Oriental (steamship)
Oriental was an American steamship that ran aground on the Outer Banks of North Carolina[1] on the night of May 16, 1862, and was abandoned.
The 1,202-ton ship[2] had been built by the Neafie and Levy Ship and Engine Building Company at the Penn Works Shipyard in Philadelphia,[3] for the Nuevitas and Cuba Steamship Company, and intended for the Cuba trade. The ship was new, having been completed in 1861. But as the American Civil War was then raging, the American federal government requsitioned the Oriental for war service. At the time of the grounding the ship was carrying supplies to Port Royal in South Carolina which was Union-occupied (and was the location of the Port Royal Experiment).[4]
All crewmen and passengers were saved. An attempt was made to refloat the ship, but this was unsuccessful.[5][6]
The cause of the grounding is not known. One crewmember said that captain Benjamin J. Tuzoell had fallen asleep, and this story has continued to circulate. Other sources have said that the captain had not trusted the recently recalibrated ship's compass which may have affected his navigation.[4][5][6]
Over time the ship deteriorated and became a sunken wreck. The ship's boiler stack remains above water and can be easily seen from shore (as of 2025), and consequently the wreck is sometimes called "The Boiler". It's a scuba diving spot.[4][5][6]
There is a small Oriental museum in Oriental, North Carolina (the town was named for the ship).[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Lost to the Perils of the Sea". National Park Service. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ Gaines, W. Craig (2008). Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks. LSU Press. p. 125. ISBN 978-0807132746. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
- ^ Students from the East Carolina University Program in Maritime Studies. "The Shipwrecks". NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Retrieved May 31, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Shipwreck of The "Oriental" 150 Years Ago This Month". Town Dock. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c "The Oriental Shipwreck". Hatteras Realty. January 16, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2025. [better source needed]
- ^ a b c "Outer Banks Shipwreck "The Boiler" (The Oriental)". Carolina Designs. Retrieved May 30, 2025. [better source needed]