Disappearance of the Patriot-- Part 2

Logbooks from British warships off the North Carolina coast  reported a severe storm that struck January 2, 1813, after the Patriot left South Carolina.  The Patriot would have been a bit north of Cape Hatteras when the storm was at its fiercest and facing hurricane-strength winds in the early morning hours of January 2.

The Patriot was never heard from again.  Despite the many conspiracy theories and tales about Theodosia surviving it is most likely she perished with the rest of the ship's passengers and crew that day.

(I have also read that the British ships had stopped the Patriot, but after seeing a letter from Joseph Alston, the governor of South Carolina, asking for them to allow the ship to continue on its way, they did.  But, who will ever know.)

--Brock-Perry

Disappearance of the Patriot and Theodosia Burr Alston-- Part 5: Never Made it to New York

The journey to New York City normally took five or six days.  After two weeks, there was no sign of the Patriot.  Her husband John Alston and Aaron Burr became desperate.  Finally, Burr gave up hope that his daughter was still alive.

Theodosia Burr Alston, her fellow passengers, the crew and the ship were never seen again.  The Patriot had disappeared without a trace.  Later it was learned that the British fleet had stopped the Patriot off  Cape Hatteras on January 2, but Gov. Alston's letter worked and they released the ship.

Later that night a gale hit and dispersed the British fleet.  Beyond that, there was no clue as to what had happened to the ship.  Burr sent people looking for her who went to Nassau and Bermuda, but to no avail.  It is a mystery why he didn't send them to the Outer Banks.

So, What Happended to Theodosia and the Patriot?  --Brock-Perry

Disappearance of Schooner Patriot and Theodosia Burr Alston in 1813-- Part 2

After the Patriot left Charleston Harbor, no trace of the ship, crew or Theodosia was ever found.

A number of theories and legends have spring up about their disappearance.  Some claim the ship was attacked by pirates and made to walk the plank.  Others think they might have been captured by the British since the war was going on at the time.

Perhaps most fanciful of all was the story of a Karankawa Indian chief, who claimed that he had rescued a woman who had washed up ashore after a shipwreck and that in thanks, she had given him a locket with the name Theodosia inscribed upon it.

Personally, I think their end came from a storm or shipwreck.  The Patriot would have to pass North Carolina's Outer Banks n the way to New York and, as you know, many ships have been wrecked in that area.  Had the British captured or destroyed the ship, they would have written about it.

Now, after more than 200 years, it is not likely we will ever know their fate.

--Brock-Perry

Did the Cape Fear Region Play Any Significant Role in the War of 1812?

From the April 30, 2010, Wilmington (NC) Star-News "My Reporter" by Meston Vanoe.

No battles were fought in North Carolina, but the British did occupy Ocracoke and Portsmouth islands in the Outer Banks from July 12-16, 1813.  This scared the state and the militia was called out, some going to Wilmington.

Johnston Blakely was a naval hero from Wilmington who commanded the sloop USS Wasp that captured the HMS Reindeer

Captain Otway Burns was from Onslow County and was a leading privateer.  he is buried in Beaufort in a tomb topped with cannons from his ship, the Snap Dragon.  His desk and a model of his ship are at the North Carolina Maritime Museum.

Brunswick County raised a company of volunteers for the North Carolina Militia.

After the war, the government increased the size of the Navy.  Seven ships-of-the-line, the most powerful ships of their day, were built.  One was the USS North Carolina which was launched in 1820 and commissioned in 1824.

--Brock-Perry

Is This Gunboat No. 140?-- Part 2

A 75-page illustrated report has been made on the wreck.  A storm along the coast excavated the remains.  Specimens of wood, metal, china and ballast have been collected and sent to a lab for analysis.

What was known by 1939 was that the ship's hull bore a striking similarity to the architectural design of the 176 U.S. gunboats ordered by the government to similar design from 1805-1807, the so-called Jeffersonian Gunboats.

Scientists used drafts of Gunboat No. 5, shown in the right column.  The outline of the bow and stern along with the gudgeon, which held the rudder, are identical.

It is known that Gunboat No. 140 exploded near Ocracoke Inlet on September 23, 1814 and is believed to have burned down to the waterline.

Sounds Like They Found 140.  --Brock-Perry

Is This Gunboat No. 140?-- Part 1

From the National Park Service August 1939 Regional Review "Bodie Island Ship Remains Described in Report."

On June 4th, I wrote about North Carolina's gunboats during the War of 1812, and mentioned one whose remains were found back in the 30s on Bodie Island, along the state's Outer Banks that was uncovered on land (the barrier islands shift positions constantly) by a storm back in the late 1930s and much research done on it since.

I was unfamiliar with it, so had to do some more research.  I didn't find much but this excellent report.  I don't know if it still remains, but hope it does as we don't have that many remnants from the war.

The hull of the ship was found May 3, 1938 on Bodie Island in an area authorized for inclusion in a proposed Cape Hatteras National Seashore park.  At first, it was thought that the ship was from the 17th or even the 16th century, which would have really made it a find (as very few Age of Exploration ships remain).  But now, it has tentatively been identified as an American vessel built sometime after 1750.

What Ship is That?  --Brock-Perry