AH-WR-1662

George L. Fessenden

Schooner · Lost 1898 · The Outer Banks

A crushed-stone schooner lost at Wimble Shoals during an April 1898 storm.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

George L. Fessenden was built in Maine in 1874 and carried cargo along the East Coast and Gulf. On April 26, 1898, it grounded in a storm in the Wimble Shoals area while carrying crushed stone from Philadelphia to Southport. Life-saving crews rescued three of seven crewmen; four died.

Vessel

Built: 1874
Builder: Not established
Yard: Maine
Material: Not established
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: April 26, 1898
Cause: Storm
Location: Wimble Shoals area, North Carolina
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania → Southport, North Carolina
Cargo: Crushed stone
Aboard: 7
Lives lost: 4
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Hatteras Island, North Carolina
Region: The Outer Banks

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (88/100)

Exact wreck coordinates, dimensions, crew identities and reasons for the intermediate port call are not established in the NOAA account.

NOAA Ocean Exploration — Wimble Shoals Shipwrecks
Build year/state, trade, date, grounding in storm at Wimble Shoals, cargo and voyage, damaged rigging, explicit seven aboard/four lost/three rescued.