks, including the wood, beams, ropes and hardware from the ships themselves. Nothing went to waste. Many homes were built, furnished or repaired from ship salvage. Thirty years ago there were more wrecks visible than there are today. Time and storms have taken their toll. Wrecks get washed ashore, then covered by sand, then uncovered in storms, and covered again. They even get moved by storms, as well as broken apart and scattered over the years. Shipwrecks often appear and disappear during storms on the Outer Banks. They are sometimes washed onto shore, or carried out to sea, and covered or uncovered as the sand is hauled about by the ocean currents and storm surges from hurricanes. Did you know that Carolina Dunes has two shipwrecks? The first wreck can occasionally be seen at 149 Buffell Head, which is at the bottom of the southern beach access steps (between Widgeon and Pintail streets). When the ocean surf is rough and the currents wash away the beach sand, you might be able to see the side of the this shipwreck. It’s merely yards southeast of the bottom step. Check it out!
The second wreck is located at 159 Buffell Head, which is only 5 houses south of the first wreck. It was re-discovered by the Alvord family after Tropical Storm Ida in November, 2009. Check this spot as well. Who knows, maybe you can also find this Ghost Ship! Sources: