AH-WR-1487

Georgiana McCaw

Blockade Runner · Great Britain · Lost 1864 · The Outer Banks

A paddle steamer lost on the Western Bar of the Cape Fear in June 1864.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Georgiana McCaw was a paddle steamer that ran the blockade into Wilmington. On 2 June 1864 she ran aground on the Western Bar at the Old Inlet of the Cape Fear River. Union boats reached the stranded ship and she was destroyed. She is one of the runners recorded at the Cape Fear's mouth.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Iron
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, side paddle wheels
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: June 2, 1864
Cause: Grounding
Location: Western Bar, Old Inlet of the Cape Fear River
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

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

Position

Coordinates: 33.88° N 78.03° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Oak Island, North Carolina
Region: The Outer Banks

Pin marks the named place of loss, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Sparsely documented (50/100)

Exact wreck position, depth and present condition are not established in the sources reviewed.

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion
Loss date, circumstances and the vessels involved.
North Carolina Office of State Archaeology, Underwater Archaeology Branch
Wreck site and Cape Fear blockade-runner context.