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I doubt that you could find a dozen residents of Cape Hatteras Island – or annual visitors, for that matter – that did not know about the “what, where and why” of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. I further doubt that you could find a dozen of residents that do know about the Cape Hatteras Coast Guard Lifeboat Station… which is still there, only yards away from its famous sibling.
They shared an iconic name and the most noble of missions: saving lives. One widely recognized, celebrated and adored. The other, nearly forgotten.
Terminology
The term “Cape Hatteras” is not only universally infamous, but it can be somewhat confusing. “Hatteras” is the name of the original Outer Banks Island that is part of Dare County, North Carolina. It is also the name of the southern-most of its eight villages. If residents are on the island and say, “I am from Hatteras,” they mean the village. But if they are off the island, then they mean they are from the island. The cape of Cape Hatteras is the geographical point of the island that juts out into the Atlantic. The locals also call it simply “The Point.”
Throughout history, up until today, to mariners, “Cape Hatteras” has always meant one of the world’s most treacherous and dangerous parts of the ocean. Literally thousands of shipwrecks have occurred there over the years…and still do. Why this is so is detailed by an entire chapter in my book Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks: Dramatic Rescues and Fantastic Wrecks in the Graveyard of the Atlantic, Globe Pequot Press, where I discuss ten factors. In summary, the three most effective are (1) the Diamond Shoals, (2) the conflicting Labrador and Gulf Stream currents, and (3) the seasonally conflicting prevailing winds.
Shipwrecks
Maritime nations throughout history have struggled with the answer to the question, “What can be done about shipwrecks?” However, this is actually two questions:
1. What can be done to prevent shipwrecks? And
2. What can be done for the victims after shipwrecks have actually happened?
First Thought: Lighthouses
As early as 300 B.C., Egypt had built the great lighthouse in Alexandria to help guide sailors into the port. The first in America was at Boston on Little Brewster Island in1716. Many more followed along all our coasts. After several tries to get one at the critical Cape Hatteras point, finally, ending in 1870, Dexter Stetson made a modern marvel monster of masonry which eventually became the candy-striped tower image of America.
But, as with all lighthouses, they only gave warnings of landfall at night; what about the other half of the 24 hours? What about storms that caused most of our shipwrecks, day and night, month after month?
Enter the United States
Life-Saving Service
The United States Life-Saving Service is one of the least-known yet most fascinating and inspirational aspects in all of America’s storied history. Author Ralph Shanks says, “They were the greatest heroes of the American coast, routinely risking their lives in the grand maritime rescues. Their work was respected and honored by America’s most prestigious leaders, celebrated in the most popular publications of their time and of deep interest to medical, educational, religious and political leaders. The Wright brothers knew them well, poet Walt Whitman wrote of them, and the artist Winslow Homer painted them. But somehow America forgot these peaceful heroes. Yet anyone reading of their bravery today will always remember them. The Life-Saving Service answered that most basic of human questions, “Who will help in our hour of greatest need
The United States Life-Saving Service existed from 1871 until 1915, with nearly 300 lifesaving stations along all of America’s Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific and Great Lakes coasts. The brave souls known as Surfmen had a singular mission: saving lives in peril from the sea, “so others may live.” During their 44-year history, nationwide, using no more than small, open, wooden boats and cork life belts, often in violent and dangerous storms, they responded to over 178,000 lives in peril…of which they saved, OVER 177,000; yet, somehow, America forgot these peaceful heroes. In 1915, the United States Life-Saving Service merged with the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and renamed the United States Coast Guard.
How did they save so many lives?
All stations were strictly and identically run. The eight-person crew, called “Surfmen” and the Officer in Charge, called the “Keeper” had the same drills and duties every week:
DRILLS
Monday – Beach apparatus drill
Tuesday – Surfboat drill
Wednesday – Flag signaling drill
Thursday – Repeat beach apparatus drill
Friday – First aid instruction and practice
Saturday – Maintenance of station, equipment and personnel
Sunday – A day off. . . but could not go farther than able to hear station bell in order to return
DUTIES
Day Watch
Night Beach Patrol
Also with a slow beginning, finally the United States Life-Saving Service arose in 1871. In North Carolina, a total of 29 U.S. Life-Saving Service stations were constructed from the Virginia line to the one for South Carolina. The Cape Hatteras LIFE-SAVING station (it is so easy to say “Lighthouse” here!) was not our first, commissioned in 1882. But it did become the busiest and most critical for many years.
The 1882-Type was one of 26 east-coast stations designed by architect J. Lake Parkinson. Being located one and one-eighth miles south of the world-famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the two were clearly visible to each other. It is a matter of record that the staff and families of each frequently interacted with each other – including marriages! The famous Benjamin Dailey was its first keeper followed by the equally famous Patrick H. Etheridge. For unknown reasons to this researcher, originally the station had no official Life-Saving Service number; it was located between its northern neighbor, Big Kinnakeet, No. 21 and its southern neighbor, Creeds Hill, No. 22! Since there was not a No. 21½, it remained unnumbered until it became Coast Guard Station No. 183.
Station Cape Hatteras had numerous additional claims to fame: it was the scene of the highly publicized wreck and rescues of Ephraim Williams (Volume I Chapter 11), Brewster (Vol II Chapter 16), the 100-year-old mystery of the Carrol A. Deering, known as “The Ghost Ship of Cape Hatteras” (Volume I Chapter 16) and Anna May (Vol II Chapter 22). It was the source of the famous (usually misquoted!) Keeper Patrick Etheridge’s quote “The Blue Book says we’ve got to go out and it doesn’t say a damn thing about having to come back,” (Vol II Chapter 19). It responded to a record number of 25 total wrecks, many more partial wrecks and countless dozens upon dozens of assists with neighboring stations.
Total wrecks responded to by
Cape Hatteras Life-Saving Service Station:
Steamer Enterprise ~ 4 December 1882, 3 lives lost
(could also have been later for Ocracoke or Portsmouth)
Schooner Edna Harwood ~ 31 November 1882, 1 life lost
Schooner George S. Marts ~ 16 April 1887, 2 lives lost
Schooner Rachel A. Collins ~ 12 March 1888, 4 lives lost
Schooner John Shay ~ 17 April 1889, 6 lives lost
Schooner Martha ~ 4 March 1893, zero lives lost
Barkentine J.W. Dresser ~ 23 July 1895, zero lives lost
Steamer Glanayron ~ 22 May 1896, zero lives lost
Steamer Hesperides ~ 9 October 1897, zero lives lost
Schooner William H. Kenzal ~ 5 April 1900,
unknown lives lost
Steamer Virginia ~ 2 May 1900, 6 lives lost
Schooner Hettie J. Dorman ~ 5 May 1900, zero lives lost
Steamer Palestro ~ 9 August 1900, zero lives lost
Schooner George R. Congdon ~ 31 January 1901,
zero lives lost
Steamer Northeastern ~ 27 December 1904, zero lives lost
Schooner Cordelia E. Hays ~ 15 January 1905,
zero lives lost
Schooner Robert H. Stevenson ~ 13 January 1906,
12 lives lost
Schooner Hilda ~ 6 February 1907, 7 lives lost
Schooner Leonora ~ 8 January 1908, 5 lives lost
Steamer Brewster ~ 29 November 1909, zero lives lost
Schooner Harriet C. Kerlin ~ 6 February 1911,
zero lives lost
Schooner Wellfleet ~ 6 March 1911, zero lives lost
Schooner Harry Prescott ~ 18 January 1912, zero lives lost
Yacht Idler ~ 14 January 1915, 12 lives lost
Steamer Prinz Mauritz ~ 3 April 1915, 49 lives lost
The 1882 station was replaced in 1939-40 in a slightly different location and despite its well-earned fame, the historic structure was demolished in 1948. A Loran station was constructed there, and the Coast Guard continued to use the site until 1985 when the property was turned over to the National Park Service. The current buildings there are the 1939 station, now National Park Service offices for the Enforcement Park Rangers of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Sister Services in the Sand
An iconic name. Both with the most noble of missions: saving lives. One widely recognized, celebrated, and adored with a huge fan base. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, like all of the others, obviously saved a myriad of ships from wrecking on her dark shores, and thereby saving lives. Unfortunately, the Lighthouse Service did not keep any records of each passing ship that survived. So, we really do not know how many were ever actually saved.
Lighthouses certainly did an admirable job. However, the isolation and “romance” of their existence has evolved the exaggerated notion that they routinely physically saved shipwreck victims. The actual daily routine of the lighthouse keeper was minimum: fill the oil, light the wick, clean the prims and windows and wind the rotating mechanism. . . hardly an eight-hour day. Certainly they had maintenance duties, just like every other federal building supervisor, or any other homeowner, for that matter. The following quotes testify to that:
“In 1876 to help prevent lighthouse keepers from becoming bored, the United States Lighthouse Establishment created rotating libraries to move between different light stations.” (Island Free Press, August 9, 2022). “A keeper’s job was not quite a 24-hour job, but it could be.” National Park Service website (www.nps.gov/articles/lighthouse-keepers.htm).
The other – most tragically – is almost forgotten. Here is the tragedy; here is what is largely unknown or now lost to the public. The United States Life-Saving Service kept highly detailed records in the course of its existence. I extracted these figures from the Annual Reports of the Operations of the United States Life-Saving Service for each fiscal year ending June 30, from 1876 until 1914.
In that period, the lifesavers of the United States Life-Saving Service:
Saved: 173,182 persons
Days victims succored at station: 56,443
(“Days Succored” means number of days survivors stayed at the LSS Stations provided by that station at its expense for first aid, shelter, food, clothes and more. The Life-Saving Service did it all.)
Beach Patrol: One daily duty of every United States Life-Saving Service station was beach patrol. Between the watch tower and the beach patrol, the beaches were covered 24/7. If the Surfman on patrol saw a ship too close to shore in danger of wrecking, he warned it off with flares, rockets and lantern waving.
Day Warnings by beach patrol: 465
Night Warnings by beach patrol: 6,570
Total Warnings by beach patrol: 7,033
~~~
Surely, America should be honoring, celebrating and remembering these “Storm Warriors,” these “Angels in Oilskins,” these “Saviors of the Surf.” These are still America’s Forgotten Heroes.
The Cape Hatteras Sister Services in the Sand. Both were lifesavers. One warned. One rescued.
This story appeared in the
Sep/Oct 2024 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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