AH-WR-1473

Wild Dayrell

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

A runner chased ashore by USS Sassacus and burned on the beach near Stump Inlet in 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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Wild Dayrell was a paddle steamer that ran the blockade into Wilmington. On 1 February 1864 she was driven ashore near Stump Inlet by USS Sassacus. Union sailors tried to pull her off, failed, and burned her where she lay. Her remains belong to the cluster of blockade-runner wrecks along the North Carolina coast.

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 1, 1864
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Near Stump Inlet, north of Topsail Island
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: 34.43° N 77.53° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Stump Inlet, Topsail Island, North Carolina
Region: The Outer Banks

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

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

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.