The Caroll A.Deering

On the morning of  January 31, 1921, the beautiful, huge, five-masted schooner was found hard aground on Hatteras Diamond Shoals, North Carolina.

Abandoned and deserted, with all of its eleven crewmen missing, the circumstances are as strange as those of the “Mary Celeste,” and her demise remains as one of the greatest unsolved maritime mysteries of all time.

Her sails were up and the galley showed evidence that a meal was about to be prepared.  The crews’ personal effects were gone, along with the ships navigational equipment,  log books, and life rafts.  Also mysteriously missing were the eleven crew members of the vessel.

Christened “Carroll A. Deering,” after the owner’s son, this five masted schooner was built in 1919 by the G.G. Deering Company, said to be the oldest active shipbuilder in the country at that time.  She was also the last of nearly 100 boats built by the G.G. Deering Company.

		The launching of the Carroll A. Deering at Bathe, Maine in 1919. Courtesy of the descendants of Carroll A. Deering

Described as being a tremendous ship,  measuring 255 feet long and 45 feet across, she was designed for cargo service.  Only the best stock was used in constructing this three deck vessel. Her features included an oak ceiling and planking of  hard pine, a handsome combination of mahogany, empress, and ash woods were used to finish the interior.  Oregon masts measuring 108 feet long, with top masts measuring  46 feet long flanked the vessel.  Other luxurious features included a bathroom with open plumbing and cabins fully lit by electricity and heated by steam.

Indeed, she was a woooden boat enthusiasts’ dream!  Mrs. Carroll Deering stood at the bow of the ship and christened it using a large bouquet of roses which she scattered as the vessel made its descent down the ways.

The Deering was being prepared to sail from Boston to Buenos Aires, then on to Rio de Janerio.  In charge of the voyage would be part owner and Captain,  William M. Merritt who chose his son, S.E. Merritt as his first mate.  Nine other Scandanavian men were hired as crew and on August 20, 1920, they set sail for Boston.  Later that same month, after sailing from Boston, Captain Merritt became ill and the vessel was diverted to port in Lewes, Delaware.  After determining that the captain was too ill to continue the voyage, he is left at port.  His son, E.E. Merritt also gets off the ship and stays to care for his dad. 

Left without a captain and first mate, the Deering Company hastily hired replacements for the positions.  Captain Willis T. Wormell, a veteran retired shipmaster and experienced navigator is chosen as the new Captain.   He hires Charles B. MeLellan as his first mate.

On September 8, 1920, the “Deering” is finally underway for Rio with a cargo of coal.The vessel arrives without incident and the crew is given time off.  In the meantime, Captain Wormell meets up with an old friend, also a Captain, and confides that he does not like does not like his crew and the behavior of his first mate concerns him.  They agree that the ship’s engineer, Bates can be trusted.

On their return trip from  Rio, a series of events occur, ultimately causing the “Carroll A. Deering” to run aground.

January 9, 1921: Vessel sets sail for Portland, Maine.

January 25, 1921:  Another ship, the “S.S. Hewitt”with a crew of 42, disappears from the same area while sailing on a similiar course as the “Deering.” She was last heard from on this date.

January 29, 1921:  ” Carroll A. Deering” reported to have passed Cape Lookout Lightship, sailing at 5 mph.  A man on board got the attention of the passing ship and said the vessel had lost both anchors and asked if he could report it to its owners.  the crewman did not act or look like an officer.  Shortly after, a passing steamer was asked to stop by the Lightship to take the message for the schooner.  It is maritime law to respond to the whistles of the Lightship.  However, the steamer, whose name could not be seen, did not stop and continued sailing on.

January 31, 1921:  The “Carroll A. Deering” is spotted with all sails set riding a sandbar at Diamond Shoals.  According to the official report, “ she was driven high up on the shoal… in a boiling bed of breakers with all sails set as if abandon in a hurry.”  All personal effects belonging to crew is gone, along with all of the ship’s navigational instruments, and the lifeboats.

Rescue ships were unable to board the ship due to bad weather and it was not until February 4 that the ship was boarded. The Coast Guard attempted to salvage the vessel but was unable and the “Carroll A. Deering” was scuttled using dynamite on March 4.

Despite an extensive investigation by the U.S. Goverment that included the Commerce, Treasury, Justice, Navy, and State Departments, no explanation could be found for her disappearance.  It is interesting to note that at the same time of the schooner’s disappearance, nione other ships disappeared around the same time, in the same place.  None of the ship’s crew were ever found from any of the missing vessels. 

So what happened to the “Carroll A. Deering?” 

All that was left, decades later: curious wreckage on a North Carolina Beach. What really did happen to the Carroll A. Deering and to the Hewitt?

There were a number of theories considered by the U.S. Goverment during their investigation that included piracy, mutiny, a hurricane, a Russian/Communist piracy, Rum Runner’s, or a paranormal expression.

The investigation finally wound down and came to end in 1922 with no official explanation ever being found.