AH-WR-1471

Spunkie

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

A small paddle steamer, once a Scottish river boat, wrecked under Fort Caswell on a run into the Cape Fear.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Spunkie was a small paddle steamer brought across the Atlantic for blockade running. In February 1864 she ran aground near Fort Caswell at the Old Inlet of the Cape Fear River and was wrecked. Her remains are one of the many blockade-runner sites recorded at the mouth of the Cape Fear.

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: February 9, 1864
Cause: Grounding
Location: Near Fort Caswell, at the 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: 33.89° N 78.02° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Fort Caswell, Oak Island, North Carolina
Region: The Outer Banks

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

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (60/100)

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.