Graveyard of the Atlantic
Encyclopedia
Graveyard of the Atlantic is a nickname
of two locations known for numerous shipwreck
s: the treacherous waters in the Atlantic Ocean
along the Outer Banks
of North Carolina
and the Virginia
coastline south of the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay
at Cape Henry; and around Sable Island
, off the coast of central Nova Scotia
.
Along the Outer Banks, the cold waters of the Labrador Current
, which originates around the Baffin Sea between Greenland
and northeast coast of Canada
, collide with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream
flowing from Caribbean Sea
. The hazards of severe weather, strong currents, and navigational challenges, particularly in the Diamond Shoals area off Cape Hatteras
, combined to cause the loss of thousands of ships and an unknown number of human lives. More than 1,000 ships have sunk in these waters since records began in 1526. Among the better known shipwreck
s was the USS Monitor
, a participant in the famous Battle of Hampton Roads
during the American Civil War
. The Monitor foundered and sank on 31 December 1862 off Cape Hatteras
. Survivors of a much earlier shipwreck created the lost town of Wash Woods, Virginia
using lumber that washed ashore. However, the extreme weather eventually claimed the town as well.
The title "Graveyard of the Atlantic" is also applied to the ever-shifting sandy shoals around Sable Island
, which lies off the coast of central Nova Scotia
, which have claimed many hundreds of ships over the centuries, and by the waters off Cape Cod
, Massachusetts
.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
, located in Hatteras Village, focuses on the history of this area and features many artifacts recovered from area shipwrecks.
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
of two locations known for numerous shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
s: the treacherous waters in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
along the Outer Banks
Outer Banks
The Outer Banks is a 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, beginning in the southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States....
of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and the Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
coastline south of the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
at Cape Henry; and around Sable Island
Sable Island
Sable Island is a small Canadian island situated 300 km southeast of mainland Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is a year-round home to approximately five people...
, off the coast of central Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
.
Along the Outer Banks, the cold waters of the Labrador Current
Labrador Current
The Labrador Current is a cold current in the North Atlantic Ocean which flows from the Arctic Ocean south along the coast of Labrador and passes around Newfoundland, continuing south along the east coast of Nova Scotia...
, which originates around the Baffin Sea between Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
and northeast coast of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, collide with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream
Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
flowing from Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. The hazards of severe weather, strong currents, and navigational challenges, particularly in the Diamond Shoals area off Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic coast of North America...
, combined to cause the loss of thousands of ships and an unknown number of human lives. More than 1,000 ships have sunk in these waters since records began in 1526. Among the better known shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
s was the USS Monitor
USS Monitor
USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She is most famous for her participation in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, the first-ever battle fought between two ironclads...
, a participant in the famous Battle of Hampton Roads
Battle of Hampton Roads
The Battle of Hampton Roads, often referred to as either the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack or the Battle of Ironclads, was the most noted and arguably most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The Monitor foundered and sank on 31 December 1862 off Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic coast of North America...
. Survivors of a much earlier shipwreck created the lost town of Wash Woods, Virginia
Wash Woods, Virginia
Wash Woods was an unincorporated town located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Princess Anne County in the extreme southeastern corner of Virginia. The site of the former town is currently located within False Cape State Park in the Virginia Beach area....
using lumber that washed ashore. However, the extreme weather eventually claimed the town as well.
The title "Graveyard of the Atlantic" is also applied to the ever-shifting sandy shoals around Sable Island
Sable Island
Sable Island is a small Canadian island situated 300 km southeast of mainland Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is a year-round home to approximately five people...
, which lies off the coast of central Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, which have claimed many hundreds of ships over the centuries, and by the waters off Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
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...
, located in Hatteras Village, focuses on the history of this area and features many artifacts recovered from area shipwrecks.