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  • Home
  • Facility Rentals
  • About
    • The Watercraft Center
    • NC Maritime Museums
      • Beaufort
      • Hatteras
      • Southport
    • Friends of the Museum
    • Beaufort, NC
    • Local Lodging
  • Courses Offered
  • Carolina Maritime Model Society
  • Volunteer
  • Wooden Boat Show
  • Contact
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15 Feb 20181116_151522_resized_1

Posted at 16:59h in by NCMM Staff
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North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort

9 hours ago

North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort
In the age of exploration, sailors in the 1500s and 1600s navigated the world by following lines of latitude, because calculating longitude wasn’t possible until accurate seagoing clocks, called chronometers, were perfected in the 1700s. These devices transformed navigation by letting mariners pinpoint their distance from a known longitude. The creation of the chronometer was a game changer for mariners, but the loss of one could be a game ender. On July 29, 1918, when the chronometer on the schooner “Luna” failed, the vessel ran off course. The ship ran aground about five miles south of the Portsmouth Coast Guard Station. Thanks to the quick action of Coastguardsmen like David Williams who assisted from the Ocracoke Station, all five crew members were safely brought to shore using a breeches buoy. Unfortunately, “Luna” itself was lost. Image: Captain David Williams who assisted with the rescue of the crew from the schooner “Luna.” (Image courtesy Ocracoke Preservation Society and Museum, Ocracoke, NC). Image: Hamilton chronometer made in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1941. (NC Maritime Museum at Beaufort collection). ... See MoreSee Less
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North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort

1 day ago

North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort
On July 28, 1908, a sudden waterspout flipped the schooner “Lady Antrim” upside down in the Pamlico River! Amazingly, the captain and crew managed to cling to the overturned hull until a passing ship rescued them. The dramatic event made headlines soon after. What exactly is a waterspout? A waterspout is a spinning column of air and water mist, and it comes in two main types, tornadic and fair weather. Any waterspout can cause damage, as the Lady Antrim learned in 1908, and should always be taken seriously. Image: Waterspout observed from NOAA Ship RONALD H. BROWN. Lt. Jeff Shoupposing with waterspout. (Image courtesy NOAA). ... See MoreSee Less
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North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort

5 days ago

North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort
Fish Friday The common thresher shark is one of the ocean’s most striking predators—stretching up to 20 feet long and weighing nearly 1,000 pounds. Its signature feature is an enormous, sickle‑shaped tail, often half the shark’s entire body length. With a brown‑gray back, pale underside, and rows of tiny teeth, this sleek hunter is built for speed. North Carolina is no stranger to these giants. In fact, the state record thresher weighed an incredible 589 pounds, 1 ounce, and was caught off Oak Island in 2023 by Steven Viltoft. Image: Common thresher shark washed up on Atlantic Beach, 2025. (Image courtesy Fort Macon State Park). Images: Steven Viltoft NC State record holding thresher, 2023. (Image courtesy NCDEQ). ... See MoreSee Less
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North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort

1 week ago

North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort
On July 22, 1942, a new line of defense rose on the Outer Banks. Coastal Patrol Base 16 in Manteo was activated under the Civil Air Patrol with an urgent and dangerous mission. Civilian pilots, flying their own small aircraft, took to the skies to monitor for German U‑boats lurking off North Carolina’s coast during the darkest days of World War II. These volunteers braved rough seas, unpredictable weather, and the constant threat of enemy fire as they flew convoy escort, scoured the waters for submarines, and searched for survivors. Images: Civil Air Patrol base #16, Manteo. (Images courtesy Dare County Regional Airport). ... See MoreSee Less
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North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort

1 week ago

North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort
In the final days of the Civil War, the 76th Pennsylvania Infantry mustered out of North Carolina on July 15, 1865, after fighting through Wilmington, storming Fort Fisher, and marching into Raleigh. Their war was over, or so they thought. Just hours after boarding the steamer “Quinebaug” alongside men from the 9th Maine, disaster struck. The vessel wrecked off Shackleford Banks near Beaufort Inlet, turning a homeward journey into tragedy. Thirty‑two soldiers and 16 horses were lost to the sea. The stunned survivors were carried to Beaufort, their long‑awaited return marked by heartbreak instead of celebration. Image: Unidentified soldiers of the 76th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. (Image Courtesy of the Library of Congress). ... See MoreSee Less
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THE HARVEY W. SMITH WATERCRAFT CENTER

322 Front St.

Beaufort, NC 28516

Hours:

Monday-Saturday • 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday • Noon - 5 p.m.

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